Post by Black Widow on Nov 24, 2016 0:31:48 GMT
Will be apping the Widow this week. Bio will be from Comic Vine.
If Stalik makes it back, he may be taking the Widow back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Super Name
Black Widow
Real Name
Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Aliases
Natasha Romanoff
Nadine Roman
Nat
Tasha
Tsarina
Oktober
Laura Matthers
Nancy Rushman
Black Pearl
Natalia Shostakova
Natuska
Czarina
Ebon Flame
Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Natalie Rushman
Yelena Belova (undercover)
Nosferata (Avataar counterpart)
Publisher
Marvel
Creators
Stan Lee
Don Rico
Don Heck
Gender
Female
Character Type
Human
First Appearance
Tales of Suspense #52 - The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!
Appears in
2862 issues
Birthday
n/a
Died
The Avengers #177 - The Hope...And The Slaughter!
Personal Data
Characteristics
Height: 5"7
Weight: 131 lbs (60 kg)
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Natasha's natural hair colour is auburn, but during her early days as a Soviet agent she often dyed it black. She has dyed it various colours while under cover or in disguise of another person.
Status
Citizenship: resident in America under extended visa, formerly Russian
Place of Birth: Volgograd, Russia ( formally Stalingrad, USSR at the time of her birth)
Marital Status: Widowed, currently in a relationship with Bucky Barnes
Education: College graduate, Intensive espionage training through Red Room Academy
Occupation: Adventurer, intelligence agent, former ballerina, Former Schoolteacher, Fashion Designer
Known Relatives: Ivan Petrovitch (foster father), Unnamed brother (possibly deceased), Vindiktor (presumed older brother, deceased), Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian, Ronin, estranged husband), Nikolai (husband, deceased), Rose (daughter, deceased)
Powers and Abilities
Skilled Fighter
Natasha has taken a different version of the Super-Soldier Serum. This gave her physical abilities much like Captain America, though not as great as his. She possesses peak-level physiology, making her as strong, agile, fast, and durable as a female human can possibly be without being classified as superhuman. This also extends to her senses and immune system, which are similarly heightened to peak human level. From a young age, Natasha was trained to become a martial artist the martial arts she knows are karate, judo, kenpo, jujutsu, ninjutsu, aikido, savate, muay thai, sambo and multiple styles of kung fu sharpshooter, and acrobat, and has become a master of all of these skills. She has since become one of the top espionage operatives in the world. Natasha has also proven herself to be one of the best information gatherers in the Marvel Universe. She is fluent in many different languages and is an expert computer programmer and hacker. She is an accomplished battle strategist and field commander, and has been the leader of the Avengers and even SHIELD on one occasion.
In the 2004 Black Widow mini-series, Natasha's background was retconned. She was subjected to bio-technological and psycho-technological enhancement. This answers the question as to why Natasha is still so youthful despite being born prior to World War II.
Paraphernalia
Despite its skin-tight appearance, the black catsuit that Natasha wears is made of a high-tech synthetic fabric that is resistant to high temperatures and even small-arms fire. It is further enhanced with tiny suction cups that allow her to cling to walls and even ceilings, much like her black widow spider namesake. She carries state-of-the-art versions of gear used by top modern spies, including stunners, tear-gas, a cable and a transmitter. Natasha can quickly travel across rooftops and from building to building with a grappling hook and a retractable line called the Widow's Line. She also carries various types of weapons, ranging from melee to long distance. Her primary weapon is the 'Widow's Bite,' which is delivered via her wrist cartridges. They emit a potent electrical blast with a maximum power of around 30,000 volts.
Origin
Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova born circa 1928 and was raised from her youth by a Russian soldier Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov after she was orphaned when enemy soldiers attacked Stalingrad. To save Ivan's life, she accepted a place in the Soviet government's covert "Red Room" facility. While there, she was bio- and psycho-technologically enhanced - granting her an unusually long lifespan and prolonged youthful appearance. She became one of the special agents known as the Black Widow. While in the program she was trained by the Winter Soldier, and the two became lovers. Each Black Widow was deployed with false memories to help ensure their loyalty. Natasha was given memories of becoming a ballerina, but eventually discovered this fact, along with the knowledge that the Red Room is still active as "2R".
Creation
Black Widow was created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck. She made her first appearance as a villain in Tales of Suspense #52.
Character Evolution
It is rumoured that Black Widow is somehow related to the last ruling czars of Russia, but this has yet to be proven. Not much is known about Black Widow's history prior to World War II other than she was born as Natalia Romanova in Stalingrad, Russia to unknown parents. Nazis set fire to the building that Natasha and her parents were living in and her mother threw Natasha out of the window into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovitch, who was serving in the army at the time. Ivan took care of Natasha while she was growing up and later became her chauffeur. After a youth spent traveling through war-torn Europe with Ivan and his company of troops, Natasha was recruited by the Red Room. Her masters there arranged a marriage with the hero pilot Alexei Shostakov, and soon with the help of Red Room brainwashing, Natasha became convinced she was an ordinary Russian housewife. When Alexei was (seemingly) killed, Natasha found she had a deep-rooted desire to serve her country, and demanded the government let her serve in his place. She became the KGB's top agent.
Major Story Arcs
Young Natasha
For a while, Black Widow was trained and helped by Wolverine, who temporarily left his violent ways for her and cared very much about her well-being. Ivan also protected Natasha, until in 1941, when she was kidnapped by the Nazi Baron Strucker and was made an assassin for the Hand. However, she was taken back (against her will) by Ivan, Captain America and Wolverine. When Wolverine came back to America, Black Widow saved him from Hydra assassins and encountered him again when Ben Grimm and Carol Danvers stole the Red Storm project from Russia. She pursued them, but was ordered to abort the mission. During this time, Widow fell in love with a somewhat brainwashed Bucky Barnes.
