This entry is for the Marvel Comics characters called Black Widow. For the 1940s Timely Comics character, see Black Widow (Golden Age).
The Black Widow is the name of two fictional superspy characters in the Marvel Comics universe. In comic books, first appearance refers to the date or issue of a characters first appearance. ... Tales of Suspense was a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. ... Cover by Steve Ditko for The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Volume 1), March 1964. ... Stan Lee and his most famous creation, Spider-Man. ... Donato Francisco Rico II (1912-1985) was an American comic book writer and artist for Marvel Comics predecdessors, Timely and Atlas, and a paperback novelist. ... Don Heck (January 2, 1929-1995) was a comic book artist best known for co-creating the character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling The Avengers in the 1960s. ... The Champions (of Los Angeles) are a short-lived superhero team from the mid-1970s, published by Marvel Comics. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... Timely Comics is the 1940s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Claire Voyant, the original Black Widow. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Espionage is the practice of obtaining secrets (spying) from rivals or enemies for military, political, or economic advantage. ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... The Marvel Universe is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place. ...

Natasha Romanoff

Marvel's best-known Black Widow is Natalia Alianovna Romanova, who initially was a non-costumed Communist spy and frequent antagonist of Iron Man, but later defected to the U.S. from the Soviet Union. Adopting miniature, high-tech weapons, she became a costumed ally and eventual member of the superhero group The Avengers. Later, she became a freelance agent of the American espionage group S.H.I.E.L.D. Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... The antagonist is the character (or group of characters) of a story who represents the opposition against which the heroes and/or protagonists must contend. ... Iron Man (Tony Stark) is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963). ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Superman and Batman: Worlds Finest Heroes. ... The Avengers are a Marvel superhero team, consisting of many of the Marvel Universes most popular and powerful heroes. ... S.H.I.E.L.D. (originally an acronym for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law Enforcement Division, subsequently changed to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) is a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe that often deals with superhuman threats. ...

The Black Widow is a skilled martial artist, sniper, and ballet dancer. Her equipment usually includes a grappling hook with a retractable line and a pair of wrist-mounted energy weapons (her "Widow's Bite"), although she is sometimes depicted as instead using more traditional weapons. Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... The traditional definition of a sniper is an infantry soldier especially skilled in field craft and marksmanship, who kills selected enemies from concealment with a rifle at long distances. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... A grappling hook is a composite hook attached to a rope, designed to be thrown or projected a distance, where its hooks will engage with the target. ...

Her friends often call her "Natasha", the informal version of "Natalia". She has sometimes chosen the last-name alias "Romanoff" — evidently as a private joke, as that form would be applicable as a Russian female's last name. She has been hinted to be a descendant of the Romanov royal family and a relation to Nicholas II of Russia. The House of Romanov (Ром́анов, pronounced ) was the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled Muscovy and the Russian Empire for five generations from 1613 to 1762. ... Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia Nicholas II of Russia (18 May 1868 – 17 July 1918)(in Russian Николай II) Nikolai II was the last crowned Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. ...

She was created by writer Stan Lee, scripter Don Rico (as "N. Korok") and artist Don Heck in Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964. Stan Lee and his most famous creation, Spider-Man. ... Donato Francisco Rico II (1912-1985) was an American comic book writer and artist for Marvel Comics predecdessors, Timely and Atlas, and a paperback novelist. ... Don Heck (January 2, 1929-1995) was a comic book artist best known for co-creating the character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling The Avengers in the 1960s. ... Tales of Suspense was a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. ...

History

First costume (and bouffant hairdo). From The Avengers #36 (Jan. 1967), art by Don Heck.

Although she fought Iron Man during her first few appearances, where she wore no costume but simply evening wear and a veil, she eventually defected for reasons including her love for the reluctant-criminal-turned-superhero archer Hawkeye. Wearing her Soviet-made, first Black Widow costume, she reappeared, temporarily brainwashed against the U.S., in The Avengers #29 (July 1966), but eventually became as a recurring ally and later official member of that superhero team, and later still, of its rotating leaders. Image File history File linksMetadata Avengers36panel. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Avengers36panel. ... Don Heck (January 2, 1929-1995) was a comic book artist best known for co-creating the character Iron Man, and for his long run penciling The Avengers in the 1960s. ... Iron Man (Tony Stark) is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963). ... Hawkeye is a fictional character, a superheroic archer in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

The Black Widow appeared for the first time in her trademark skintight black costume in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (July 1970). In short order, the Widow starred in her own series in Amazing Adventures#1-8 (Aug. 1970 - Sept. 1971), sharing that split book with the feature The Inhumans. This introduced her chauffeur and confidant, Ivan Petrovitch, who was eventually revealed as the surrogate father who raised her after having rescued the child Natasha from the fire that killed her parents. Cover by Steve Ditko for The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Volume 1), March 1964. ... Amazing Adventures is the name of several anthology-format comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. ... The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Immediately after her initial solo series ended, the Black Widow became romantically involved with the superhero Daredevil, and co-starred in that character's namesake series from issue #81-124 (Nov. 1971 - August 1975). Daredevil (Matt Murdock) is a Marvel Comics superhero. ...

