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Black Widow has truly established herself as a formidable action hero, standing toe-to-toe with gods and monsters in fierce battles. But her comic book journey uncovers remarkable secrets that Marvel’s films might never explore.
10. She's Much Older Than She Looks
In Age of Ultron, audiences are shown a flashback sequence where Black Widow's early training in the Russian Red Room is revealed. She shares that one of the unintended consequences of the super soldier experiments was her inability to have children. In contrast, the comics introduce a different effect: Black Widow seemingly doesn't age at all.
The comic version of Black Widow was born in 1928 and was recruited by Soviet intelligence in the late 1930s. She nearly had a very different life as a manipulated member of a ninja group called The Hand, but she was rescued by the rare, pre-Avengers collaboration of Captain America and Wolverine (then known simply as Logan). After World War II, she joined the Black Widow program, which focused on training female spies who could infiltrate the enemies of the Soviet Union.
9. She and Winter Soldier had a romantic relationship
Who better to teach the young Black Widow how to blend into American society than an American-turned-spy? This was the strategy the Soviet Union had in the comics, and part of Black Widow's training involved the Winter Soldier, Captain America's former sidekick, who was turned into a Russian agent through brainwashing. The training went too well, and the teacher and student ended up falling in love. There were, however, several complications in their long-term relationship: the Soviet Union put the Winter Soldier into cryogenic stasis when not on missions, and Black Widow was promised to Russian test pilot Alexi Shostakov in marriage.
The pair got another chance, though. A few decades later, now fighting on the side of the good guys, they reunited, with Winter Soldier deciding that Black Widow was one of the few constants and most loyal friends throughout his long life. While a perfect, happy ending is rare in the world of ongoing comic book stories, the two made an excellent team both as heroes and as lovers.
8. She Has False Memories
Comic book fans are no strangers to retcons, where a later writer changes something from a character's earlier backstory. Some of these adjustments are smooth, such as moving Tony Stark's Vietnam-era injury to a more modern conflict. Others, however, are more abrupt, like Marvel's use of the Devil to erase Spider-Man's public revelation of his secret identity. Black Widow's most notable retcon falls somewhere in between.
In earlier comic issues, Black Widow was depicted as a young ballerina. However, this didn't quite fit with her backstory, which involved her being recruited by the Soviet government at a very young age. Eventually, it was revealed that, much like the long-lived hero Wolverine, Black Widow had fabricated memories implanted into her, including the one of being a ballerina. This twist brings an intriguing dimension to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly in the film Age of Ultron, which explored Widow's memories. The question arises: How many of her painful memories that cause her to feel disconnected from humanity are actually real?
7. She’s A Bad Influence On Hawkeye
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow and Hawkeye share an incredibly close, platonic bond, often seen as stronger than that with the other members of the team. However, in the comics, their relationship began under much less conventional circumstances: they were once considered thieves. This is what the authorities thought when they first encountered Hawkeye, dressed in his bold purple costume, attempting to fight crime. Black Widow embraced the idea and enlisted Hawkeye's help in her mission to take on Iron Man and other superheroes.
Hawkeye, understandably, earned a criminal label after aiding a Russian spy in a battle against superheroes. However, things took both a positive and negative turn: Black Widow began to develop feelings for him, which led to her desire to defect to America. This desire was tragically met with a fatal assassination attempt from her Soviet employers. Hawkeye ensured she received medical attention and recognized this as the moment to redeem himself. His journey to becoming an Avenger ultimately included assisting Black Widow in joining the team.
6. She Pursued a Career in Fashion Design
It’s hard to picture many comic book heroes outside their traditional roles as superheroes. This is partly due to their archetypal nature, and partly because the comic book industry, especially with its focus on film, prefers to maintain characters' consistency in cinematic roles. However, things were different in the 1970s: In the Daredevil comic series, both Black Widow and Daredevil relocated to San Francisco, starting new chapters in their lives. While Daredevil couldn’t stray far from his legal and illegal double life, Black Widow dreamed of something different: a career as a fashion designer.
This portrayal could be seen as an example of the typecasting modern audiences would critique, especially given that Black Widow was one of the only major female characters at the time. However, given her background as an immigrant from post-Stalin Russia, it’s understandable that she would associate freedom with wealth and wealth with glamour. Her pursuit of this dream didn’t hinder her from taking on various costumed villains or from resisting the traditional damsel-in-distress trope, as she famously declares: 'In case you hadn’t noticed, Matt—much as I think I love you—I’m my own woman, first, last, and always.'