Agent of the USSR
One of her assignments was to infiltrate Stark Industries with her partner Boris Turgenov in the assassination of Anton Vanko. The Black Widow, however, had her plans foiled by Iron Man. Natasha was attracted to Tony Stark and decided to try and distract him so that her partner could destroy Stark’s plants. Soon after her partner Boris Turgenov and enemy Anton Vanko died, Natasha decided to stay in America and act as an undercover spy in order to regain the favor of the K.G.B. She faked sympathy in Tony Stark in order to steal his anti-gravity device. Natasha would be successful in stealing the device and used it to cause destruction. Eventually Iron Man would be able to destroy his anti-gravity device but was unable to apprehend Natasha.
Hawkeye
Natasha would soon run into Hawkeye, who was a wanted man by mistake. She would sometimes use Hawkeye as he was attracted to her, and he would help her in some of her missions. Natasha was able to trick Hawkeye into stealing plans from Tony Stark. Hawkeye agreed to her plan and would eventually run into Iron Man. The two fought each other while Natasha watched from far away. However, one of Hawkeye’s arrows was reflected by Iron Man and it flew off and hit Natasha, knocking her unconscious. After she woke up, the K.G.B. gave her orders to stop attacking Stark Industries and gave her a new target, the Williams Innovations. Natasha would again convince Hawkeye somehow into attacking the company. However, Hawkeye would encounter Spider-Man, who convinced him that he was doing the wrong thing. However, Natasha would somehow convince Hawkeye again into stealing the Stark plans again. While Hawkeye was on the mission, the K.G.B. came and kidnapped Natasha, bringing her back to Russia. They designed a new costume for Natasha and new equipment. Natasha then returned to join Hawkeye in a battle against Iron Man. However, Iron Man would defeat them when he shocks Natasha with an electrical blast.
However, her attraction towards Hawkeye questioned her loyalty to Russia. Hawkeye refused to work with Black Widow, and joined the Avengers. The K.G.B. once again kidnapped Natasha, and brainwashed her into serving for them again. They ordered her to attack the Avengers, but she freed herself from their brainwashing, and reunited with Hawkeye. She became an ally of the Avengers, aiding them in many missions. However, she was not a full time member as she did not respect the Avenger’s oath of non-killing.
Natasha later decided to join SHIELD to be their double agent and operative against the K.G.B. During a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha discovered that Alexei Shostakov was in fact still alive and had become the Red Guardian. She and the Avengers fought Red Guardian and he died in battle. Distraught, she declined the Avengers' offer to make her an official member, and abandoned her Black Widow alias for a while.
Relationship with Daredevil
Black Widow's relationship with Hawkeye ended when Natasha resumed her identity as the Black Widow. She told him that she wanted to pursue a solo career and had to break it off with him. She became an all new Black Widow, changing her costume into an all black color. She became a vigilante and fought against common criminals in New York. Eventually Natasha would be reunited with Ivan when he comes to America, Ivan served as Natasha’s chauffeur and would occasionally give her advice. While working in New York, Natasha would encounter Daredevil. The two quickly teamed up and eventually developed a romantic relationship. Natasha’s relationship with Foggy Nelson, Matt partner, was never good, as he was brainwashed into prosecuting Natasha for the murder of the Scorpion. Natasha never forgave Foggy for that incident, even though she was proven innocent. Eventually, Matt and Natasha’s relationship would go so far to the point where Matt broke up with Karen Page. The new couple decided to move to San Francisco to start a new life there. They continued their duo vigilante careers in the streets of San Francisco.
Natasha would pursue a career outside of crime fighting and would try to become a fashion designer. However, she failed at this endeavor. This did not help her relationship with Matt, which had become a bit shaky. Natasha and Daredevil would later aid the Avengers in a battle against Magneto, and the two were offered memberships to the Avengers which they accepted. However, Natasha soon realized that she was not a comfortable fit for a team while fighting the Lion God. Natasha quit the Avengers and reconciled with Matt. They continued their relationship for quite some time, but eventually Natasha would break up with Matt because she felt he did not treat her equally in the battle field. She would remain friends with Matt and continue to help him on occasion.
The Champions
She remained on the West Coast and briefly joined and led the Champions of Los Angeles, all the while having a romantic relationship with Hercules. The group was funded by Angel and achieved moderate success, but was eventually broken off due to bankruptcy. Shortly after the Champions had disbanded, Natasha and Hercules answered a summons from their former team the Avengers and aided them in battling the nigh-omnipotent man-god Michael Korvac. Hercules and the Black Widow split up a short time later and Natasha went solo for a while.
Natasha was still widely known by the criminal underworld as one of Daredevil’s lovers. With this knowledge, Bullseye kidnapped Natasha, wanting to use her as bait to lure Daredevil into a trap. Natasha was able to free herself and aided Daredevil in defeating Bullseye. Later, an enemy of Natasha’s named Damon Dran captured Ivan in order to lure Black Widow into his trap. He had an army of female combatants. Damon Dran wanted to send a fake Black Widow to assassinate Nick Fury. Natasha defeated Dran's agents and told Fury about the attempted assassination saving Ivan before Dran's island was bombed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Later, when The Hand wanted to steal and revive the body of Kirigi - a dead master warrior - Black Widow tried to thwart their plans but they poisoned her and she died, only to be restore to life again by Stone of the Chaste. After witnessing a strange interaction between Matt and his fiancee Heather Glenn, out of concern for Matt's mental health, Natasha visited Foggy Nelson. He told Natasha that Matt was very depressed following the death of Elektra, but also alleged that Matt had ruined his fiancee Heather Glenn's career to force her to agree to marry him. The two decided to write forged notes to both Matt and Heather to make them break up (the truth of Heather and Matt's dispute was that Matt stopped Heather's business life after her company was corrupted by Kingpin's cohorts).
