Walter Hardy is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is a world-renowned cat burglar and the father of Felicia Hardy, also known as theBlack Cat.

In the adaptationsSpider-Man (2018) andUltimate Spider-Man (2024–present),alternate-universe versions of Walter Hardy are depicted as having been the firstBlack Cat preceding Felicia.

Created by writerMarv Wolfman and artistKeith Pollard, the character first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #194 (July 1979).^[1]

Walter Hardy is a well-known cat burglar who was arrested at some point. Years later,Black Cat steals precinct papers on the prison holding him.Peter Parker learns that Walter has been imprisoned for several decades and is terminally ill. At the prison, Spider-Man fights Black Cat while her accomplices Boris Korpse and Bruno Grainger blast the wall to Walter Hardy's prison cell, the rubble of which buries Spider-Man.^[2]

Spider-Man and the police are unable to stop Black Cat, Korpse, and Grainger from capturing Walter Hardy. At her home, Black Cat reveals that she is Walter's daughter Felicia and that her mother Lydia purposefully hid his past from her. Walter then leaves to spend his final moments with his wife. After Black Cat falls into the river, Spider-Man meets with Lydia as she mourns Walter's death.^[3]

When Black Cat is hospitalized following Spider-Man's battle withDoctor Octopus, she claims to have seen Walter's ghost.^[4]

Walter Hardy had a miniature grappling hook device, which enables him to swing from buildings in a manner similar to Spider-Man, though not quite as fast. He could also use the cable from this device as a tightrope, wall scaling device, swing line, and/or as a weapon in combat.

An alternate universe variant of Walter Hardy makes a minor appearance inMarvel Action: Spider-Man #7.^[5]

An alternate universe variant of Walter Hardy from Earth-65 appears in a flashback inSpider-Gwen #5. This version was a French thief partnered with his daughter Felicia who was killed by theKingpin's underlingMatt Murdock for robbing the former.^[6]

An alternate universe variant of Walter Hardy fromEarth-6160 appears inUltimate Spider-Man (vol. 3). This version operates as theBlack Cat and is regarded as one of the best thieves in the world who vanished into retirement and became a lieutenant ofWilson Fisk. Using his accumulated stolen wealth, Walter took control of and manages the Bronx on Fisk's behalf. Additionally, Walter married and had a daughter,Felicia, before his wife died years prior. In the present, due to theGreen Goblin andSpider-Man interfering with Fisk's operations, Walter joins hisSinister Six to eliminate them.^[7] Making a game out of it, Walter tries his hand first, only to be defeated and temporarily hospitalized by the Goblin.^[8] Due to becoming wheelchair-bound, he passes the mantle of Black Cat to Felicia and asks her to take his place in Fisk's ranks to maintain his standing.^[9]

• A character based on Walter Hardy namedJohn Hardesky appears in theSpider-Man: The Animated Series consecutive episodes "The Cat" and "The Black Cat", voiced byJohn Phillip Law.^[10] As a boy, he was tricked by the Nazis into spying onCaptain America's creation using his photographic memory. When Hardesky discovered the truth, he was hunted by a group sent by theRed Skull, though he successfully evaded them. Years later, he enters protectiveS.H.I.E.L.D. custody after a heist gone wrong until theKingpin has theChameleon replace him to get the super-soldier formula. Upon discovering it, the Kingpin tasksDoctor Octopus with kidnapping Hardesky's daughter Felicia Hardy before using her as a test subject for the formula, transforming her into theBlack Cat.Spider-Man follows Black Cat to the Kingpin's hideout and rescues her and Hardesky after he destroys the super-soldier formula before it can be replicated. With the Kingpin's plan thwarted, Hardesky shares his goodbyes with his family and willingly returns to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
• Walter Hardy, amalgamated with theBurglar, appears inThe Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced byJim Cummings in the episode "Intervention" and byJames Remar in the episode "Opening Night".^[10] In the former episode, thealien symbiote Parker was bonded to at the time accesses a memory of the latter seeking revenge on a burglar who broke into his home and killed hisUncle Ben, only to discover he was the same robber he allowed to escape earlier that day. After Spider-Man subdues him, the burglar is arrested by the police. In the latter episode, Spider-Man discovers Hardy became an inmate of theVault while testing the prison's security system and encounters Black Cat, who infiltrated the prison to break her father out. Amidst a prison break, Spider-Man recognizes Hardy as the burglar who killed Ben. Hardy expresses regret over killing Ben and offers to make amends by staying behind to subdue the other escaped inmates and allow Spider-Man and Black Cat to escape.

Walter Hardy appears inSpider-Man (2018), voiced byDaniel Riordan.^[10] This version previously operated as theBlack Cat twenty years prior to the events of the game before he supposedly died and his daughter Felicia Hardy took up the mantle. During a side quest,Spider-Man is contacted byNYPD Detective "Mackey", who tasks him with tracking down paintings stolen by Walter. As Spider-Man looks for them, Mackey relays Walter's backstory to him, explaining that because of his skill as a thief, theMaggia sought to recruit him. Walter refused and allowed himself to be arrested before supposedly drowning in a failed escape attempt fromRyker's Island, though many suspect that he faked his death to protect his family from the Maggia. After collecting all of the stolen art pieces, Spider-Man discovers that Mackey is actually Walter, who adopted an alias to retrieve all the stolen paintings and use them to finance his retirement. Before he leaves, Walter asks Spider-Man to look after Felicia.

• Walter Hardy at Marvel Wiki
• Walter Hardy at Comic Vine

• Characters created by Keith Pollard
• Characters created by Marv Wolfman
• Comics characters introduced in 1979
• Fictional thieves
• Marvel Comics male characters
• Spider-Man characters
• Fictional burglars

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