WARNING: The following article spoilers for Marvel's Spider-Man: The Black Cat Strikes #5 by Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, Luca Maresca, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
An ongoing point of debate in Jonathan Hickman's Dawn of X relaunch of the X-Men line at Marvel Comics is the nature of the relationship between Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean Grey. The current comics appear to establish the trio as being in a romantic, polyamorous relationship. Surprisingly, Marvel's Spider-Man: The Black Cat Strikes may set precedent for another Marvel trio to become its next canon polycule.
In Issue 5, Mary Jane Watson admits she actually likes Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat. Spider-Man teases her about it and the two share a kiss, which Felicia calls "adorable" as she watches from afar.
After Black Cat manipulates the players involved in Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4's DLC storyline, "The City That Never Sleeps," she's caught trying to steal the combined wealth of the Maggia red-handed by MJ. The two toss friendly jabs at each other about their relationships with Spider-Man -- a long-running love triangle that often sees the two of them competing for different sides of Peter Parker.
Jean, Logan and Scott have proven that love triangles don't have to be competitions and can in fact transform into healthy relationships involving all parties. The teasing exchanges in The Black Cat Strikes #5 suggest a new possibility for Peter, MJ and Felicia, as well, which could potentially introduce another canon polycule to the Marvel Universe.
Given the characters' history with each other, managing a polyamorous relationship could be complicated. Obviously, any relationship is dependent on more than past history and has to be based on mutual trust and understanding of boundaries, but comic fans have seen how this particular trio has dealt with their feelings for each other in the past -- which does give some indication of how a potential polyamorous relationship might fare differently than it has for the newly-connected X-Men.
After Felicia spent a period of time away in Europe to find herself and deal with her feelings for Spider-Man, she returned to New York only to learn from Venom that Peter married MJ while she was away. Felicia reacted poorly and viciously attacked MJ, leading to a rift between the two that threatened to draw Black Cat down a darker path for a time. Felicia began to date Peter's best friend Flash Thompson in an attempt to make Peter jealous, which could definitely be considered a red flag for any potential poly relationship.
However, over the years MJ and Felicia have grown closer considering their shared life experiences and knowledge of Peter's secret identity as Spider-Man. Mmuch like how the formerly abusive relationship between Flash and Peter turned into a powerful friendship, MJ and Felicia have also formed a bond. They were able to put behind the jealousy and bond over their shared feelings for Peter, relying on each other for strengths during dark times, which could definitely prove to be an asset in a potential relationship.
While Black Cat can offer safety and back-up to Spider-Man -- if she fully reforms, at least -- that could present an issue, as MJ is not a costumed hero herself. This type of separation could create rifts, which is something MJ has felt in the past before she befriended Felicia.
Of course, the discussion of how Felicia and MJ would work together in a poly relationship is equally dependent on how Peter Parker would handle it. He's not always the best boyfriend in monogamous relationships, so there's no telling how he would act in a polycule.
As Spider-Man, Peter constantly struggles to balance his civilian and costumed lives, his jobs, his family and then his relationships, usually in that order. The old Parker Luck might not work well with the commitments necessary for such an involved relationship, though if it was ever possible for Spider-Man to exist in a polycule, it could only ever happen with Mary Jane and Black Cat, who are undoubtedly two of the most important and understanding women in his life.