Widow Facts

Are you a fan of Black Widow? Then you'll love these One Dozen Black Widow Facts!

1. Black Widow first appeared as an Iron Man villain in 1964. In this appearance she was Russian spy with a black bouffant hairdo and a black veil dress. She was one of many Iron Man villains to be connected to The Soviet Union as most of Iron Man's adventures involved shades of The Cold War. Five issues later she'd team-up with Hawkeye and have her current costume, and in 1966 she was fully redesigned as the character she is now.

2. Natasha Romanov is actually eighty-eight years old. She was born in 1928, raised by the KGB, and fought in WWII. Unlike most Marvel characters, Black Widow's age has not been changed for the sake of keeping the character young. Instead, it was established very early in her history that she had been injected with The Infinity Formula. The Infinity Formula was a serum that would keep a human being physically young for a long period of time. The original Nick Fury used this serum (which was Marvel's way of keeping his WWII story's in continuity), but in 2011 we find out the serum wears out if it is not repeatedly used. Nick ran out some time ago and rapidly aged into his 90's. Black Widow, however, has a perfected form of the Infinity Formula inside her. She will stay physically young without needing to take more doses over time.

3. Black Widow has Level 10 security clearance with SHIELD. This level of security is so exclusive, only Natasha, Nick Fury Senior, Steve Rogers, and Daisy Johnson have it.

4. Natasha was one of many Russian women raised in the KGB's "Red Room" project. "The Red Room" was tasked with raising child weapons. Through extensive and deadly training, controversial surgeries and experiments, and manipulative education, the "Black Widows" were slowly grown for the KGB. The child soldiers were even brainwashed into believing they lived lives prior to the "Red Room" so that the horrific memories of their childhoods could be repressed.

5. Yelena Belova is the only other "Black Widow" to gain relevancy. She too was raised in "The Red Room" and grew up as a sleeper agent for the KGB. After her trainer died, her psychological programming kicked in and led her to find Natasha and take the Black Widow mantle. Natasha defeated Yelena, but not in the conventional way. At first, she convinced Yelena to seek a life of her own, one that would not be defined by her superiors. She then manipulated Yelena's mind to the point where Yelena no longer held The Black Widow mantle with high regard and fled to Cuba to pursue a normal life. She would reappear once as a HYDRA brainwashed spy, and then again when Norman Osborn recruited her into his Thunderbolts. However, the Yelena who joins The Thunderbolts is actually Natasha in disguise, acting as a double agent for Nick Fury.

6. In 1971, Marvel Editorial didn't know where to put Black Widow. They kept her on The Avengers, but with the "Red Scare" over she had less relevancy at the time. She was made a supporting character and love interest to Daredevil, mainly because writer Gerry Conway thought the two would have an interesting dynamic. One being a strong Catholic vigilante with ninja training and a rule against killing. And Black Widow was a former Soviet assassin with a talent for killing and a tragic upbringing. The following writer would slowly push Black Widow out of the book, but she would be moved to the then-new "Champions" team book in 1975.

7. The KGB organized a marriage between Natasha Romanova and Russian test pilot Alexei Shostakov. The Russian government later convinced Natasha Alex died in a plane accident. In actuality, the Russians faked Alex's death and used their own Super Soldier serum to turn him into The Red Guardian, Russia's contender to Captain America. Natasha would not meet her husband again until 1967 when he-as The Red Guardian-battled The Avengers.

8. Nat's romantic relationships include Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. She has also shared a kiss with the X-Men Rogue during a team-up between them. Natasha's wrist had been injured so she could not take a sniper shot, so she kissed Rogue (allowing Rogue to copy Nat's sniper proficiency) and Rogue took the shot herself.

9. In "Ultimate Comics", we see a version of Natasha that claims to be an American espionage agent and has a romance with Tony Stark. When Tony proposes to Nat by giving her an Iron Man Armor, Nat reveals she is a Russian spy. Nat kills Stark's butler Jarvis and holds Tony hostage, planning on taking his entire fortune. Tony manages to get the upper hand and kill her, but is quickly depressed over her betrayal. A sex tape featuring Natasha and Tony leaks online after her death.

10. Black Widow has worked for both The KGB and SHIELD. She has been a member of three variations of The Avengers, The Thunderbolts, The Heroes For Hire, The Champions, and The Lady Liberators. The first version of The Lady Liberators where a group of female Avengers who were led by Valkyrie to attack their male teammates. Valkyrie was actually The Enchantress in disguise, using a spell to hypnotize the female Avengers. The second version of The Lady Liberators was a cast of female heroes assembled by She-Hulk to hunt down The Red Hulk, who had beaten her in a fight prior.

10. Black Widow's signature bracelets house various tools and weapons. "The Widow's Bite" are electrical blasts fired from the bracelets can charge up to 30,000 watts. "The Widow's Line" is a grappling hook that can be electrically charged too. "The Widow's Kiss" is a powder fired from the bracelets that can knock enemies out cold. The bracelets also have plastic explosives, trackers, and tear gas pellets.

11. Scarlett Johnansson has portrayed Black Widow in The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Appearing in "Iron Man 2", "The Avengers", "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: Civil War". This makes her the most frequently appearing female character in the MCU.

12. Apparently the relationship between Daredevil and Black Widow was so well received, Angela Bowie (David Bowie's ex-wife) bought the TV rights to Daredevil in 1975 and attempted to make a TV show starring herself as Black Widow and Ben Carruthers as Daredevil. One picture was publicized and the show was never picked up.

Thanks for reading!