A Brief Biography of Black Widow
Rumor has it that Black Widow is somehow connected to the last imperial dynasty of the Romanovs, but this remains to be seen. Not much is known about Black Widow before World War II. Natalia Romanova was born in Stalingrad (Volgograd). Unknown assailants set fire to the house where Natasha lived with her family. Her mother threw Natasha out the window right into the arms of Soviet soldier Ivan Petrovich. Ivan took the girl in and cared for her.
Natasha studied very well in school, was an excellent athlete, and soon became a ballerina. Growing up, she fell in love with Alexei Shostakov (a test pilot) and married him, but shortly thereafter, Alexei died during tests of an experimental rocket. Natasha grieved deeply and wanted people to remember her husband. She decided to honor Alexei's memory and achieve his goal – to become an operative.
After some time, she joined the Red Room Academy and became one of many women trained for covert operations. She was trained by the Winter Soldier. Natasha became an extremely talented operative; the KGB gave her the nickname "Black Widow". She was tested with the Super Soldier serum (which made Steve Rogers Captain America), more precisely, a version developed by Soviet scientists. Thanks to it, Natasha can utilize her body's peak capabilities: strength, flexibility, speed, agility, etc. The serum also grants a slowed aging effect.
For some time, Black Widow trained with Wolverine, who temporarily stepped away from his violent path for her and took care of Natasha. Ivan also protected Natasha until she was kidnapped in 1941 by Nazi Baron Strucker, who wanted to make her an assassin for the "Hand" unit. Ivan, along with Wolverine and Captain America, managed to bring her back. When Wolverine returned to the USA, Black Widow saved him from the hands of Hydra assassins and met him again when he, along with the Thing (a member of the Fantastic Four team) and Miss Marvel, stole the Red Storm project from Russia. She pursued them but was ordered to abort the operation.
One of Natasha's first assignments was to infiltrate Stark Industries with her partner Boris Tversky and eliminate Anton Vanko (a dissident scientist who became a Stark Industries employee). She was supposed to attract Tony Stark's attention while Boris sabotaged Tony's factories. Soon after Boris's death and their enemy Anton Vanko, Natasha decided to stay in the USA and act as a KGB undercover agent. She started a romance with Tony Stark. However, her real plan was to steal the anti-gravity device. She completed her mission, but Iron Man took the device from her, letting Natasha go.
After some time, Natasha meets Hawkeye, who is wanted for a crime he has been falsely accused of. They work together for a while since Hawkeye becomes infatuated with Natasha and even helps her complete several missions. Natasha convinces Hawkeye to help her steal Tony Stark's plans. During the mission, he encounters Iron Man. They begin to fight while Natasha observes them from afar. One of the arrows fired by Hawkeye is deflected by Tony Stark and strikes Black Widow. After this, Natasha receives a new target from the KGB - Williams Innovations, and the Stark Industries assignment is canceled. She persuades Hawkeye to help her with the new assignment, and he agrees. Hawkeye meets Spider-Man, who tells him that he is making a big mistake by helping the Widow. Nevertheless, Natasha still convinces Hawkeye to steal Tony Stark's plans.
While Hawkeye was on his assignment, the KGB kidnapped Black Widow and brought her back to Russia. They developed a new suit and gadgets for Natasha. Natasha returns to the USA to join Hawkeye in the fight against Iron Man.
Despite her attraction to Hawkeye, Natasha doubts his loyalty to Russia. Hawkeye refuses to work with Black Widow and joins the Avengers. The KGB once again kidnaps Natasha and brainwashes her. She is given the mission to eliminate the Avengers, but she regains her memories and reunites with Hawkeye. She becomes an ally of the Avengers, helping them in many missions. However, she does not become a full-fledged team member, as she cannot take the oath stating that no member of the Avengers is allowed to kill.
Later, she becomes an agent of the SHIELD special unit to effectively combat the KGB. During one mission, Natasha discovers that Alexei Shostakov (her supposedly deceased husband) is alive and has become the Red Guardian (the Soviet answer to Captain America). She battles him alongside the Avengers and kills him. Frantic, she declines the Avengers' offer to become an official team member and temporarily abandons her Black Widow alias.
Natasha breaks off her relationship with Hawkeye and resumes her activities under the Black Widow alias. She starts acting independently. Natasha creates a new black suit made of leather and begins to fight crime on the streets of New York. There she meets Daredevil. They team up, and love sparks between them. Natasha and Matt Murdock's relationship goes so far that he leaves his girlfriend Karen Page. The couple moves to San Francisco to start a new life. There, they continue their careers as crimefighters together.
The debut of Black Widow in cinema was her appearance in the sequel to Iron Man, where she was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson.
Art
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I express immense gratitude to TesthuGGer and Toomadhatter for proofreading.