Black Widow is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor Stan Lee, scripter Don Rico, and artist Don Heck, the character debuted as an enemy of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964). She reformed into a hero in The Avengers #30 (1966) and her most well-known design was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970). Black Widow has been the main character in several comic titles since 1970, receiving her own Black Widow series in 1999. She also frequently appears as a supporting character in The Avengers and Daredevil.
Natalia Alianovna "Natasha Romanoff" Romanova (Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа" Романова) is introduced as a spy for the Soviet Union until she defects to the United States. She subsequently joins the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., partners with Daredevil, and encounters a rival Black Widow in Yelena Belova. Though she has no distinct superpowers, she was augmented in the Red Room, a Soviet training facility, to increase her strength and reduce her aging. She has training in combat and espionage, and wields bracelets that fire electric shocks and project wires she uses to traverse skyscrapers.
Black Widow stories often explore her struggle to define her own identity as a spy and the trauma she endured from her life of training in the Red Room. Early stories emphasized her Soviet origin, portraying her superiors as evil and contrasting her with more noble American superheroes. Black Widow's status as a leading female character and femme fatale has influenced her portrayal, which was often contradictory as comics grappled with the conflict between traditional gender roles and second-wave feminism. The character has been heavily sexualized both by artists and by the characters with whom she interacts.
Black Widow has been adapted into a variety of other media, including film, animated series, and video games. A version of the character was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from her first appearance in Iron Man 2 (2010) to her final one in Black Widow (2021). Johansson's portrayal brought increased attention to the character and influenced Black Widow's depiction in comics.
Publication history
1960s
thumb|upright|left|[[Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964), the debut of Black Widow. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Paul Reinman.|alt=A comic book cover depicting Iron Man fighting the Crimson Dynamo. Black Widow stands behind the Crimson Dynamo wearing a fur coat. A caption beside her reads "Introducing: the gorgeous new menace of... the Black Widow!"]]
Black Widow first appeared in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964) as an opponent of Iron Man. She was designed by artist Don Heck for a story plotted by Stan Lee and written by Don Rico under the pseudonym N. Korok. The character was portrayed as a seductress who was spying on Tony Stark for the Soviet government, making her one of several Soviet villains who faced Iron Man in the 1960s. She was infatuated with Tony Stark's looks and wealth and easily distracted by jewelry. Comics historian Brian Cronin has suggested that her name was a reference to Natasha Fatale from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
Black Widow first took the role of a supervillain in Tales of Suspense #64 (1965) after the Soviet government gave her a costume and equipment when they forced her to continue working for them. Her first costume took the form of a blue bodysuit made primarily of fishnet-style webbing, a cape, and a mask designed to resemble the one used by Hawkeye. With the costume came her first use of tactical equipment, including gloves that let her adhere to walls and the weaponized bracelets that later became her primary weapon. She was the villain in five Iron Man stories, all within a span of twelve issues.
Black Widow next appeared as the villain in Avengers #29–30 (1966), where she manipulated Hawkeye, Power Man, and Swordsman into doing her bidding. At the end of the story, she reformed and allied with the Avengers, as her love for Hawkeye motivated her to switch sides after recovering from brainwashing by the Soviet government. This made her one of several Marvel Comics villains who become good by defecting from the Soviet Union to the United States, symbolizing a moral preference for American individualism over Soviet communism. Her redemption coincided with Marvel's attempt at a more nuanced portrayal of Soviets and the Cold War.
Black Widow's design underwent various changes as she appeared in the following issues of Avengers. The character's backstory was expanded in Avengers #43 (1967), when she discovered that the secret identity of the Red Guardian was her husband Alexei, who had been presumed dead. This story explained that it was because of his supposed death that she trained to be a spy. After her redemption, Black Widow became associated with the fictional intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D.
