History ComicBook / SpiderManBlackCatTheEvilThatMenDo

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Felicia is just about to get through to Francis as another rape victim but Spider-Man swinging in and assaulting him from trauma-induced rage makes him she was setting him up.

* TeleFrag: [[ComicBook/XMen Nightcrawler]] remarks on the effects of killing someone by teleporting into their body. He avoids the act based on the {{squick}} factor, and because he [[ThouShaltNotKill doesn't kill people]]. [[spoiler:Francis performs this on Garrison to prevent him from raping Black Cat.]]

'''Felicia's Thought Ballon:''' Please be following me... Please be following me... Please be following me...

''Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' is a six issue mini-series starring Franchise/SpiderMan and [[Characters/BlackCatMarvelComics the Black Cat]]. The comic is written by Creator/KevinSmith, with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson.

The story begins with Spider-Man investigating the death of Donald Phillips, a student who seemingly died from a drug overdose but with no evidence as to how the drugs got into his system. Spider-Man's only lead is an actor named Hunter Todd. Meanwhile, the Black Cat, Spider-Man's ally and former romantic partner, is searching for her friend Tricia Lane who was last seen with Todd. When they realize the connection between their two cases, Spider-Man and the Black Cat team up to solve them together while dealing with their unresolved feelings for each other and the tragic end of their relationship. Spider-Man and Black Cat's investigation ultimately leads them to Garrison Klum, a mutant with minor teleportation powers which he uses in his drug dealing business. When Garrison is killed, Felicia is suspected but it turns out to be Garrison's brother Francis.

* BetterAsFriends: Peter (who's HappilyMarried to [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]] at this point) wants to go back to being friends with Felicia. But there's still some UnresolvedSexualTension between them.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Subverted with Garrison. A flashback shows him beating up a bully who picked on [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Francis for being Jewish]]. However, [[spoiler:this is followed by the reveal that he has been sexually molesting Francis since they were teenagers]].
* TheCartel: The Ortega Cartel are the Klums' chief rivals in the drug dealing business. They send the supervillainess Scorpia to kill Garrison at a humanitarian award event but she is thwarted by Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Garrison kills them all in retribution along with the leader's wife. Only their baby survives.

-->'''Spider-Man''': Either you're gonna tell us who hired you, or I'm gonna hang outside your window pegging you with web-balls all night. And if ''that's'' not annoying enough, I'll have Black Cat sing "Memories" from ''Theatre/{{Cats}}''. Hit it, Cat!\\
'''Black Cat''': ''[without missing a beat]'' ~MEEEEMO-RIES! ALL ALONE ON THE PAVE-MENT...! I RE-MEM-BER A TIME I KNEW WHAT HAP-PI-NESS WAS...~\\
'''Scorpia''': All right, all right, all right! [-God, I hate you two...-]
* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Averted and deconstructed. [[spoiler: Garrison's sexual abuse of his brother Francis (which occurred all the way up to adulthood) is treated just as seriously as Felicia being raped by her college boyfriend. Felicia shows empathy for Francis and all the pain that Garrison's treatment of him has caused him. However, Francis is afraid to turn himself in and tell others about it because he fears people will either not believe him or mock him for it.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Garrison is the main antagonist of the first three issues. Francis takes on the role of the final villain for the last three issues after he kills Garrison.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Francis is Garrison's brother and partner in crime but he is shown to be disturbed by Garrison's {{Sadist}}ic and ruthless actions which run the risk of either exposing them or making them more enemies than they need. [[spoiler:Part of the reason Francis kills Garrison is because he feels he is going out of control.]]

* HateSink: Garrison Klum. Being a murderer and a drug dealer would be reason enough to despise him. [[spoiler: Then we see him try to rape Felicia. Later, we learn that he sexually abused his younger brother Francis all the way up to adulthood and that he also molests teenagers.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: Peter threatens to eat a low-level drug pusher in order to give him information about who got Donald Philips involved in drugs.

* MaleGaze: Felicia's introduction in the first issue has her wearing a [[ModestyTowel form-fitting towel]] before [[ShowerScene taking a shower]], a sequence which focuses a great deal on her body, such as a close up of her washing her legs. It isn't until she checks into a hotel while working the case that we finally see her face. Even after that, there are multiple shots in the first three issues which focus on her breasts, ass or [[BoobsAndButtPose both at once.]] The covers also draw a lot of attention to her figure.
* MaliciousMisnaming: Felicia refers to Mary-Jane (who doesn't appear in this story) as "Mary Plain".

-->'''Felicia:''' FAR too long...

* MrExposition: ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} is the Marvel Universe's foremost expert on {{Teleportation}} and is contacted by Spider-Man and ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} to provide exposition about people in concentration camps who had Mutant genetic material grafted onto them. This is how the audience learns that the Klums' powers are a result of them being descended from one of the camp's victims.