Natasha then teamed up with Daredevil to stop the Hand who were attempting to revive Elektra to serve as their new champion. During the battle, a desperate Daredevil himself attempts to revive Elektra's corpse, but thinks his attempt has failed, and he leaves with Black Widow. Natasha however, knew that Elektra had been successfully revived, but she kept this information from Daredevil for his own good.
Heather Glenn was so upset by the break up that she committed suicide. This made Natasha partly responsible for her death. Russian agents duped Natasha into doing their dirty work by building a model of Alexei Shostakov called a Life Model Decoy (LMD). They threatened to kill "Alexei" if she did not participate in their plans. When Natasha got what they needed, they revealed the truth and tried to kill her but she defeated them with Ivan’s help. Natasha's brain was then reprogrammed into an agent called "Oktober" launching missiles to ignite World War III. Natasha was successful in launching the missiles. Iron Man however, stopped the missiles from detonating and helped her capture the K.G.B. agent responsible for the reprogramming.
Joining the Avengers
Natasha returned to the Avengers and even though Black Knight was the leader on the field, she was leader in managing the team's plans. During this time, she was attracted to Captain America, but she ended up with Iron Man. Under her leadership of the team, they were all apparently killed in battle by Onslaught. She attempted to recruit new heroes, but failed and threatened legal action against her from Mary Stark Foundation and let go.
After Onslaught
Natasha believed herself to be the last Avenger and so operated alone, hunting down the Avengers' enemies Grey Gargoyle and the Masters Of Evil. She came across Daredevil again who was concerned with her mental state, but this only complicated his life because he was rebuilding his relationship with Karen Page. Natasha wanted to reconcile their relationship, but she understood that Karen and Matt were trying to rebuild theirs, so left them their space. She even offered to help Karen when Mr. Fear framed her for murder. Later when the hero team the Thunderbolts were revealed to be the Masters of Evil in disguise, Natasha convinced them that other criminals had turned a new leaf and they managed to become real heroes.
Heroes Return
The Avengers returned from the alternate Universe they had been shunted off to and Natasha would sometimes help on their missions, though she felt she was responsible for their break up. Natasha worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and shut down Freedom's Light, a terrorist group and asked Iron Man's help in her infiltration of a forced-labor camp run by The Mandarin. Natasha then battled a man called Vindiktor, who claimed that he had diaries from her deceased mother and revealed that he was her brother. He died before he could confirm this, however.
When Daredevil believed that baby Karen was the Anti-Christ, Natasha protected the baby but was severely injured. In the end, Karen Page died protecting the child. Natasha revealed that she still loved Matt, though they were too far apart to become a couple again.
A Second Black Widow
Natasha came into competition with another Black Widow named Yelena Belova. Yelena was also trained in the “Red Room” and became obsessed with being the only Black Widow. They encountered each other on a mission where while attempting to retrieve the Endless Fury bio weapon. The two would eventually fight, afterwards Natasha and Yelena traded appearances in order for Yelena to realize that her superiors did not care if she died or lived. Despite the other Black Widow, Natasha remains as one of the greatest S.H.I.E.L.D. agents alive.
Civil War
After the incident involving the New Warriors in Stamford, Natasha was a supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act, and worked with Iron Man’s group to capture rogue Super Heroes. After the death of Captain America, Natasha was assigned to transport Captain America’s shield. However in doing so, she was attacked by Bucky Barnes. Bucky knocked Natasha unconscious and stole the shield. It was revealed that Natasha and Bucky had a romantic relationship back when she was still training to become an operative. Shortly after this, Natasha was given a dull SHIELD job training agents by some angry officials. She was so angry she became a violent and resentful teacher. Natasha was overjoyed when Tony Stark took her out of this job so she could join the Avengers. While working for them she battled Ultron, alien symbiotes, and Doctor Doom.
She and the Falcon rescued Bucky from the Red Skull and brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D. There Bucky becomes the new Captain America, and she later helps him stop the Red Skull's plan to control America, in the process saving S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter. Natasha then started to date James again. She was later order by S.H.I.E.L.D. to help capture Hercules, but let him go because of her respect for the Greek god.
Secret Invasion
Natasha joined the Mighty Avengers as they traveled to the Savage Land to take a look at a crashed Skrull ship and together with the New Avengers, fought off a group of Skrulls that looked like different superheroes dressed in their old costumes. She and the Avengers later joined the final Skrull battle in Central Park. After this she continued to date Captain America (James Barnes) and continued to be his partner, but no longer with the Mighty Avengers or with S.H.I.E.L.D. after it was shut down by Norman Osborn.
Dark Reign
Natasha was revealed to have been posing as Yelena Belova on Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team, secretly working for Nick Fury. She helps Songbird escape the Thunderbolts and reunite with former teammates Fixer and Abner Jenkins. Wolverine entrusted Black Widow with what remained of the Muramasa Blade. She participated in his plan to be prepared for attacks by Weapon X members, and left the sword exactly where Wolverine wanted it (Wolverine then used the sword to kill Omega Red).