1970s
Black Widow went one year without being in any new comic books until she appeared in Avengers #76 (1970) to end her relationship with Hawkeye (then named Goliath), effectively making her an independent character. She then underwent a full redesign in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970), where she was given the black costume and long red hair that became identified with her character. John Romita Sr. designed the costume, basing it on the 1940s Miss Fury comic strip. Marvel followed this the same year with a series of Black Widow stories published in Amazing Adventures, which also published stories about the Inhumans. Marvel's first series to feature stories led by a female superhero, it portrayed Black Widow as a wealthy jet setter who doubled as a crime-fighter. The first issues, written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Gene Colan, were about political issues. Writers Roy Thomas and then Gerry Conway moved it away from politics in favor of melodrama, developing the relationship between Black Widow and her father figure Ivan Petrovich. Amazing Adventures ran for eight issues before Black Widow was removed from the comic book so the Inhumans could have a standalone series.
As the writer for Daredevil, Conway introduced Black Widow as a supporting character and established a romance between her and Daredevil as "a way to re-energize the title". She joined the series in Daredevil #81 (1971). Colan illustrated the series with drawings of Black Widow that emphasized her acrobatics and long red hair. Conway credited Colan with creating the "first empowered sexy babe" in comics. This run allowed for deeper characterization for Black Widow, and she was given a last name, Romanoff, in issue #82 (1971). Her story line in the series saw her framed for killing a supervillain, with Daredevil's friend Foggy Nelson leading the prosecution. Conway then moved the setting to San Francisco, and their relationship became the main focus of the series. The pairing was one Marvel had to handle carefully given potential backlash to an unmarried couple living together, having them live on separate floors and having Ivan live with them. Responding to criticism that his treatment of Black Widow was sexist, Conway reworked her role beginning in Daredevil #91 (1972), having her stand up for herself when she felt neglected by Daredevil. The series was retitled Daredevil and the Black Widow in the following issue.
Steve Gerber became the writer for Daredevil with issue #97 (1972), and he moved the focus away from Black Widow back to Daredevil's superhero activity in response to weak sales. Her name was dropped from the title after issue #107 (1973). She appeared in Avengers #111–112 (1973), but left the team almost immediately as she wished to return to Daredevil. Jenny Blake Isabella became the writer for Daredevil with issue #118, and feeling that the relationship dynamic between Daredevil and Black Widow harmed both characters, she set out to split them apart. She departed from the series in issue #124 (1975), with the character leaving by saying that she felt overshadowed by Daredevil and that he robbed her of her independence.
When Isabella began writing The Champions, she included Black Widow as a member. Originally intended to be a duo of Iceman and Angel, editor Len Wein mandated several changes to The Champions, including the requirement of a female character. Besides her experience writing for Black Widow, Isabella used the character in hope that continuing to work with her would prevent another writer from reuniting her with Daredevil. The seventh issue of The Champions, "The Man Who Created the Black Widow", focused on Black Widow's backstory and introduced the villain Yuri Bezukhov, the son of Ivan Petrovich. Isabella wanted to continue this story by revealing Ivan to be Black Widow's biological father, but she left Marvel Comics after completing the issue. The Champions ended after 16 issues, and Black Widow was returned to Avengers in issue #173 (1978) during the "Korvac Saga". She returned to Daredevil as a supporting character in issues #155–165 (1978–1980).
1980s
Black Widow was less prominent in the 1980s. She made an appearance in the anthology book Bizarre Adventures #25 (1981), as one of the superheroines leading a story written by Ralph Macchio and illustrated by Paul Gulacy under the issue's "Lethal Ladies" theme. The story followed Black Widow as she infiltrated a Soviet arms depot in South Africa led by her former instructor. Macchio moved away from elements he felt were reminiscent of James Bond, instead looking to the works of John le Carré for inspiration so readers "really didn't know who were the good guys and the bad guys". Black Widow made another return to Daredevil beginning in issue #187 (1982), written by Frank Miller. She was redesigned during Miller's run, giving her a more casual and masculine appearance with a gray leotard and shorter hair. She also appeared in the shared books Marvel Two-in-One and Marvel Team-Up.
The anthology book Marvel Fanfare, issues #10–13 (1983–1984), featured Black Widow in her next solo story. Written by Macchio and illustrated by George Pérez with other artists, this story had her pursue Ivan on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. before discovering that he had been brainwashed. Macchio and Pérez had begun working on the story in 1978, but its intended publication was cancelled twice, in Marvel Premiere and then Marvel Spotlight. Macchio made it explicit in this run that Black Widow killed adversaries when necessary and obtained information from another character by having sex with him, portraying things that were usually left ambiguous in comic books at the time.