After their romantic breakup, the Widow moved to Los Angeles and became leader of the newly created and short-lived superteam The Champions, consisting of her, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Hercules, and former X-Men The Angel and Iceman. The group's namesake comic ran 17 issues (Oct. 1975 - Jan. 1978). The Champions (of Los Angeles) are a short-lived superhero team from the mid-1970s, published by Marvel Comics. ... Ghost Rider is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, and of several characters in the Marvel Universe. ... Hercules, or Heracles, being in one sense a superhero from classical antiquity, and a recognisable character freely available in the public domain, has been featured in a number of comic book series. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Archangel (Warren Kenneth Worthington III) is a comic book superhero or supervillain depending on the timeframe in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Iceman (Robert Louis Bobby Drake) is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and an original and current member of the X-Men. ...

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Black Widow appeared frequently as both an Avengers member and a freelance agent of S.H.I.E.L.D She starred in a serialized feature within the omnibus comic book series Marvel Fanfare #10-13 (Aug. 1983 - March 1984), written by George Perez and Ralph Macchio, with art by penciler Perez. These stories were collected in the one-shot Black Widow: Web of Intrigue #1 (June 1999). The Widow guest-starred in issues of Solo Avengers, Force Works Iron Man, Marvel Team-Up, and other comics — including several mid-1980s issues of Daredevil, a four-issue arc in issues#368-371 (Oct. 1997 - Jan. 1998), and as a recurring guest in Daredevil Vol. 2 (series 1998-present). She co-starred in two graphic novels: Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty with Nick Fury and Marvel UK's Night Raven, and Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web with the Punisher. S.H.I.E.L.D. (Originally an acronym for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law Enforcement Division, subsequently changed to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) is a fictional intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe. ... An omnibus is a book or video collecting two or more previous works by the same author or director. ... Marvel Fanfare is the name of two comic books which have been published by Marvel Comics. ... George Pérez (born June 9, 1954 in The Bronx, New York) is a Puerto Rican-American illustrator and writer of comic books. ... Ralph George Macchio (born November 4, 1961), better known as Ralph Macchio, is an actor from New York City. ... In producing a comic book, the penciller (or penciler) draws the comic based on the script created by the writer. ... Force Works was a relatively short-lived fictional group of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Marvel Team-Up is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... A graphic novel (GN) is a long-form comic book, usually with lengthy and complex storylines, and often aimed at more mature audiences. ... Nicholas Joseph Nick Fury is a fictional army hero and spy, featured in Marvel Comics. ... The Mighty World of Marvel #1: The very first Marvel UK title published in 1972. ... Night-Raven was a character created by Dez Skinn and Richard Burton and assigned to Steve Parkhouse as writer and David Lloyd for Hulk Weekly, a Marvel UK title in 1979. ... It has been suggested that History of The Punisher be merged into this article or section. ...

The Black Widow starred in a three-issue arc, "The Fire Next Time", by Scott Lobdell and Randy Green, in Journey into Mystery #517-519 (Feb.-April 1998). Scott Lobdell (born 1963) is an American comic book writer. ... Journey into Mystery is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ...

Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her#1 (Nov. 2005). Cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x612, 70 KB) Summary Cover, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005 miniseries) #1 (Nov. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x612, 70 KB) Summary Cover, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005 miniseries) #1 (Nov. ... Bill Sienkiewicz in Gijón, Spain. ...

Miniseries & Specials

Aside from the arcs in Marvel Fanfare and Journey into Mystery, the Black Widow has starred in three self-titled miniseries.

The three-issue Black Widow (June-Aug. 1999), under the Marvel Knights imprint, starred the Natasha Romanova Black Widow and fully introduced her appointed successor, Captain Yelena Belova (see below), who had briefly appeared in an issue of the 1999 series Inhumans. The story arc, "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider", was by writer Devin Grayson and artist J.G. Jones, Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Comics. ... This entry is for the Marvel Comics characters called Black Widow. ... The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The next three-issue, Marvel Knights miniseries, also titled "Black Widow" (Jan.-March 2001) featured both Black Widows in the story arc "Breakdown", by writers Devin Grayson and Greg Rucka with painted art by Scott Hampton. Greg Rucka is an American writer of novels and comic books. ... Category: ...

