The Black Cat is crossing the paths of the Spider and the Devil, but only of those eligible bachelor's walked away with more than a string of bad luck. (Slight spoilers the Daredevil #8) Ol' Hornhead took a fancy to Ms. Hardy and she seemed a little bit put off by Spidey's attempt at a rebound romp, so she was quite receptive to Murdock's advances (or made advances of her own depending on how you read the story).
While Black Cat has always been my favorite Marvel female, my first reaction to this turn was intrigue, but also disappointment. Cat and Spidey always had such an interesting dynamic that only grew more interesting the more one of them tried to avoid it, but after some contemplation I came to the revelation that Daredevil may actually be a superior love interest for Black Cat, even despite her criminal past...and present.
Let's be perfectly clear here: part of the appeal of this angle is that Black Cat is a straight-up criminal. And not just in the same way that Matt Murdock is (vigilantism is still illegal in the Marvel U), but as an unrepentant burglar. Sure, she only robs from the rich and gives to...herself, but crime is still crime and Murdock's always had an over-inflated sense of justice (see also: every interaction with the Punisher), so getting involved with Felicia could definitely complicate things. On the other side of the coin, Ms. Hardy's well-known distaste for Peter Parker being at odds with her affection for Spider-Man could boil over much more substantially seeing as how Murdock is a lawyer and something of a goody-two-shoes when not wearing his mask. On the other hand, he's much more charming than the stammering, luckless Parker and I'd even go so far as to call him "debonaire." I mentioned on the Jan 20th podcast that Murdock...does well with the ladies, I'll say, and that's almost always without the use of his costume.
And that might be what's at the heart of why these two are perfect for each other: Murdock is someone Felicia could still find attractive when the costume comes off (as it did in his apartment). He is, if you'll pardon the pun, more daring and more charming in his public persona. And it's pretty obvious that Matt needs to date a woman who can take care of herself, despite the fact that it didn't save Elektra, women with skills tend to do better when dealing with the Devil (remember poor Karen Page? How about Milla Donovan?) and Black Cat's shown herself as more than capable.
Beyond that, Daredevil's women have always been much more serious than him and that tends to be why they either get left behind or straight-up leaving him, but Felicia's always been a fun-loving type who can easily keep up with Murdock's high-maintenance lifestyle(s) as well as be fine with his flighty personality.
At the end of the day, Mark Waid has, in his brief run, already had several moments that made me stand up and say "How has NOBODY thought to do this with Daredevil before?!" (No, seriously, NO ONE every thought to put Daredevil against Klaw? NO ONE?!) and this romance falls solidly into that category. As much as I love Black Cat, her pairing with Spidey makes less and less sense the more you think about it, and don't even get me started on Claws or setting her up with Puma of all people, but Daredevil fits the bill as far as I'm concerned. As the Official Arbiter of Black Cat Storylines* (*not an official title), I give my blessing and hope that this isn't just a one or two issue affair.
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