Solo Again
After helping Maria Hill and Pepper Potts save Tony Stark's life, the Black Widow embarks on a new solo career. She immediately finds herself under attack from a hidden foe who uses robot minions to carry out an operation to steal a secret data storage chip she has implanted under her skin. Isolated from her friends and allies, Natasha has to rely on her wits and physical toughness to figure out the aims and identity of her foe and bring his cruel vendetta to an end. It turns out that Imus Champion had discovered the existence of the chip and wanted to blackmail Black Widow with it, and provoke her into attacking and killing him so he can transplant his mind into a new body. Black Widow tracks down Imus and transmits a virus with the secret intel data so that all computers that have received it will be destroyed. In the final fight with Imus, Natasha smashes the brain of Ivan that Imus had kept with him, but refuses to kill him and instead deletes his mind transfer data.
Widowmaker
Shortly after this, in the Widowmaker story arc Natasha is framed in a plot targeting global spies. She is accused of assassinating US senator Whit Crane. The senator's son, Nick, is captured by a rival spy Fatale, who wants to know his source for implicating Natasha. Natasha steals Nick away from her and takes him to a secret CIA base to scare him into giving her his source instead. The plan backfires when both of them are attacked. Natasha and Nick escape, but while in Poland they are attacked by Fantasma and Crimson Dynamo. Natasha takes down Crimson Dynamo, but then Fatale shows up and knocks out Fantasma. Fatale reveals that she was hired to kill Whit Crane but found he had already taken his own life and she needed to use Nick to track down who had actually paid for the hit. Nick gives them the name of a source 'Sadko' (not his true source of info), but when they arrive it's a trap wired with explosives and the two spies are forced to escape. The conspiracy against spies turns out to be wider and Natasha encounters Mockingbird and Hawkeye on the same trail in Russia where they find many trainee spies and a SHIELD agent have been killed. Perun, Crimson Dynamo, Fantasma and Sputnik show up to apprehend Hawkeye, believing him to be the Ronin behind the spy deaths. Discovering that this is merely a diversion, the three heroes and Dominic Fortune alert the true target - an ambassador in St Petersburg, Russia. They next travel to Japan. Dominic and Mockingbird discover an amassing battle force on the Russian coast near to the northern Japanese islands, while Natasha and Hawkeye track down 'the Madame' - an old Ninja working with the new Ronin to bring about this Russian attack. The four heroes meet up on the disputed island 'Iturup' where they meet the Ronin, who is revealed as Alexi Shostakov. His plan was to kill off world intelligence operatives leaving countries blind while he made his attack, and bring the four heroes to him so he could kill them. Shostakov sets off the volcano on the island, but Natasha and the others use the lava to defeat his forces. He is defeated when Natasha shows Fantasma his true plan and Fantasma then hypnotizes him into seeing Natasha's death, allowing the real Natasha to take him down.
The Longest Winter
Natasha and Bucky were looking for a sleeper agent of the Zephyr project, in a stasis container at a Vegas casino and when they got there they realized the agent had been awakened. They have a briefing in the morning with Jasper Sitwell who tells them about a former KGB agent named Nico Stanovich, who went in hiding and is perhaps the handler of the awoken sleeper agent. Bucky and Natasha head to Minnesota where they meet another former KGB agent of the same squad named Mikel Bulgakov. They interrogate Bulgakov until he gives them the little info he knows about the sleepers' activation codes which he sold to some unknown buyers and the next sleeper. Bucky and Natasha go the warehouse location and dispatch the agents in there. They get assaulted by a genetically modified gorilla with a chain gun and after a brief battle, the gorilla flies off. They head back for another briefing and find the activated sleeper, while Nick Fury gives them some intel on an infiltration mission at an auction. Bucky starts a raid and him and Nat defeat the goons there and get more info on the buyer of the codes who also happened to buy a doombot. They narrow down the possible people who want to use these agents and bot to start a war between the U.S. and Latveria to Lucia Von Bardas.
In order to get help and prevent a war, Bucky and Natasha infiltrate Dr. Doom's fortress who attacks them in confusion and dispatches Widow quickly. While Bucky and Dr. Doom deal with the Doombot and Arkady, Natasha is sent to investigate a simian research facility and she realizes the people there had left just a few hours ago. Widow along with Dr. Doom and Winter Soldier, infiltrate Doom's missile silo where Lucia is at. While Bucky runs off to fight Dimitri, Natasha fights the gorilla soldiers and watches as Doom dismantles Von Bardas. She informs Bucky of some secret intel that Fury left behind about the code buyer.
Broken Arrow
Natasha is helping Bucky investigate and deal with the final sleeper agent. Novokov ends up managing to separate Widow from Bucky as she was his intended target.
Widow Hunt
Natasha is captured by Novokov and is reprogrammed back to her old ways. She is undercover as a ballet dancer and recaptured by Barnes and S.H.I.E.L.D. They manage to undo her first layer of programming but switches back to her old self again as she attacks an agent and kills him and takes his weapon. She kills more soldiers and aims at Fury, who puts up a fight. Natasha lines up the kill shot but the shot is blocked by Sitwell who ends up being killed by the storm of bullets. Natasha leaves and rejoins Novokov once more. Leo and Widow are at a bomb site when Bucky invades. He manages to fight off both of them and defeat Novokov when S.H.I.E.L.D arrives. Leo attempts to use Natasha as a hostage but they are separated due to Hawkeye while Bucky shoots Leo. S.H.I.E.L.D manages to reconnect all of Widow's memories up until current day except for her memory of Bucky. Bucky is heartbroken by this outcome but finds solace that at least Natasha doesn't have to suffer anymore.
