Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney had already joined Sony’s Spider-Verse when she played Julia Carpenter/Spider-Woman in Madame Web, but it looks like Sony could have a new plan for her down the line.
Rumor has it that she could be eyed to play another Spider-Man character that is way more popular (and honestly, way more sexual) than Julia Carpenter ever was.
Sydney Sweeney for Black Cat?
According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH (via ComicBookMovie)Sweeney is said to have been offered the role of Felicia Hardy a.k.a. Black Cat in the fourth Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland. No further details have been released about the character, but fans are already suspecting that Felicia would be Peter Parker’s temporary love interest—especially now that he’s been forgotten by MJ thanks to the events of No Way Home.
It is worth noting that fans should take this news with a grain of salt. The source has been known to have the occasional miss, and though Sweeney could be in talks now, it’s possible for that not to push through down the line.
Either way, with Sweeney’s reputation and current status as a sex symbol, she would be the perfect actress to take on a character like Black Cat—especially a younger version that can match the energy of Holland’s Peter Parker.
Who is Black Cat?
Basically, Black Cat is Marvel’s version of Batman rogue Catwoman— a cat-themed burglar who is all sex appeal and has the occasional fling with the superhero. Just like Catwoman, Felicia was initially introduced as a villain, but has since evolved into an anti-heroine, occasionally being Spider-Man’s ally.
It’s worth noting one of the main elements of Black Cat’s romance with Spider-Man is that she’s more infatuated with Spider-Man and not Peter Parker, which adds to the complexity of their relationship in the comics.
Previous Incarnations of Black Cat
Though Black Cat has had multiple iterations in cartoons and games, the only time Felicia Hardy appeared in live-action was in the form of Felicity Jones in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The original idea was said to have Jones cameo as Felicia in the film and eventually headline in a solo spinoff called Silver & Black which would have focused on Silver Sable and Black Cat.
Unfortunately, plans for that film didn’t push through, and though Venom, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter got solo movies, Black Cat’s movie never managed to get off the ground.
But What About Spider-Woman?
With the multiverse established, it can be easy enough for the movie to just have Sweeney play a different character and disregard who she’s played in an alternate universe. Behind the scenes though, Madame Web wasn’t really considered the biggest hit, and Sweeney isn’t expected to reprise the role of Spider-Woman again soon.
Either way, Black Cat is a way more popular role than Julia Carpenter, and should Sweeney land the role, it would be comparable to Wolf of Wallstreet star Margot Robbie landing the part of the live-action Harley Quinn.
Hopefully, when they announce the next Spider-Man starring Holland, they will also confirm other cast members and characters—like Sweeney as Black Cat.
Spider-Man 4 has not been officially announced.