Black Cat is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 in July 1979 as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man, although she later becomes his on-off love interest and ally.

In the Marvel Universe, Black Cat is the alter ego of Felicia Sara Hardy, the daughter of renowned cat burglar Walter Hardy. Trained in martial arts and acrobatics, she follows in her father's footsteps and initially comes into conflict with Spider-Man until the two fall in love, leading to a brief partnership in crime-fighting. Their relationship is complicated when it becomes apparent that Black Cat has no interest in Spider-Man's civilian identity as Peter Parker. Despite their break-up, Spider-Man's positive influence motivates Black Cat to remain an antiheroine willing to do the right thing when push comes to shove, and routinely returns to the hero's life as one of his most trusted allies. Black Cat has gained and lost superhuman powers several times throughout her comic book history, most notably possessing a "bad luck" aura capable of inflicting people in her vicinity with misfortune.

Since her original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including solo series, video games, animated television series, and merchandise. Felicia Hardy made her live-action debut in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), portrayed by Felicity Jones, and an alternate version of the character based on the Marvel Noir incarnation named Cat Hardy appears in the television series Spider-Noir, portrayed by Li Jun Li.

Mary Jane Watson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (June 1965) and was later designed by John Romita Sr. in #42 (November 1966). Since then, she has been Spider-Man's main love interest and later his wife (under the name Mary Jane Watson-Parker). Mary Jane Watson has also been a supporting character in Iron Man and Venom comics.

Although she made a brief appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #25 with her face obscured—part of the ongoing comedic antics of Aunt May constantly trying to set Peter up with her friend's "innocent" niece—Mary Jane only truly made a full cameo appearance in #42. Under the artistry of John Romita Sr., her debut is considered one of the most iconic moments in comic book history; this success stems from her skillful foreshadowing, her striking red hair, and her famous greeting: "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!" Since then, "Tiger" has become her most distinctive nickname for Peter, appearing throughout the comic books and adaptations.

In the early stages, Mary Jane is portrayed as a contrasting character to Gwen Stacy (who was originally intended to be Peter's confidante). Her outgoing, fun-loving personality (actually a mask concealing a turbulent family life) is in stark contrast to Gwen's calmness and intelligence. However, after Gwen's death, Mary Jane becomes more empathetic and eventually becomes one of the few people who know and support Peter's secret identity. The two developed deep feelings for each other and got married, before this event was erased in the "One More Day" storyline due to the manipulation of the evil Mephisto. Additionally, they were destined to have a daughter—who would end Mephisto's reign in the future. Mary Jane also took on many superhero roles such as Red Sonja, Jackpot III, and Venom's host. In parallel universes, she appeared under the titles Spider-Woman, Spinneret, and even Carnage.

Since her debut, Mary Jane Watson has consistently been considered one of Marvel's most outstanding non-superpowered female characters. On screen, Kirsten Dunst played the character in director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Shailene Woodley made a non-speaking cameo appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). Meanwhile, her animated versions were voiced by Zoë Kravitz, Nicole Delaney, and Melissa Sturm in the Spider-Verse series.

Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in Marvel Comics' comic books, often as a supporting character in stories featuring Spider-Man (Peter Parker). A college student and daughter of George and Helen Stacy, Gwen was Peter's first love after graduating from high school, before she was murdered by the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn). Her death has haunted Peter ever since, and stories published long after show that she still holds a special place in his heart.

After her death, Gwen underwent numerous cloning experiments by her former professor Miles Warren, Peter's clone Ben Reilly, and an AI created by Harry Osborn; Harry's experiment led to the creation of the Kindreds. Ben also briefly resurrected Gwen in the event "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" (2016–2017). In the Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider (2017–2018) series, the embodiment of Death itself confirmed that all the clones Ben created from the deceased possessed intact souls upon resurrection, while clones of living individuals (like Ben himself) had separate souls. A separate flashback series, Gwen Stacy: Beyond Amazing (2020–2024), was written by Christos Gage. In The All-New All-Deadly Gwenpool (2025), she is resurrected once again with Weapon X-like abilities under the designation X-31, teaming up with Peter, the isekai protagonist Gwen Poole, and archer Kate Bishop to fight the villain "The Great Architect." In the parallel universes of Ultimate Marvel, Spider-Gwen, and Ultimate Spider-Man, a living version of Gwen has become the Carnage, Spider-Woman, and Mysterio versions in their respective realities.

This character was portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard in Spider-Man 3 (2007) and by Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-Man series (2012–2014) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023; using archival material). A version of Spider-Gwen from the multiverse was voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Hailee will reprise the role in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) and Spider-Woman (release date yet to be announced).