Greedy, vengeful, and cynical, much of Felicia Hardy's life has been shaped by loss and trauma -- leaving her a jaded woman who looks out for herself at the expense of others. Despite scoffing at the idea of being a superhero, Felicia has frequently acted as a vigilante antihero - largely due to Spider-Man's influence on her; and has also at times gone straight and used her powers for good as both a vigilante and a private investigator. Encouraged by her father to always be the best, Felicia channeled her rage and humiliation at having been raped into following in her father's footsteps as a cat-burglar. After adopting the persona of the Black Cat, Felicia reveled in the freedom it gave her and all but completely discarded her civilian identity, being perplexed by Spider-Man's unwillingness to do so as well. Hating feeling weak more than anything, Felicia bargained with the Kingpin to obtain superpowers after nearly being killed by Doctor Octopus, but this cost her relationship with Spider-Man and wasn't enough to save her from nearly being killed by Venom.