A three-issue miniseries titled "Black Widow", under the mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint, starred Yelena Belova (see below). MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for adult audiences, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. ... This entry is for the Marvel Comics characters called Black Widow. ...

The Natasha Romanova Black Widow returned in a six-issue miniseries, also "Black Widow" (Nov. 2004 - April 2005), written by science fiction novelist Richard K. Morgan with art initially by Bill Sienkiewicz and later by Sienkiewicz over Goran Parlov layouts. This revised the origin of the Black Widow to establish her as an orphan raised from early childhood by U.S.S.R.'s "Black Widow Ops" program (rather than being raised solely by Ivan Petrovitch). With other young female orphans, she was trained in combat and espionage at the covert "Red Room" facility. There she was biotechnologically and psychotechnologically enhanced — an accounting that provides a rationale for her unusual lifespan, vitality, and abilities. Each Black Widow was deployed with false memories that would ensure their loyalty. Natasha eventually discovered all this, including the minor fact that she had never, as she'd believed, been a ballerina. She further discovered that the Red Room was still active as "2R". The miniseries, which received mixed reviews for its revisionist deus ex machina of false memories, was collected as the trade paperback Black Widow: Homecoming (ISBN 0785114939) Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Richard Morgan (b. ... Bill Sienkiewicz in Gijón, Spain. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A trade paperback can refer to any book that is bound with a heavy paper cover that is generally cheaper than the hardcover but more expensive than the regular paperback version. ...

The six-issue miniseries Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her, by writer Richard K. Morgan, penciler Sean Phillips, and inker Bill Sienkiewicz, began running November 2005. Sean Phillips is a comic book artist. ...

Ultimate Marvel Black Widow

Cover of The Ultimates vol 02.#09, featuring Iron Man and Black Widow. Art by Bryan Hitch.

This parallel universe version of the Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) under the Ultimate Marvel imprint is a member of the Ultimates, this realm's analogue of The Avengers. She is the fiancee of its Iron Man (Tony Stark). She debuted in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up#14 in a story written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Terry Moore, before becoming one of the major characters in Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (550x825, 129 KB) Summary Cover of , featuring Iron Man and Black Widow. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (550x825, 129 KB) Summary Cover of , featuring Iron Man and Black Widow. ... Ultimates #1 cover by Brian Hitch. ... Parallel universes started as a plot device in science fiction. ... Cover to the Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe: The Ultimates & X-Men 2005. ... The Ultimates is a comic book published by Marvel Comics, part of the Ultimate Marvel line featuring classic Marvel Universe characters re-imagined for a modern audience. ... Ultimate Marvel Team-Up was a Marvel Comics title which ran for 16 issues (plus a concluding Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special), set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. ... Brian Michael Bendis. ... Terry Moore is a comic book author and illustrator. ... Mark Millar (born December 24, 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge. ... Ultimates #1 cover by Brian Hitch. ... The Ultimates is a comic book published by Marvel Comics, part of the Ultimate Marvel line featuring classic Marvel Universe characters re-imagined for a modern audience. ...

Natasha Romanova is a former KGB spy and assassin. Nicknamed the Black Widow because all her old husbands died of unfortunate accidents. She was originally part of the Ultimates' covert operations ("black ops") team, but was subsequently moved to public status after a publicly-acceptable background was written for her. The Widow seems to have genetic or cybernetic enhancements that allow her to coordinate herself in combat far better than the average human; she leaped across the gap between two high-rises, caught a rifle out of the air, and shot down several Chitauri sleeper agents in Ultimates#8. She is the fiancée of Tony Stark, and recently received a black suit of Iron Man armor from him as an engagement present. The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language acronym for State Security Committee, (Russian: â–¶ (help· info); Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... The Ultimates is a comic book published by Marvel Comics, part of the Ultimate Marvel line featuring classic Marvel Universe characters re-imagined for a modern audience. ... Covert operations are military or political activities that are not only clandestine (undertaken in a manner that disguises the identity of the perpetrators) but also covert, i. ... Cybernetics is a theory of the communication and control of regulatory feedback. ... Reptilian humanoids are a recurring theme in mythology, fiction, and especially science fiction, fringe theories, and conspiracy theories. ... Sleeper Agents are spies who are placed in a target country, and they take no further action until the correct time. ... An engagement is an agreement by a couple to enter into marriage at some future time, usually accompanied by a formal or informal announcement to friends and family. ... This article is about the two Ultimate Iron Man miniseries. ...