5. The Black Widow Legacy Is Far From Unique
In the Marvel Universe, one of the most intriguing aspects is how governments, given the chance, would leverage the creation of super soldiers to their advantage. While Captain America's origin story centers around the tragic death of Dr. Erskine, the scientist responsible for the super soldier serum, Russia's Black Widow program had no such obstacles. The Soviet regime quickly expanded its efforts by training multiple operatives to become Black Widows.
Natasha Romanova's journey is just one of many that began in the enigmatic Red Room, where children like her were groomed and given deadly skills. The Red Room continues to train and deploy these powerful agents. One such individual is Yelena Belova, a woman who left the Red Room with a fierce desire to outshine Romanova. But despite their rivalry, Romanova, who had grown more cynical over time, helped Belova realize that her superiors saw her as nothing more than a disposable tool to be used for the state’s purposes. Romanova, who had once been forced to let her own husband stage his death for her training, understood all too well the manipulation that was ingrained in their system.
4. A Widow In Both Name And Truth
One of the more intriguing layers to Black Widow's character, as portrayed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is how she had a rich and complex life well before becoming the hero we know. While many focus primarily on her history as a Soviet operative, Romanova's romantic life was also quite eventful, especially her marriage to Alexi Shostakov.
Shostakov was a skilled test pilot, whose talents caught the attention of the KGB. They orchestrated his marriage to the young Natasha Romanova, who was still undergoing her rigorous training in the Red Room. Soon after their wedding, however, Shostakov’s rocket seemingly exploded, taking his life, sending Romanova into an even deeper commitment to the Red Room's cause. But the truth was far more complicated: Shostakov survived, adopting the persona of Red Guardian, a Soviet version of Captain America. He would later face off against Widow and the Avengers, ultimately perishing in an explosion, leaving Romanova truly a widow, both by name and reality.
Her physical enhancements provide her with superior strength, agility, and resistance beyond normal human limits.
In the Marvel movies featuring Scarlet Johansson as Black Widow, she is portrayed primarily as a smart and powerful human. However, the films do not explore the unique abilities granted to her during her training in the Red Room. Specifically, she was injected with the Soviet version of Captain America's Super-Soldier Serum, which enabled her to lift up to 230 kilograms (500 lb) and made her highly resistant to diseases and illnesses.
Black Widow's enhanced speed, reflexes, and agility are at the pinnacle of human potential, placing her on the brink of being classified as superhuman. Her senses are also heightened to peak levels, and her body has remarkable durability. While she remains vulnerable to injury from weapons like guns, her resilience to both physical harm and illness is extraordinary. Additionally, the serum has extended her life, allowing her to maintain a youthful appearance despite being born in 1928.
2. She Might Be of Royal Blood
Black Widow’s surname itself is part of an intriguing retcon. Originally, her last name was chosen likely due to the renown of the Russian Tsar, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov. Later, X-Men writer Chris Claremont penned a story where a young Romanova was rescued by Captain America and Wolverine. She’s saved from The Hand’s ninjas, whose leader hints that she may be a descendant of Nicholas.
The Hand intends to brainwash Black Widow to serve their agenda, with their leader stating that he desires Communism to be eradicated by someone bearing the name of the Imperial family the Reds sought to destroy during their bloody revolution. Yet, with so many people named Romanov and Romanova, their deliberate choice of Black Widow could hint at a deeper connection to the Romanov lineage than just a shared surname. Wolverine, lacking interest in the history lesson, quickly arrives with Captain America, and they swiftly defeat Black Widow’s captors.
1. She Is Responsible for the Death of Hawkeye’s Family
As previously mentioned, the Marvel Cinematic Universe draws substantial influence from Marvel's Ultimates comic series, which reinvents well-known heroes for a contemporary setting within a continuity-free realm. While characters like Captain America and Iron Man remain prominent in The Ultimates, Black Widow is portrayed as a vastly different character. She is a double agent who partners with Thor’s half-brother Loki in a bid for global domination, even going so far as to brutally kill Hawkeye’s wife and children as part of her plan.
Aside from the sheer brutality of her actions, an intriguing aspect of this alternate reality is how selectively it was depicted in Age of Ultron. The film borrows heavily from the Ultimates universe by presenting Hawkeye as a secret family man. However, it also integrates elements from the main Marvel continuity by portraying Black Widow as a close and trusted friend of Hawkeye, with her being treated as a member of his family.
