Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 voice actor revealed that a touching scene involving Black Cat was completely improvised for greater impact.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 players were touched by a pivotal scene featuring iconic Spider-Man anti-hero Catwoman, and the actress behind the character revealed why it ended up being even more poignant. It fundamentally changed the moment in the script, making it more emotionally powerful.

Coming to PlayStation 5 in October, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 picks up one year after the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Thus, a lot of changes and developments took place within the framework of the franchise, including a lot of progress in the lives of the characters. For example, classic Spider-Man villains such as The Lizard, Tombstone, and Mysterio gave up their evil to become more productive members of society.

One of the subplots is about a change in the life of Felicia Hardy, also known as the Black Cat. At the beginning of the game, the player undertakes a mission in which Miles Morales chases Black Cat throughout New York City while using a mystical relic that allows him to create teleportation portals after stealing the Wand of Watoomb, presumably from this universe of Doctor Strange version. In a story that gives Miles a bigger role in the Marvel Spider-Man universe, he ends up teaming up with her after she reveals that she stole the artifact to escape Kraven and try to get to Paris, where his girlfriend is in trouble. After helping him get there, Cat Black whispers a tender moment of thanks before leaving. Black Cat actress Erica Lindbeck revealed in a tweet that the “thank you” line the character whispers was improvised, after the script was only supposed to give Miles a nonverbal confirmation.

This “thank you” at the end of the scene was an ad-lib. It was initially a nonverbal acknowledgment but I wanted to try something more straightforward. I did this mo-cap/scene work the week my partner was first admitted to the hospital so the subject matter was very poignant. https://t.co/R7EHGS0XeP

— Erica Lindbeck (@ericalindbeck) November 15, 2023

Lindbeck, who also acts as Black Cat’s mo in the scene, said she “wanted to try something a little more straight forward” when performing that line, as she was a little emotional after her partner was hospitalized during the week of filming. His partner, video game voice actor Billy Kametz, eventually passed away after a battle with colon cancer, making his presence in the scene even more significant.

The mission and scene in Spider-Man 2 will ultimately be the curtain call for the character, as Cat Black effectively escapes, ending his role in Miles Morales and Peter Parker’s story. Hardy also featured heavily in the first Spider-Man game, thanks to some side missions and then a separate DLC pack in The City That Never Sleeps.

Spider-Man 2 fans had nothing but positive things to say about Lindbeck’s performance of the scene, with some on Reddit saying the line added more honesty and emotional weight. The mission was Morales’ first interaction with Black Cat, where he discovers that she is not a bad person after everyone warned him not to trust her. Although Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games seems hesitant to bring back many previously used characters, given how some classic Spider-Man villains were treated in this story, many have expressed their wish for Hardy to return in a future sequel.