1990s
Black Widow appeared in three entries of the Marvel Graphic Novel line in the 1990s. Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990) is the 61st entry in the series, featuring Black Widow as she is tricked into believing that her husband is alive and is forced to work for the Soviet Union to save him. Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (1992) is the 74th entry in the series and features Black Widow working with the Punisher to defeat Malum. Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir (1993) is the 75th and final entry in the series, featuring Black Widow and Daredevil as they investigate the murders of telepaths. She then starred in a separate graphic novel, Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty (1995). Although she shares the title with Nick Fury, he only briefly appears in the book, and she instead teams with Night Raven in his first appearance in Marvel's mainline continuity.
Black Widow returned to her black jumpsuit in the 1990s and began working alongside Iron Man during the run of writer John Byrne and artist Paul Ryan, beginning in Iron Man #269 (1991). She again became a member of the Avengers with its new roster in Avengers #343 (1992). This led to her becoming the leader of the Avengers for a period of time. Her association with the Avengers increased her prominence among Marvel superheroes, allowing for appearances in Captain America and Force Works. Black Widow returned to Daredevil in issue #362 (1997), which had her become more vengeful as she responded to the Onslaught event that caused the apparent deaths of her allies in the Avengers. She reappeared in the new volume of the Avengers, but only infrequently as a guest character. Black Widow then starred in a three-issue arc, "The Fire Next Time", by writer Scott Lobdell and penciller Randy Green, in Journey into Mystery #517–519 (1998). At the same time, writer Kevin Smith had her return to Daredevil during the first storyline of its second volume. Black Widow's Marvel Fanfare story was reprinted as a single volume in 1999, titled Black Widow: Web of Intrigue.
A new character, Yelena Belova, took the moniker Black Widow beginning in Inhumans #5 (1999). The two Black Widows came into conflict in the limited series Black Widow published the same year, which was written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by J. G. Jones, running for three issues. The series was part of the Marvel Knights imprint and encompassed a single story, "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider". This was the first time a comic book series featured Black Widow as its sole main character; the only other title to do this was her standalone 1990 graphic novel.
2000s
Grayson wrote a second three-issue Black Widow miniseries featuring the Natasha and Yelena Black Widows in 2001, alongside co-writer Greg Rucka and artist Scott Hampton. Black Widow returned to Daredevil in its "The Widow" storyline (2004) by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev. Richard K. Morgan wrote Black Widow: Homecoming in 2004 with Bill Sienkiewicz and Goran Parlov, simplifying Black Widow's backstory into a consistent series of events. An alternate version of Black Widow was created for the Ultimate Universe in the 2000s, where she is a member of the Ultimates.
Black Widow: Deadly Origin ran in 2009–2010, written by Paul Cornell and illustrated by Tom Raney and John Paul Leon. The series followed Black Widow's history through flashbacks from different points in her life. The reimaginings of her earlier adventures had her wearing more modest costumes relative to her original appearances.
2010s
Black Widow became more widely known to the public after the character was adapted to film in Iron Man 2 (2010). The film's emphasis on her as a spy instead of a superhero influenced how she was portrayed in comics over the following years. With the character's popularity came additional publications, such as Black Widow and the Marvel Girls (2010), which was created by Salvador Espin, Veronica Gandini, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Paul Tobin. Jim McCann wrote the Widowmaker limited series in 2010 with artist David López. The series was a crossover between Black Widow and the ongoing Hawkeye & Mockingbird series. Black Widow appeared as a main character in Avengers Assemble, which debuted in 2012 to coincide with the Avengers film. She was also a main character in the 2013 Secret Avengers series.
A new Black Widow series was published under the Marvel Now! branding in 2014, created by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto. This series returned to Grayson's characterization of Black Widow as more introspective than action-oriented. Black Widow: Forever Red, a young adult novel featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Black Widow, was written by Margaret Stohl and released in 2015.
The next volume of Black Widow was introduced in 2016, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Chris Samnee. These stories followed the lead of the cinematic version, exploring her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and her experiences in the Red Room. Horror writers Jen and Sylvia Soska wrote a Black Widow miniseries in 2019 with artist Flaviano, and Jody Houser wrote the five issue series Web of Black Widow the same year, with Stephen Mooney as its artist.