--Karen
If Stalik makes it back, he may be taking the Widow back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Super Name
Black Widow
Real Name
Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Aliases
Natasha Romanoff
Nadine Roman
Nat
Tasha
Tsarina
Oktober
Laura Matthers
Nancy Rushman
Black Pearl
Natalia Shostakova
Natuska
Czarina
Ebon Flame
Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Natalie Rushman
Yelena Belova (undercover)
Nosferata (Avataar counterpart)
Publisher
Marvel
Creators
Stan Lee
Don Rico
Don Heck
Gender
Female
Character Type
Human
First Appearance
Tales of Suspense #52 - The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!
Appears in
2862 issues
Birthday
n/a
Died
The Avengers #177 - The Hope...And The Slaughter!
Personal Data
Characteristics
Height: 5"7
Weight: 131 lbs (60 kg)
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Natasha's natural hair colour is auburn, but during her early days as a Soviet agent she often dyed it black. She has dyed it various colours while under cover or in disguise of another person.
Status
Citizenship: resident in America under extended visa, formerly Russian
Place of Birth: Volgograd, Russia ( formally Stalingrad, USSR at the time of her birth)
Marital Status: Widowed, currently in a relationship with Bucky Barnes
Education: College graduate, Intensive espionage training through Red Room Academy
Occupation: Adventurer, intelligence agent, former ballerina, Former Schoolteacher, Fashion Designer
Known Relatives: Ivan Petrovitch (foster father), Unnamed brother (possibly deceased), Vindiktor (presumed older brother, deceased), Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian, Ronin, estranged husband), Nikolai (husband, deceased), Rose (daughter, deceased)
Powers and Abilities
Skilled Fighter
Natasha has taken a different version of the Super-Soldier Serum. This gave her physical abilities much like Captain America, though not as great as his. She possesses peak-level physiology, making her as strong, agile, fast, and durable as a female human can possibly be without being classified as superhuman. This also extends to her senses and immune system, which are similarly heightened to peak human level. From a young age, Natasha was trained to become a martial artist the martial arts she knows are karate, judo, kenpo, jujutsu, ninjutsu, aikido, savate, muay thai, sambo and multiple styles of kung fu sharpshooter, and acrobat, and has become a master of all of these skills. She has since become one of the top espionage operatives in the world. Natasha has also proven herself to be one of the best information gatherers in the Marvel Universe. She is fluent in many different languages and is an expert computer programmer and hacker. She is an accomplished battle strategist and field commander, and has been the leader of the Avengers and even SHIELD on one occasion.
In the 2004 Black Widow mini-series, Natasha's background was retconned. She was subjected to bio-technological and psycho-technological enhancement. This answers the question as to why Natasha is still so youthful despite being born prior to World War II.
Paraphernalia
Despite its skin-tight appearance, the black catsuit that Natasha wears is made of a high-tech synthetic fabric that is resistant to high temperatures and even small-arms fire. It is further enhanced with tiny suction cups that allow her to cling to walls and even ceilings, much like her black widow spider namesake. She carries state-of-the-art versions of gear used by top modern spies, including stunners, tear-gas, a cable and a transmitter. Natasha can quickly travel across rooftops and from building to building with a grappling hook and a retractable line called the Widow's Line. She also carries various types of weapons, ranging from melee to long distance. Her primary weapon is the 'Widow's Bite,' which is delivered via her wrist cartridges. They emit a potent electrical blast with a maximum power of around 30,000 volts.
Origin
Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova born circa 1928 and was raised from her youth by a Russian soldier Ivan Petrovich Bezukhov after she was orphaned when enemy soldiers attacked Stalingrad. To save Ivan's life, she accepted a place in the Soviet government's covert "Red Room" facility. While there, she was bio- and psycho-technologically enhanced - granting her an unusually long lifespan and prolonged youthful appearance. She became one of the special agents known as the Black Widow. While in the program she was trained by the Winter Soldier, and the two became lovers. Each Black Widow was deployed with false memories to help ensure their loyalty. Natasha was given memories of becoming a ballerina, but eventually discovered this fact, along with the knowledge that the Red Room is still active as "2R".
Creation
Black Widow was created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck. She made her first appearance as a villain in Tales of Suspense #52.
Character Evolution
It is rumoured that Black Widow is somehow related to the last ruling czars of Russia, but this has yet to be proven. Not much is known about Black Widow's history prior to World War II other than she was born as Natalia Romanova in Stalingrad, Russia to unknown parents. Nazis set fire to the building that Natasha and her parents were living in and her mother threw Natasha out of the window into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovitch, who was serving in the army at the time. Ivan took care of Natasha while she was growing up and later became her chauffeur. After a youth spent traveling through war-torn Europe with Ivan and his company of troops, Natasha was recruited by the Red Room. Her masters there arranged a marriage with the hero pilot Alexei Shostakov, and soon with the help of Red Room brainwashing, Natasha became convinced she was an ordinary Russian housewife. When Alexei was (seemingly) killed, Natasha found she had a deep-rooted desire to serve her country, and demanded the government let her serve in his place. She became the KGB's top agent.
Major Story Arcs
Young Natasha
For a while, Black Widow was trained and helped by Wolverine, who temporarily left his violent ways for her and cared very much about her well-being. Ivan also protected Natasha, until in 1941, when she was kidnapped by the Nazi Baron Strucker and was made an assassin for the Hand. However, she was taken back (against her will) by Ivan, Captain America and Wolverine. When Wolverine came back to America, Black Widow saved him from Hydra assassins and encountered him again when Ben Grimm and Carol Danvers stole the Red Storm project from Russia. She pursued them, but was ordered to abort the mission. During this time, Widow fell in love with a somewhat brainwashed Bucky Barnes.