'''Felicia's Thought Ballon''': Please be following me... Please be following me... Please be following me...
* ProfessionalKiller: Scorpia is hired to kill Garrison by a rival [[TheCartel drug Cartel]]. Thanks to the intervention of Peter and Felicia, she fails.
* RapeAndRevenge: [[spoiler: Subverted with Felicia. She wanted to kill Ryan for raping her but he died in a car accident leaving her without any closure and a lot anger issues which she used as motivation to become a thief. Somewhat played straight with Francis killing Garrison who had been sexually abusing him since they were kids though it took seeing Garrison attempt to rape Felicia for Francis to do it.]]
* RapeAsBackstory: Both [[spoiler: Felicia and Francis]]. [[spoiler:Felicia is retconned into having been date raped by her college boyfriend which was the catalyst for her becoming the Black Cat. Francis meanwhile was sexually abused by his older brother Garrison.]]

** Issue #3 ends with Garrison undressing an immobilized Felicia and getting ready to rape her, when the scene cuts to outside the apartment as a DramaticThunder goes off. [[spoiler:But it turns out to be a subversion as Francis kills Garrison before he could rape her.]]
** PlayedStraight with Francis [[spoiler:raping a prostitute and Ryan raping Felicia]].
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The story does not pull any punches about how horrible rape is and the effect it has on the victims. Ryan and Garrison are portrayed as the lowest form of scum for being rapists. [[spoiler:Felicia's]] conversation with [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]] who is serving as her defense attorney in issue #4 spells this out blatantly.
-->[[spoiler:'''Felicia''']]: Have you ever been raped, counselor? Have you ever had anyone climb into your body that you didn't want there? And I don't just mean someone you got tired of sleeping with but didn't know how to dump. I'm talking about someone who forces himself into you, against your will. And the whole time, you know he's not doing it because he wants you. He's doing it to ''hurt'' you. He's doing it because he wants you to know how powerless you are. He's doing it to take away everything good and positive about yourself. He's doing it to humiliate you. He's doing it to break you.

* SelfMadeOrphan: Garrison discovered he had powers when he teleported some mouthwash into his mother's heart, killing her instantly. Unlike most examples of this trope, Garrison's killing of his mother was an accident but given his complete lack of regret or remorse, he might as well have done it on purpose.

* SiblingsInCrime: The Klums. Though it could not be more clear that Garrison is the one truly calling the shots.

** Francis' teleportation powers are far less limited. He can teleport himself, anyone else he is carrying and smaller items so long as he can visualize them and where they are. [[spoiler: He fights off Spider-Man by teleporting Felicia's mask into his neck and was able to kill his brother Garrison by ''teleporting into his body and blowing him up''.]]

* TraumaButton: [[spoiler: When Peter finds Felicia and Francis at the top of the Queensboro Bridge, he flashes back to ''ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied'' and thinks Francis is trying to kill Felicia the same way the Green Goblin killed Gwen. This causes Peter to fly into a blind rage and attack Francis.]]

* VillainousIncest: [[spoiler: Garrison sexually abused his younger brother Francis for years. This was so traumatizing to Francis that he became unable to enjoy consensual sex.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Garrison Klum's public persona is that of a wealthy and beloved philanthropist. The second issue has him receiving an award for donating money to victims of 9/11 before he is attacked by Scorpia, who has been paid to kill him by his rivals in the drug dealing business..

-->'''Felicia''': I really hate you, you know that? \\
'''Peter''': And I am '''thoroughly''' disgusted by you. Welcome back, Party-Hardy.

** ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} remarks on the effects of killing someone by teleporting into their body. He avoids doing this himself because of how gross it can be, and because he [[ThouShaltNotKill doesn't kill people]].

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Heavily implied during the ShowerScene at the beginning of the series. Felicia reaches for the detachable showerhead to rinse off some CensorSuds while ruminating on how long it's been since she's had a boyfriend... or girlfriend. The view shifts to outside the bathroom with her SexySilhouette standing behind the shower glass.
-->'''Felicia:''' FAR too long...

* GagBoobs: This exchange of dialogue when Spider-Man and Black Cat are trying to extract information from Scorpia about who hired her to kill Garrison Klum.
-->'''Black Cat''': What's [Scorpia] saying now?\\
'''Spider-Man''': She says no woman with a chest like yours should be able to move as fast as you do! ''[Scorpia actually does not say this and actually said that she'd kill Black Cat if she ever got out of her cell]''\\
'''Black Cat''': Tell her they act as ballast!

