Where You've Seen Cat Hardy From Spider-Noir Before

"Spider-Noir" isn't afraid to shake up the traditional Spider-Man lore. One of the main characters in the show is lounge singer and femme fatale Cat Hardy — an allusion to Marvel Comics' Felicia Hardy, who's also known by her alias of Black Cat. Cat is brought to life by the phenomenal Li Jun Li, whom you might have seen in more than a few shows and movies before.

Li has been a constant on TV since the 2010s. One of her first big roles was as Akeela in the short-lived "Minority Report" series. Li also joined the One Chicago franchise, appearing as police officer Julie Tay in both "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Fire," before stints on "Quantico" and "Blindspot." Another leading role arrived in "The Exorcist" show, with Li portraying social worker Rose Cooper in the highly acclaimed second season. She secured the lead part of Jenny Wah in Netflix's martial arts series "Wu Assassins," while also receiving sizable roles in shows like "Evil," "Devils," and "Based on a True Story."

On the film side, Li had a bit part in 2015's "Ricki and the Flash," before receiving more screentime in Damien Chazelle's "Babylon." The year 2025 turned out to be an important one in her career as she received attention for her work in two horror films: "Alma and the Wolf" saw her taking a leading role as Alma alongside Ethan Embry, but "Sinners" put her on the map in a different way.

In Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," Li Jun Li portrays Grace Chow, a shopkeeper from Clarksdale, Mississippi, who is also the wife of Bo (played by Yao) and mother to Lisa (Helena Hu). Grace plays a controversial role in the movie, as she's the one who invites the vampires into the juke joint after her husband is turned and her daughter is threatened, which sets off the chaos and results in many deaths — including her own.

Grace has become a widely discussed character in "Sinners" due to her actions. Much like Chris Pratt's Star-Lord is seen as the primary catalyst for the climactic events of "Avengers: Infinity War," fans blame Grace for putting everybody's life in danger. However, Li revealed what Coogler told her about her character's decision. "I said, 'Why is it that she has not considered anyone else's lives before doing what she does?'" Li told Variety. "And he simply answered, 'Because she's a mother.' There was no other explanation to it."

"Sinners" was not only one of the best movies of 2025, but it also cleaned up during awards season — most notably at the Oscars, where it was nominated for 16 trophies and won four. Regardless of how anybody views Grace, the role turned out to be arguably the biggest of Li's career.