Agent of the USSR
One of her assignments was to infiltrate Stark Industries with her partner Boris Turgenov in the assassination of Anton Vanko. The Black Widow, however, had her plans foiled by Iron Man. Natasha was attracted to Tony Stark and decided to try and distract him so that her partner could destroy Stark’s plants. Soon after her partner Boris Turgenov and enemy Anton Vanko died, Natasha decided to stay in America and act as an undercover spy in order to regain the favor of the K.G.B. She faked sympathy in Tony Stark in order to steal his anti-gravity device. Natasha would be successful in stealing the device and used it to cause destruction. Eventually Iron Man would be able to destroy his anti-gravity device but was unable to apprehend Natasha.
Hawkeye
Natasha would soon run into Hawkeye, who was a wanted man by mistake. She would sometimes use Hawkeye as he was attracted to her, and he would help her in some of her missions. Natasha was able to trick Hawkeye into stealing plans from Tony Stark. Hawkeye agreed to her plan and would eventually run into Iron Man. The two fought each other while Natasha watched from far away. However, one of Hawkeye’s arrows was reflected by Iron Man and it flew off and hit Natasha, knocking her unconscious. After she woke up, the K.G.B. gave her orders to stop attacking Stark Industries and gave her a new target, the Williams Innovations. Natasha would again convince Hawkeye somehow into attacking the company. However, Hawkeye would encounter Spider-Man, who convinced him that he was doing the wrong thing. However, Natasha would somehow convince Hawkeye again into stealing the Stark plans again. While Hawkeye was on the mission, the K.G.B. came and kidnapped Natasha, bringing her back to Russia. They designed a new costume for Natasha and new equipment. Natasha then returned to join Hawkeye in a battle against Iron Man. However, Iron Man would defeat them when he shocks Natasha with an electrical blast.
However, her attraction towards Hawkeye questioned her loyalty to Russia. Hawkeye refused to work with Black Widow, and joined the Avengers. The K.G.B. once again kidnapped Natasha, and brainwashed her into serving for them again. They ordered her to attack the Avengers, but she freed herself from their brainwashing, and reunited with Hawkeye. She became an ally of the Avengers, aiding them in many missions. However, she was not a full time member as she did not respect the Avenger’s oath of non-killing.
Natasha later decided to join SHIELD to be their double agent and operative against the K.G.B. During a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha discovered that Alexei Shostakov was in fact still alive and had become the Red Guardian. She and the Avengers fought Red Guardian and he died in battle. Distraught, she declined the Avengers' offer to make her an official member, and abandoned her Black Widow alias for a while.
Relationship with Daredevil
Black Widow's relationship with Hawkeye ended when Natasha resumed her identity as the Black Widow. She told him that she wanted to pursue a solo career and had to break it off with him. She became an all new Black Widow, changing her costume into an all black color. She became a vigilante and fought against common criminals in New York. Eventually Natasha would be reunited with Ivan when he comes to America, Ivan served as Natasha’s chauffeur and would occasionally give her advice. While working in New York, Natasha would encounter Daredevil. The two quickly teamed up and eventually developed a romantic relationship. Natasha’s relationship with Foggy Nelson, Matt partner, was never good, as he was brainwashed into prosecuting Natasha for the murder of the Scorpion. Natasha never forgave Foggy for that incident, even though she was proven innocent. Eventually, Matt and Natasha’s relationship would go so far to the point where Matt broke up with Karen Page. The new couple decided to move to San Francisco to start a new life there. They continued their duo vigilante careers in the streets of San Francisco.
Natasha would pursue a career outside of crime fighting and would try to become a fashion designer. However, she failed at this endeavor. This did not help her relationship with Matt, which had become a bit shaky. Natasha and Daredevil would later aid the Avengers in a battle against Magneto, and the two were offered memberships to the Avengers which they accepted. However, Natasha soon realized that she was not a comfortable fit for a team while fighting the Lion God. Natasha quit the Avengers and reconciled with Matt. They continued their relationship for quite some time, but eventually Natasha would break up with Matt because she felt he did not treat her equally in the battle field. She would remain friends with Matt and continue to help him on occasion.
The Champions
She remained on the West Coast and briefly joined and led the Champions of Los Angeles, all the while having a romantic relationship with Hercules. The group was funded by Angel and achieved moderate success, but was eventually broken off due to bankruptcy. Shortly after the Champions had disbanded, Natasha and Hercules answered a summons from their former team the Avengers and aided them in battling the nigh-omnipotent man-god Michael Korvac. Hercules and the Black Widow split up a short time later and Natasha went solo for a while.
Natasha was still widely known by the criminal underworld as one of Daredevil’s lovers. With this knowledge, Bullseye kidnapped Natasha, wanting to use her as bait to lure Daredevil into a trap. Natasha was able to free herself and aided Daredevil in defeating Bullseye. Later, an enemy of Natasha’s named Damon Dran captured Ivan in order to lure Black Widow into his trap. He had an army of female combatants. Damon Dran wanted to send a fake Black Widow to assassinate Nick Fury. Natasha defeated Dran's agents and told Fury about the attempted assassination saving Ivan before Dran's island was bombed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Later, when The Hand wanted to steal and revive the body of Kirigi - a dead master warrior - Black Widow tried to thwart their plans but they poisoned her and she died, only to be restore to life again by Stone of the Chaste. After witnessing a strange interaction between Matt and his fiancee Heather Glenn, out of concern for Matt's mental health, Natasha visited Foggy Nelson. He told Natasha that Matt was very depressed following the death of Elektra, but also alleged that Matt had ruined his fiancee Heather Glenn's career to force her to agree to marry him. The two decided to write forged notes to both Matt and Heather to make them break up (the truth of Heather and Matt's dispute was that Matt stopped Heather's business life after her company was corrupted by Kingpin's cohorts).
