& история.

[latrodectus]

It will scar, which is good. A scar is not the mark of a mistake made, Natasha. It’s another lesson— that you are stronger than whatever it is that gave it to you. You will endure many such lessons in your life, little spider. Not all of them will be from enemies.

Secret Origins

Natasha was born in 1928 in what was then called Stalingrad, to an aristocratic family with vague but definite connections to the Romanov dynasty. Her family was soon killed for their sympathies with the quickly fading White movement; Natasha herself escaped in the care of a Red Army officer, Ivan. Soon, Ivan placed her in the care of Taras Romanov, who ran a merciless school for child killers, where Natasha was trained for several years. With the help of Ivan, she was able to escape. They enjoyed a scattered, adventurous existence with his soldier's company, carrying out orders from his superiors, and hiding from them. In 1950s Berlin, Ivan was mortally wounded, but Russian intelligence showed up with a comic book miracle serum cure. The only catch— Natasha would have to become their agent. She accepted.

Natasha's recollection of the Red Room is murky and fragmented. The training was arduous and cruel. Still, she fell in love with a hero-pilot, Alexi Shostakov, and they were wed. Soon, though, her faceless superiors staged his death, to burn loyalty to their cause deeper into her heart. Natasha spun her grief into dedication and became their most accomplished agent. It was grim work she did not enjoy, but felt she could not escape.

Months, years, and decades passed. Reed Richards, party of four, your bombardment of cosmic rays is ready— the thing we call the Marvel Universe came into full bloom. Natasha was sent on to sabotage the capitalist miracle hero Iron Man, and soon recruited the escaped carnie Hawkeye to her dubious cause. But that was to be her last mission. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and it became harder and harder for Natasha to bury her misgivings in grief and duty. When her handlers commanded her to turn against Hawkeye, whom she'd fallen in love with, she refused, and defected first to the Avengers, and then to SHIELD. Her dead husband Alexi reappeared, not so dead after all, calling her a traitor to the cause before (seemingly— he came back again) sacrificing himself a second time. But instead of twisting her further into the web, this time his death brought her out of it. She knew how important her own choices were, her own feelings, her own loves. She would choose her own missions.

“ For all that she’s a spy and a modern day heroine, Natasha grew up in the middle of a war that makes our current struggles look like a walk in the park. That was a brutal time, especially in Russia and given the history of how she was practically raised by soldiers, she must have seen some really horrific things growing up. I bet she learned a lot, too. Strategy, survival - all those mental games you need to play to keep one foot ahead of death - as well as honor and sacrifice. All at a young age. I don’t think that’s made her cynical, though. A pragmatist, certainly - capable of dealing with and accepting death, without getting bogged down emotionally. ”   — Marjorie Liu

“ From the very beginning, she had no say in her own destiny, which is a very noir, very dark kind of outlook on life. And yet, she fought back from that and has now taken her own life in her own hands again. I guess I respond to those kinds of characters. Characters that seem screwed, who are also talented but are put in a difficult position and who fight their way out of it. That’s what appeals to me about her. Despite the convoluted, difficult life, she’s come out on top. And now her mission, the way I see it, is that she wants to free other people from being controlled and used. That’s her thing, I believe, and why she is equally super hero as she is a spy. ”   — Duane Swierczynski

⪢ A NOTE. Natasha's origin has several variations that creators tend to borrow and mash together as they see fit. The above is my attempt to synthesize as much as possible into one mostly coherent story. For more information about how Natasha's history has developed over the years from a more Doylist perspective, see this series of write-ups.

Since Then

Natasha knew she could not work for the KGB anymore, but had a difficult time deciding what she wanted to do instead. She quit the life of action entirely for a short while, but found it boring; she went back to SHIELD soon after. Her relationship with Hawkeye suffered as Clint no longer accompanied him on missions. Eventually, Natasha tried a clean break, quitting SHIELD and leaving Hawkeye to pursue a career as a solo vigilante. She let the die grow out of her hair and designed herself a new costume.

Natasha's initial career as a super-hero was full of twists. She became a champion for many underpriveleged New York city groups, and gained an unsavory reputation for political activism. Eventually, she was framed for murder, and her past as a Soviet agent was publicized and held against her. But she fell in love with her defense attorney, Matt Murdock, who was also the costumed hero Daredevil. Matt defeated the murder charge and they moved to San Francisco together. When that relationship fell apart, Natasha moved to Los Angeles, where she became the leader of a new superhero group, the Champions.