The other source of controversy was the {{Retcon}} to the Black Cat's backstory. Originally, Felicia Hardy became the Black Cat to follow in her father's footsteps as an expert thief. However, ''Evil That Men Do'' rewrites Felicia's reasons for becoming the Black Cat. This retcon was ''not'' well received and has thus far gone unaddressed outside of this series.

The mini-series' most lasting introduction to the Spider-Man franchise was Francis Klum, the third Mysterio who was last seen being stabbed by the villain Ero.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Peter and Felicia.
* BetterAsFriends: Peter (who's HappilyMarried to [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]] at this point) wants to go back to being friends with Felicia. But there's still some BelligerentSexualTension between them and Felicia still has feelings for him.

* VillainousIncest: [[spoiler: Garrison sexually abused his younger brother Francis for years, to the point where Francis became unable to enjoy consensual sex.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Garrison Klum's public persona is that of a rich man who donates to charity. The second issue has him receiving an award for donating money to victims of 9/11 before he is attacked by Scorpia.

'''Peter''': And I am '''thoroughly''' disgusted by you. Welcome back, party-hardy.

** [[spoiler: Francis performs this on Garrison to prevent him from raping Felicia, killing him instantly.]]
** ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} remarks on the effects of killing someone by teleporting into their body. He avoids doing this himself because of how gross it can be, and because he [[TechnicalPacifist doesn't kill people]].
* WillNotBeAVictim: [[spoiler: After Felicia was raped by her boyfriend, she TookALevelInBadass and became the Black Cat because she "didn't want to be another statistic". This attitude is deconstructed; in the present Felicia says that she wished she had reported the rape and gotten therapy instead.]]

* MaleGaze: Felicia's introduction in the first issue has her wearing a [[ModestyTowel form-fitting towel]] before [[ShowerScene taking a shower]], a sequence which focuses a great deal on her body, such as a close up of her washing [[ShesGotLegs her legs]]. It isn't until she checks into a hotel while working the case that we finally see her face. Even after that, there are multiple shots in the first three issues which focus on her breasts, ass or [[BoobsAndButtPose both at once.]] The covers also draw a lot of attention to her figure.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Felicia is just about to get through to Francis as another rape victim but Spider-Man swinging in and assaulting him from trauma-induced rage makes him reject her as setting him up while also swearing revenge on Spider-Man.
* OurAncestorsAreSuperheroes: Garrison and Francis are descended from concentration camp inmates who were implanted with mutant genetic material stolen from mutants.

-->'''Felicia:''' Stay or come it's your call. But I'm going.\\

* ContemptibleCover: The covers for the series, particularly [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/3/3e/Spider-Man_Black_Cat_The_Evil_That_Men_Do_Vol_1_1.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/994?cb=20181117000326 issues 1]] and 2, are rather risque. However, the knowledge that the female character who is the subject of them is [[spoiler:revealed to be a rape victim]] takes them from silly to tasteless.

''Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do'' is a six issue mini-series written by Creator/KevinSmith with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson.

The story sees Franchise/SpiderMan investigating the death of Donald Phillips, a student who seemingly died from a drug overdose but with no evidence as to how the drugs got into his system. Spider-Man's only lead is an actor named Hunter Todd. Meanwhile, the ComicBook/BlackCat, Spider-Man's ally and former romantic partner, is searching for her friend Tricia Lane who was last seen with Todd. When they realize the connection between their two cases, Spider-Man and the Black Cat team up to solve them together while dealing with their unresolved feelings for each other and the tragic end of their relationship. Spider-Man and Black Cat's investigation ultimately leads them to Garrison Klum, a mutant with minor teleportation powers which he uses in his drug dealing business. When Garrison is killed, Felicia is suspected but it turns out to be Garrison's brother Francis.

* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler: When Felicia breaks into his house to get information on Tricia Lane, Garrison Klum incapacitates her by teleporting drugs into her system and tries to rape her. The final scene of the third issue is him cutting open her costume. The fourth issue reveals that Garrison is dead and Felicia is in jail under suspicion of killing him. In reality, Francis, Garrison's brother, killed him to stop him from raping Felicia.]]

* BetterAsFriends: Peter (who's HappilyMarried to [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]] at this point) wants to go back to being friends with Felicia. But there's still some BelligerentSexualTension between then and Felicia still has feelings for him.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Subverted with Garrison. A flashback shows him beating up a bully who picked on [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Francis for being Jewish]]. However, [[spoiler: this is followed by the reveal that he has been sexually molesting Francis since they were teenagers]].

* ContemptibleCover: The [[https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Spider-Man_and_the_Black_Cat_Vol_1 covers]] for the series, particularly issues 1 and 2, are already worthy of an eye roll. However, the knowledge that the female character who is the subject of them is [[spoiler: revealed to be a rape victim]] takes them from silly to tasteless.