However, she has recently revealed to be a traitor to the Ultimates, allowing Hawkeye to be captured, and Captain America and Thor imprisoned. This has resulted in a massive invasion from a coalition of America's enemies and an enemy super-soldier team. Character history Clint Barton is an archer and former Olympic-level competitor. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Captain America. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Thor (Marvel Comics). ...

Other media

Black Widow made an appearances in the 2005 Punisher video game. She is not a playable character, appears for only one level, and fights alongside the Punisher. Voice actors and actresses were given credit for the game, but it is unknown as to which characters they voiced. It has been suggested that History of The Punisher be merged into this article or section. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ...

A Black Widow motion picture from Lions Gate Entertainment, featuring the Natasha Romanova version, was in the script stage by screenwriter-director David Hayter in 2005. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a Canadian entertainment company that trades on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol, LGF. As of 2004, it is the most commercially-successful film and television distribution company based outside of the United States. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... David Bryan Hayter (born February 6, 1969 in Santa Monica, California) is an American voice actor, actor, and screenwriter. ...

Natasha is also reported to appear in the rumored Marvel Knights film. Marvel Knights is the latest in a long line of comic-based screenplays circulating studios. ...

The Ultimate version of Black Widow will appear in Ultimate Avengers, voiced by Olivia D'Abo. Ultimate Avengers is direct-to-video animated film based on the marvel comic book The Ultimates. ... Olivia dAbo (born January 22, 1967 in London, England) is an actress who starred on the television series The Wonder Years from 1988 to 1992. ...

Yelena Belova

2002 Marvel Max Black Widow miniseries #1, starring Yelena Belova. Cover art by Greg Horn.

Yelena Belova, the second modern Black Widow, was initially a post-Soviet Russian spy of the G.R.U. (Glavnoye Razvedovatel'noye Upravlenie / Main Intelligence Administration). She debuted briefly in Inhumans #5 (March 1999), and was fully introduced in the 1999 Marvel Knights miniseries Black Widow. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x608, 61 KB) Summary Cover, Black Widow (2002 miniseries) #1 (June 2003), cover art by Greg Horn. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (400x608, 61 KB) Summary Cover, Black Widow (2002 miniseries) #1 (June 2003), cover art by Greg Horn. ... Greg Horn is an American comic book artist for Marvel comics and cover artist for various publications. ... The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Yelena is an amoral spy and assassin who was trained by the same Russian spymasters who trained Natasha Romanova, the first Black Widow. Having beaten Natasha's results in all of the tests presented to her, she was declared to be the new Black Widow. Yelena fought Natasha for the title of the Black Widow. The battle was inconclusive, and later confrontations between the two Black Widows led Yelena to doubt her place in the world. Amorality is the quality of having no concept of right or wrong. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ...

After her initial co-starring role in the 1999 Black Widow miniseries, she co-starred in the 2001 same-name sequel. Following this was the same-name, three-issue miniseries under the mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint (June-August 2002). This story arc, "Pale Little Spider", by writer Greg Rucka and artist Igor Kordey, flashed back to the story of her becoming the second modern Black Widow, in events preceeding her Inhumans appearance. MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics intended for adult audiences, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. ... Greg Rucka is an American writer of novels and comic books. ... Look up flashback in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In New Avengers #5, it was revealed that Yelena had been recruited by the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., and was involved in the agency's mining of vibranium in the Antarctic Savage Land. In the following issue, she barely survived an attack by the mutant Sauron, receiving severe burns and being subsequently approached with an offer for revenge against S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. Vibranium is a fictional metal found in the Marvel Universe. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ... The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Universe. ... // Marvel Comics In Marvel comic books, particularly those of the X-Men franchise, a mutant is a human being who is born with genetic modifications that allow for abilities not possessed by regular humans. ... Sauron is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

References

• The Grand Comics Database
• Marvel Directory (Marvel Fan Site Program): Black Widow (I)
• Marvel Directory (Marvel Fan Site Program): Black Widow (II)
• The Unofficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Black Widow (Captain Yelena Belova)
• Don Markstein's Toonpedia: The Black Widow (1964)
• The Comic Characters Database: Black Widow
• IMDb: The Black Widow
• Comics2Film: Black Widow
• Comic Book Resources Nov. 16, 2004: "Richard K. Morgan Talks Marvel's Black Widow"
• Max Comics (fan site): Black Widow ("Pale Little Spider")