The Champions were shortlived, and Natasha rejoined the Avengers after they agreed to go their separate ways. More secure in her own identity after a lengthy solo career, Natasha began accepting SHIELD jobs again as a freelancer, while continuing to do superhero work solo and sometimes with the Avengers. After a long stint as a reservist Natasha became a full-time member of the team and was soon leading the squad. But her tenure ended in disaster when most of the team died in a fit of stupid 90s events. Burdened with an intense case of survivors guilt, Natasha began to question her usefulness as a hero, refusing to rejoin the Avengers and concentration on her work with SHIELD and old street-level contacts.

Eventually, the situation changed. Under the SHRA, SHIELD and the Avengers worked closer than ever before, and so Natasha was recruited as a member of Tony Stark's new public Avengers team. Though the SHRA was eventually repealed, Natasha continued to serve as a public Avenger and also on numerous covert semi-SHIELD aligned Avengers squadrons.

Natasha also began operating as a mercenary spy-for-hire, taking on select missions to raise money for the families of people she had wronged in the past. This work was emotionally and morally grueling, and drove her to sever her relationship with SHIELD and its director, Maria Hill, while maintaining her connections with the Avengers.

Comments

Canon Inspo.

[latrodectus]

Woman 1: Christine, look— it's the Black Widow!
Woman 2: It's her all right— Madame Natasha! There's a woman with her own mind— definitely the Gloria Steinem of the jumpsuit set.
And for the first time in many days— the Widow smiles.

— Daredevil v1 #91

I discovered the writer, Leo Tolstoy, in a muddy ditch that held more blood than rain. One of the soldiers loved his words— and then, so did I. “All, everything that I understand,” he wrote, “I understand only because I love.”

That was so many years ago. I learned it in trenches with bullets flying overhead, pressed back to back with grizzled starving men who would have laid down their lives for mine. I learned it from a ribbon tied around my ring finger. I learned it from a kick inside my belly. I learned it from death, and hardship, and brief acts of inexplicable kindness. I learned love from sacrifice. I learned love from living. And no matter where I've gone, or what I've done— all the dark things I do not regret, but will never speak of— that is one part of me I have always kept safe.

Tolstoy will live forever. Some people do. But that's not enough. It's not the length of a life that matters, just the depth of it. The chances we take. The paths we choose. How we go on after our hearts break. Hearts always break. And so we bend with our hearts. And we sway. But in the end, what matters is that we loved and lived.

— Black Widow v6 #5

Natasha: You keep impressive company these days, Davidoff. I'm honored.
Davidoff: Not as much as I, fair one. Indeed, you are more beautiful than you are deadly…
Natasha: I think you have it backwards, General. In fact, I know you do.

— Daredevil v1 #369

Yelena: Why? Why would you do this to me?
Natasha: I wanted to save you.

— Black Widow v2 #3

Natasha: What is this, the old days? You're still spouting that party-line crap? Have you ever been to America, Lyudmila? Have you ever met those people you hate so much?
Lyudmila: I didn't have to. They came here! They came here with their capitalism and their market forces, and they destroyed us, Natasha. They destroyed us!
Natasha: No. We did it ourselves. We did it ourselves. All they did was hand us the gun. This stops. All of it. Right here, right now.

— Black Widow v4 #5

Listen, Rooskaya, I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to "be" me. Do you really understand what it means to be a spy, little one? I was a dancer, did you know that? The ballet…

I spent my entire childhood straining to see the world on tiptoe: aching to be good enough, graceful enough, strong enough to dance. And I did, Yelena Belova. I did dance, on point, in pink satin shoes, my arm stretching open to the world. Then Alexi got tangled in it— my dear husband— in the web. Next, my career, my country… you learn to be lost all the time, so as never to direct anyone to your employers. Or your heart. Or your vulnerabilities.

And for what, Rooskaya, for what? To play pawn to any one of a dozen governments that will shoot you in the back just for becoming the dispassionate people they require?

You push on and on, never knowing what will next make you suddenly aware of the cold. Something as devastating as the death of a friend? Or something as subtle as a birthday ignored? Why be the Widow, Rooskaya, when you can be Yelena?

— Black Widow v1 #2

Clint: Wait, Natasha! No matter who he is… or what he's done— you can't kill him!
Natasha: I have no choice, my darling. If we are all to die, than I shall make certain that Ixar does not live to boast of his victory! But my patience grows short! Surrender at once— or your mad quest for power shall end in death!
Ixar: I… don't believe you! I…
Natasha: Look into my eyes, Ixar! Look deep into the eyes of the Black Widow! Are these the eyes of one who deals in empty words and idle threats? So, make your decision… at once!

