If you’re unfamiliar with Black Widow — or maybe you only know her from the movies — then today’s post is for you, as we dive into a brief history of the fan favorite character, who is also the star of our book of the month, Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl.
Black Widow AKA
Black Widow has many aliases, not just Natasha Romanov. According to the Marvel website, her real name is Natalia “Natasha” Alianovna Romanova, but she may also be known as:
- Natasha Romanoff
- Nadine Roman
- “Nat”
- Tsarina
- Oktober
- Laura Matthers
- Nancy Rushman
- Black Pearl
- Natalia Shostakova
- Natuska
- Czarin
Black Widow is Born
Black Widow first appeared in Tales of Suspense #52, published in 1964, as a Russian spy and an enemy of Iron Man.
Fans of the modern day Marvel movies know that Natasha eventually defected to the U.S. and became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually a member of the Avengers (alongside Iron Man himself!).
Throughout her comic book life, the Black Widow has teamed up with various Marvel superheroes, including Hawkeye, Spider-Man, and Daredevil, in addition to her work with the Avengers and others.
Black Widow Back Stories
There are a couple different versions of Black Widow’s origin stories floating around, but this is Marvel’s official version:
Born circa 1928, Natalia “Natasha” Romanova was apparently orphaned as a child when she was trapped in a burning building during an early attack on Stalingrad by enemy forces. Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov, a Soviet soldier, found Natasha in the inferno and rescued her. Although Ivan kept a close eye on Natasha as she grew, by the late 1930s she had attracted the attention of Soviet intelligence, which began her training. In 1941, she was almost brainwashed into serving the ninja clan the Hand, but was saved by Ivan, Logan (James Howlett, later Wolverine) and Captain America. Following World War II, Natasha was recruited to become part of the
Black Widow Program, a team of elite female sleeper agents. Among the Widow’s instructors was the Winter Soldier, formerly Captain America’s sidekick Bucky (James Barnes); Natasha studied as a ballerina to cover for her true occupation. The Soviet state eventually arranged for Natasha to marry Alexi Shostakov, a champion test pilot. After a few years of a happy marriage, the KGB faked Shostakov’s death in a rocket test; grief for Shostakov drove Natasha’s resolve deeper and she continued her education with the Red Room Academy, finally being appointed the title of the Black Widow.
It’s pretty cool to see how all these characters have different interactions in the comics, no?
Kick-Ass Skills
Thanks to her training in the Black Widow Ops program, Natasha has some impressive skills under her belt. She is an expert at martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, acrobat, boxing, and a weapons specialist, in addition to her spy training. She is also extremely skilled at strategy and tactics, which always makes her a great asset as a member of the Avengers and on S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the comics, Black Widow has also been enhanced with biotechnology to resist aging and disease, plus she can heal faster than normal people. (Nice, huh?)
Novel Novice 
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