Natasha then teamed up with Daredevil to stop the Hand who were attempting to revive Elektra to serve as their new champion. During the battle, a desperate Daredevil himself attempts to revive Elektra's corpse, but thinks his attempt has failed, and he leaves with Black Widow. Natasha however, knew that Elektra had been successfully revived, but she kept this information from Daredevil for his own good.
Heather Glenn was so upset by the break up that she committed suicide. This made Natasha partly responsible for her death. Russian agents duped Natasha into doing their dirty work by building a model of Alexei Shostakov called a Life Model Decoy (LMD). They threatened to kill "Alexei" if she did not participate in their plans. When Natasha got what they needed, they revealed the truth and tried to kill her but she defeated them with Ivan’s help. Natasha's brain was then reprogrammed into an agent called "Oktober" launching missiles to ignite World War III. Natasha was successful in launching the missiles. Iron Man however, stopped the missiles from detonating and helped her capture the K.G.B. agent responsible for the reprogramming.
Joining the Avengers
Natasha returned to the Avengers and even though Black Knight was the leader on the field, she was leader in managing the team's plans. During this time, she was attracted to Captain America, but she ended up with Iron Man. Under her leadership of the team, they were all apparently killed in battle by Onslaught. She attempted to recruit new heroes, but failed and threatened legal action against her from Mary Stark Foundation and let go.
After Onslaught
Natasha believed herself to be the last Avenger and so operated alone, hunting down the Avengers' enemies Grey Gargoyle and the Masters Of Evil. She came across Daredevil again who was concerned with her mental state, but this only complicated his life because he was rebuilding his relationship with Karen Page. Natasha wanted to reconcile their relationship, but she understood that Karen and Matt were trying to rebuild theirs, so left them their space. She even offered to help Karen when Mr. Fear framed her for murder. Later when the hero team the Thunderbolts were revealed to be the Masters of Evil in disguise, Natasha convinced them that other criminals had turned a new leaf and they managed to become real heroes.
Heroes Return
The Avengers returned from the alternate Universe they had been shunted off to and Natasha would sometimes help on their missions, though she felt she was responsible for their break up. Natasha worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. and shut down Freedom's Light, a terrorist group and asked Iron Man's help in her infiltration of a forced-labor camp run by The Mandarin. Natasha then battled a man called Vindiktor, who claimed that he had diaries from her deceased mother and revealed that he was her brother. He died before he could confirm this, however.
When Daredevil believed that baby Karen was the Anti-Christ, Natasha protected the baby but was severely injured. In the end, Karen Page died protecting the child. Natasha revealed that she still loved Matt, though they were too far apart to become a couple again.
A Second Black Widow
Natasha came into competition with another Black Widow named Yelena Belova. Yelena was also trained in the “Red Room” and became obsessed with being the only Black Widow. They encountered each other on a mission where while attempting to retrieve the Endless Fury bio weapon. The two would eventually fight, afterwards Natasha and Yelena traded appearances in order for Yelena to realize that her superiors did not care if she died or lived. Despite the other Black Widow, Natasha remains as one of the greatest S.H.I.E.L.D. agents alive.
Civil War
After the incident involving the New Warriors in Stamford, Natasha was a supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act, and worked with Iron Man’s group to capture rogue Super Heroes. After the death of Captain America, Natasha was assigned to transport Captain America’s shield. However in doing so, she was attacked by Bucky Barnes. Bucky knocked Natasha unconscious and stole the shield. It was revealed that Natasha and Bucky had a romantic relationship back when she was still training to become an operative. Shortly after this, Natasha was given a dull SHIELD job training agents by some angry officials. She was so angry she became a violent and resentful teacher. Natasha was overjoyed when Tony Stark took her out of this job so she could join the Avengers. While working for them she battled Ultron, alien symbiotes, and Doctor Doom.
She and the Falcon rescued Bucky from the Red Skull and brought him to S.H.I.E.L.D. There Bucky becomes the new Captain America, and she later helps him stop the Red Skull's plan to control America, in the process saving S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter. Natasha then started to date James again. She was later order by S.H.I.E.L.D. to help capture Hercules, but let him go because of her respect for the Greek god.
Secret Invasion
Natasha joined the Mighty Avengers as they traveled to the Savage Land to take a look at a crashed Skrull ship and together with the New Avengers, fought off a group of Skrulls that looked like different superheroes dressed in their old costumes. She and the Avengers later joined the final Skrull battle in Central Park. After this she continued to date Captain America (James Barnes) and continued to be his partner, but no longer with the Mighty Avengers or with S.H.I.E.L.D. after it was shut down by Norman Osborn.
Dark Reign
Natasha was revealed to have been posing as Yelena Belova on Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team, secretly working for Nick Fury. She helps Songbird escape the Thunderbolts and reunite with former teammates Fixer and Abner Jenkins. Wolverine entrusted Black Widow with what remained of the Muramasa Blade. She participated in his plan to be prepared for attacks by Weapon X members, and left the sword exactly where Wolverine wanted it (Wolverine then used the sword to kill Omega Red).