— Avengers v1 #37

Natasha: You're insane! Hundreds of people will die!
Viper: Yes— the warmongering leaders of this corrupt nation! Their execution is long overdue! And in the revolution that will surely follow, all like them will die as well!
Natasha: No. Innocents will die. Millions of people who've done no one any harm— whose only crime is that they exist! You speak so casually of death, Viper. I grew up with death. I walked hand in hand with it all my life! I saw children starve in the ruins of Stalingrad, and men freeze solid as ice overnight. Because I know death so well… I know how supremely precious life is.

— Marvel Team-up v1 #85

Natasha: There's a lot of people to whom I have done wrong in my life. This I will admit. I very well may have— whatever this is— I very well may have it coming. But I do not care. I have done bad things but I have done much good, too. Real good. I will not go out quietly. And I will not go out this way. I will go out when I want to go. When I want to. I hope this you can understand.
Matt: A little bit. Yes.
Natasha: I am glad I'm here. Matthew— I do miss you. And I do love you. You know that. I miss us. I do. But I'm sorry, that's not why I came.

— Daredevil v2 #63

Natasha: I'm getting too old for this.
Yelena: But those are Russians he's going after!
Natasha: When will you learn, Yelena? Russians, Americans— those are people he's going after.
Yelena: I don't understand. She said she was too old for this, and then she went to defend our side. If she is old and tired, then why is she fighting? Especially for the Russians?
Stalyenko: She means she is tired of the short-sighted stupidity of men like me and Colonel Khan, not of fighting to stop us. She will never be too tired to battle against my ambitions. Nor yours, Belova. Nor yours…

— Black Widow v1 #3

библиография.

[latrodectus]

This is a reading list for anyone interested in learning more about Natasha and her comics or insight into how I play her. It isn't meant to be particularly comprehensive; you can always ask me if there's something in particular you want to read about.

The most recent books are listed first, but be warned: some of the old stuff on here is really old. My particular favorites are marked with a *.

introductory

This is either Natasha's most recent comics or some of my very favorite. All should be pretty easy to just jump into from the beginning.

• Black Widow vol 8 #1- 12, “SHIELD's Most Wanted” + “No More Secrets” *
• Black Widow vol 6 #1-5, “ The Name of the Rose ”*
• Black Widow vol 1 #1-3, vol 2 #1-3, “ Itsy-Bitsy Spider ” + “ Breakdown”*

Further Reading

This includes the bulk of Natasha's more recent solo comics that I like, as well as some stuff that was majorly influential or historically interesting, even if I'm not too fond of it.

• Web of Black Widow #1-5
• Black Widow #1-5, “No Restraints Play”
• Black Widow vol 7 #1-20, “The Finely Woven Thread” + “The Tightly Tangled Web” + “ Last Days”
• Black Widow vol 6 #6-8 & Widowmaker #1-4, “Kiss or Kill” + “Widowmaker”
• Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1-4
• Black Widow vol 4 + 5 #1-6, “ Homecoming” + “The Things They Say About Her”
• Marvel Fanfare #10-13, “Back in the USSR”
• Amazing Adventures vol 2 #1-8, “ Then came… the Black Widow”*

In Other Titles

Some of Natasha's more notable appearances as a supporting character, or in team books. These are all runs where she still has a significant role, although she might not appear in every issue.

• Tales of Suspense #100-104, “Hawkeye and Winter Soldier”*
• Secret Avengers vol 1 #16-21, “Run the Mission, Don't Get Caught, Save the World”#
• Captain America vol 5 #25-50, #600-619, “The Death of the Dream” + others
• Daredevil vol 2 #1-81, esp. “The Widow”*
• Daredevil vol 1 #83-125, esp. ”The Sign of Four”
• Avengers vol 1 #39-45, “The Valiant Also Die!”*

Obscurities

These are one-offs that are harder to track down, older or out of print. The rest of the 90s OGNs could go here too.

• Marvel OGN: Black Widow / Nick Fury, “Death Duty”
• Marvel OGN: Black Widow, “The Coldest War”
• Daredevil vol 1 #236, “American Dreamer”*
• Marvel Team-Up vol 1 #81-85, “The Woman Who Never Was!”*
• Marvel Two-in-One #10, “Is This the Way the World Ends?”*

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# Special Note: Warren Ellis has recently been revealed as a serial abuser. I can't pretend I don't like his Secret Avengers run, but I also can't offer the same endorsement I once did.