It was announced a week or two ago that Theresa Russell would be joining the cast of Spider-Man 3 as the wife of Cain Marko/The Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church). However, recent rumors have come about that there may be more to Russell’s character then meets the eye.

According to Comic Book Resources, Russell’s character will carry the name Felicia Hardy, and all the weight that goes with that. To those who know Spidey lore, Hardy fell in love with Spider-Man and made an agreement with the Kingpin that gave her super powers (under the name Black Cat) so she could hold her own with Spider-Man. The two were romantically involved until Peter Parker chose to leave the Black Cat for Mary Jane Watson.

What a tangled web this becomes when you add into the equation that Spider-Man 3 will feature the character Peter Parker loved before Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy. Now we have Parker’s first love, second love and eventual wife, and Spider-Man’s love interest all added into one film? That seems a bit much to me, although that might continue to play on the theme of Spider-Man’s role confusion that has carried through the first two films.

Personally I’d love to see Black Cat on screen, but with everyone else who is rumored to be involved in the movie (Sandman, Black Cat, Venom, Green Goblin/Hobgoblin, etc) the movie is getting heavy, even considering how well Spider-Man 2 handled appearances by multiple Marvel characters. To me, and I’m totally going out on a limb here, this is further evidence that the real baddy of Spider-Man 3 will prove to be the Chameleon, with all of the new characters being added in so the shapechanger can truly mess with Spider-Man’s mind.

Keep in mind most of this is still in the rumor stage though, and could prove to be nothing more then some fan-boy’s wet dream.