Solo Again
After helping Maria Hill and Pepper Potts save Tony Stark's life, the Black Widow embarks on a new solo career. She immediately finds herself under attack from a hidden foe who uses robot minions to carry out an operation to steal a secret data storage chip she has implanted under her skin. Isolated from her friends and allies, Natasha has to rely on her wits and physical toughness to figure out the aims and identity of her foe and bring his cruel vendetta to an end. It turns out that Imus Champion had discovered the existence of the chip and wanted to blackmail Black Widow with it, and provoke her into attacking and killing him so he can transplant his mind into a new body. Black Widow tracks down Imus and transmits a virus with the secret intel data so that all computers that have received it will be destroyed. In the final fight with Imus, Natasha smashes the brain of Ivan that Imus had kept with him, but refuses to kill him and instead deletes his mind transfer data.
Widowmaker
Shortly after this, in the Widowmaker story arc Natasha is framed in a plot targeting global spies. She is accused of assassinating US senator Whit Crane. The senator's son, Nick, is captured by a rival spy Fatale, who wants to know his source for implicating Natasha. Natasha steals Nick away from her and takes him to a secret CIA base to scare him into giving her his source instead. The plan backfires when both of them are attacked. Natasha and Nick escape, but while in Poland they are attacked by Fantasma and Crimson Dynamo. Natasha takes down Crimson Dynamo, but then Fatale shows up and knocks out Fantasma. Fatale reveals that she was hired to kill Whit Crane but found he had already taken his own life and she needed to use Nick to track down who had actually paid for the hit. Nick gives them the name of a source 'Sadko' (not his true source of info), but when they arrive it's a trap wired with explosives and the two spies are forced to escape. The conspiracy against spies turns out to be wider and Natasha encounters Mockingbird and Hawkeye on the same trail in Russia where they find many trainee spies and a SHIELD agent have been killed. Perun, Crimson Dynamo, Fantasma and Sputnik show up to apprehend Hawkeye, believing him to be the Ronin behind the spy deaths. Discovering that this is merely a diversion, the three heroes and Dominic Fortune alert the true target - an ambassador in St Petersburg, Russia. They next travel to Japan. Dominic and Mockingbird discover an amassing battle force on the Russian coast near to the northern Japanese islands, while Natasha and Hawkeye track down 'the Madame' - an old Ninja working with the new Ronin to bring about this Russian attack. The four heroes meet up on the disputed island 'Iturup' where they meet the Ronin, who is revealed as Alexi Shostakov. His plan was to kill off world intelligence operatives leaving countries blind while he made his attack, and bring the four heroes to him so he could kill them. Shostakov sets off the volcano on the island, but Natasha and the others use the lava to defeat his forces. He is defeated when Natasha shows Fantasma his true plan and Fantasma then hypnotizes him into seeing Natasha's death, allowing the real Natasha to take him down.
The Longest Winter
Natasha and Bucky were looking for a sleeper agent of the Zephyr project, in a stasis container at a Vegas casino and when they got there they realized the agent had been awakened. They have a briefing in the morning with Jasper Sitwell who tells them about a former KGB agent named Nico Stanovich, who went in hiding and is perhaps the handler of the awoken sleeper agent. Bucky and Natasha head to Minnesota where they meet another former KGB agent of the same squad named Mikel Bulgakov. They interrogate Bulgakov until he gives them the little info he knows about the sleepers' activation codes which he sold to some unknown buyers and the next sleeper. Bucky and Natasha go the warehouse location and dispatch the agents in there. They get assaulted by a genetically modified gorilla with a chain gun and after a brief battle, the gorilla flies off. They head back for another briefing and find the activated sleeper, while Nick Fury gives them some intel on an infiltration mission at an auction. Bucky starts a raid and him and Nat defeat the goons there and get more info on the buyer of the codes who also happened to buy a doombot. They narrow down the possible people who want to use these agents and bot to start a war between the U.S. and Latveria to Lucia Von Bardas.
In order to get help and prevent a war, Bucky and Natasha infiltrate Dr. Doom's fortress who attacks them in confusion and dispatches Widow quickly. While Bucky and Dr. Doom deal with the Doombot and Arkady, Natasha is sent to investigate a simian research facility and she realizes the people there had left just a few hours ago. Widow along with Dr. Doom and Winter Soldier, infiltrate Doom's missile silo where Lucia is at. While Bucky runs off to fight Dimitri, Natasha fights the gorilla soldiers and watches as Doom dismantles Von Bardas. She informs Bucky of some secret intel that Fury left behind about the code buyer.
Broken Arrow
Natasha is helping Bucky investigate and deal with the final sleeper agent. Novokov ends up managing to separate Widow from Bucky as she was his intended target.
Widow Hunt
Natasha is captured by Novokov and is reprogrammed back to her old ways. She is undercover as a ballet dancer and recaptured by Barnes and S.H.I.E.L.D. They manage to undo her first layer of programming but switches back to her old self again as she attacks an agent and kills him and takes his weapon. She kills more soldiers and aims at Fury, who puts up a fight. Natasha lines up the kill shot but the shot is blocked by Sitwell who ends up being killed by the storm of bullets. Natasha leaves and rejoins Novokov once more. Leo and Widow are at a bomb site when Bucky invades. He manages to fight off both of them and defeat Novokov when S.H.I.E.L.D arrives. Leo attempts to use Natasha as a hostage but they are separated due to Hawkeye while Bucky shoots Leo. S.H.I.E.L.D manages to reconnect all of Widow's memories up until current day except for her memory of Bucky. Bucky is heartbroken by this outcome but finds solace that at least Natasha doesn't have to suffer anymore.
--Karen