2020s
Ralph Macchio joined artist Simon Buonfantino in a return to Black Widow with Black Widow: Widow's Sting in 2020. The one-shot comic was written as a more traditional spy drama, using many of the genre's common tropes. Kelly Thompson began writing a Black Widow series the same year, with Elena Casagrande as the volume's artist. "I Am the Black Widow" continued the story with her memory returned and a new team of sidekicks and partners fighting alongside her, and "Die by the Blade" concluded the 15-issue series with Black Widow and her team fighting a human-trafficking ring.
Black Widow's character underwent a major redesign in Venom #26 (2023) when she became the host of a symbiote. She was given a new costume designed by CAFU, based on the appearance of Venom. The symbiote version of Black Widow made appearances in Thunderbolts by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Geraldo Borges, and then in Black Widow & Hawkeye by writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Paolo Villaneli. As a symbiote host, Black Widow became a major character in the "Venom War" storyline. Her role in the story was introduced in the one shot Black Widow: Venomous, written by Erica Schultz and illustrated by Luciano Vecchio. She also appeared in a three-issue limited series, Venom War: Venomous, in late 2024, also created by Schultz and Vecchio.
Characterization
Fictional character biography
thumb|upright|left|Black Widow's first costume, modeled after Hawkeye's, introduced in Tales of Suspense #64 (January 1965); art by [[Don Heck.|alt=Black Widow with a black bouffant hairdo, a domino mask, a fishnet top, and a cape, standing in the foreground, while Hawkeye stands behind her.]]
Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova was born in Russia. She was thrown from a burning building in Stalingrad as an infant, where she is found and raised by the soldier Ivan Petrovich. The Hand attempts to kidnap and brainwash her in 1941, but she is rescued by Captain America and Wolverine. Natasha marries Alexei Shostakov, but the KGB fakes his death to motivate Natasha to become a spy. She is trained in a Soviet spy facility, the Red Room, where she is augmented through biotechnology; the process brings her body to its physical peak and slows cellular degeneration, enabling her to remain young and in her prime for decades. She was selected from the participants in the training program to become a spy and receives the codename "Black Widow". Andrea Towers of Polygon cited Black Widow's grounded values of empathy and loyalty as keeping the character relevant amid her inconsistent publication. The positive reception toward the Marvel Fanfare appearances have led to multiple republications in standalone volumes.
In other media
alt=A portrait of Scarlett Johansson|thumb|[[Scarlett Johansson (pictured in 2019) portrays Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.|253x253px]]
In 1975, Angie Bowie wished to make a film or television series starring herself as Black Widow. The idea came while she was having lunch with Stan Lee, and he sold her the film rights for one dollar. Bowie had costumes made and cast Ben Carruthers as Daredevil, but she was unable to get funding for the project and its production only went as far as test photography.
With the success of the animated television show Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in the 1980s, a Black Widow show was considered as one of several possible follow ups. In 1996, a Black Widow television film was written by Mel Friedmen and Christopher Cosby for Fox Broadcasting Company. The script depicted Black Widow as a magazine publisher with a double-life as a crime-fighter, having her fight a crime syndicate called Octopus that killed her father. Marvel Studios and Lionsgate Films collaborated on a possible film adaptation written by David Hayter, but a series of poorly-performing action movies starring women in the mid-2000s caused Lionsgate to back out of the project.
A film adaptation of Black Widow appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Scarlett Johansson. She first appeared as a supporting character in Iron Man 2 (2010) and reprised the role in The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) before taking a leading role in Black Widow (2021). She was voiced by Lake Bell in What If...? (2021–2024).
Black Widow has been adapted in several video games and animated television series based on Marvel Comics properties. The character is frequently voiced by Laura Bailey, who has portrayed Black Widow in animated series such as Avengers Assemble (2013) and Spider-Man (2017) as well as video games such as Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2013), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019), Marvel's Avengers (2020), and Marvel Rivals (2024). Other voice actresses for Black Widow include Olivia d'Abo in the film Ultimate Avengers (2006), Lena Headey in The Super Hero Squad Show (2009), and Vanessa Marshall in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010).