Black Widow (Natasha Romanova)

Natasha Romanova Black Widow
Black Widow as seen on the variant cover of Black Widow #1 (April 2010). Art by Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964)
Created by	Stan Lee (editor/plotter) Don Rico (writer) Don Heck (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Natalia Alianovna Romanova
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Team affiliations	Avengers Champions KGB Marvel Knights Secret Avengers S.H.I.E.L.D.
Partnerships	Daredevil Hawkeye Winter Soldier
Notable aliases	Natasha Romanoff
Abilities	Expert marksman and mastery of various weapons Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant Slowed aging, and enhanced immune system Expert spy Equipment via gauntlets granting: Electroshock weapon Explosives Grappling hook Knock out gas Radio transmitter

Black Widow is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor Stan Lee, scripter Don Rico, and artist Don Heck, the character debuted as an enemy of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #52 (1964). She reformed as a hero in The Avengers #30 (1966) and her most well-known design was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #86 (1970). Black Widow has been the main character in several comic issues since 1970, and she received her own Black Widow series in 1999. She has also frequently appeared as a supporting character in The Avengers and Daredevil.

Natalia Alianovna "Natasha Romanoff" Romanova (Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа" Романова) is introduced as a spy for the Soviet Union until she defects to the United States. She subsequently joins the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., partners with Daredevil, and encounters a rival Black Widow in Yelena Belova. Though she has no distinct superpowers, she was augmented in the Red Room, a Soviet training facility, to increase her strength and reduce her aging. She has training in combat and espionage, and wields bracelets that fire electric shocks and project wires she uses to traverse skyscrapers.

Black Widow stories often explore her struggle to define her own identity as a spy and the trauma she endured from her life of training in the Red Room. Early stories emphasized her Soviet origin, portraying her superiors as evil and contrasting her with more noble American superheroes. Black Widow's status as a leading female character and femme fatale has influenced her portrayal, which was often contradictory as comics grappled with the conflict between traditional gender roles and second-wave feminism. The character is heavily sexualized both by artists and by the characters with whom she interacts.

Black Widow has been adapted into a variety of other media, including film, animated series, and video games. A version of the character was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise from her first appearance in Iron Man 2 (2010) to her final one in Black Widow (2021). Johansson's portrayal brought increased attention to the character and influenced Black Widow's depiction in comics.