BLACK WIDOW
Real Name: Natasha (last name unrevealed, presumably Romanoff/Romanova)
Identity/Class: Extradimensional
(Earth-730834) human
Occupation: Adventurer;
formerly HYDRA Agent
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Avengers (Ant-Man, Hawkeye,
Scarlet Witch, Tigra, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man), S.H.I.E.L.D.;
formerly HYDRA
Enemies: A.I.M., HYDRA, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Whirlwind
Known Relatives: Alexi
Shostakov (husband)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile internationally
First Appearance: Avengers United They Stand#2
(December, 1999)
Powers/Abilities: Black Widow is an excellent
hand-to-hand combatant and acrobatic athlete with HYDRA training. She
has university-level education (presumably science). Since leaving
HYDRA, she uses a grappling hook and cable for acrobatic travel or
snaring targets, plus wrist-mounted bracelets that discharge non-lethal
bolts (which she dubs "the widow's bite").
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Red
History:
(Avengers United They Stand#5 (fb)) - Natasha
attended university in Russia and grew enamored with her theoretical
physics professor, Alexi Shostakov, and they soon married despite
initial disapproval from friends. She adopted his anti-war and
anti-communist, yet also pro-HYDRA political views, and followed him
into HYDRA when he left academia. When he disappeared and she was told
he'd been killed by KGB, she tried to be the best agent she could to
make him proud.
(Avengers United They Stand#2) - Taking the name Black Widow, Natasha was one
of the few HYDRA agents concerned about the mad scheme of their leader,
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, to kill every human on Earth except for
those on one HYDRA base, and she became S.H.I.E.L.D.'s contact to
eliminate Strucker
before he could trigger the bomb. Although Hawkeye was initially
mistrustful of her, the Avengers (Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch,
Tigra, Wasp, Wonder Man) secretly met Black Widow at the HYDRA base, but
were soon overwhelmed by Strucker and his forces. Black Widow implored
the HYDRA soldiers to overthrow Strucker but few responded. Eventually
the bomb was neutralized and the HYDRA forces surrendered as
S.H.I.E..L.D. forces arrived to mop up. Hawkeye and Black Widow
celebrated with a passionate kiss.
(Avengers United They Stand#5 (fb) - BTS) - Black
Widow received an official pardon from the US President for helping to
save the world. Romance blossomed between Black Widow
and Hawkeye and they spent more time together. Hawkeye was hopeful she
would eventually become an Avenger.
(Avengers United They Stand#5 (fb)) - Black Widow and
Hawkeye stopped a bank robbery by costumed villain Whirlwind. She noted the
extra A.I.M. technology in the robber's tech suit, silently linking the distinctive styling to her supposedly dead
husband. Eager to clarify this, she quietly rushed off and eventually
infiltrated a hidden A.I.M. research base in Canada where she found
Shostakov still alive and active, yet she did not tell him of her
Avenger liaisons. She sent a short distress call to Hawkeye seeking the
Avengers' assistance.
(Avengers United They Stand#5) - The other Avengers
did not fully support Hawkeye's rescue proposal, although Scarlet
Witch, Vision and Falcon chose to accompany him. The rescue rapidly
escalated into a fight and in the confusion, Black Widow managed to
usher Shostakov to an empty A.I.M. shuttle. Confronted by Hawkeye, she
knocked her husband out using one of Hawkeye's arrows. While declaring
her love for the Avenger, she also affirmed her commitment to her
husband, believing that she could bring Shostakov back from apparent
A.I.M. brainwashing. And with that, Black Widow escaped with her
unconscious husband and headed to an unknown destination.
Comments: Created by Created by Ty Templeton (writer), Jason Armstrong (pencils) and Scott Koblish (inks).
It's unrevealed if she kept her Russian citizenship.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Black Widow of Earth-730834 has no known connections to:
Alexi Shostakov was formerly a professor at a Russian
university teaching theoretical physics. Despite disapproval from
friends,
the student Natasha and teacher Alexi fell in love and married. He was
an anti-communist patriot and pro-HYDRA, eventually dedicating himself
to HYDRA research and Natasha followed him. However, he disappeared and
Natasha was told he had been killed by the KGB, but he had instead
apparently been kidnapped and brainwashed to serve A.I.M. Much later,
his distinctive research was used in A.I.M. technology supplied to
villain Whirlwind and discovered by Natasha, now adventurer Black
Widow, who used her Avengers connections to distract A.I.M. so that she
could take her husband away from A.I.M. and help his recovery. She
escaped with her unconscious husband headed to an unknown destination.
--Avengers United They Stand#5
Whirlwind was a small-time villain whose spinning
gyro-suit had recently been amped up with A.I.M. inertia-field
technology. After Hawkeye incapacitated him with a scramble arrow,
Black Widow noted the distinctive A.I.M. technology that indicated her husband
may still be alive, and she rushed off to investigate while the police formally charged the bank robber.
--Avengers United They Stand#5
images:
(without ads)
Avengers United They Stand#5, p1 (main image)
Avengers United They Stand#2, p10, pan4 (headshot, HYDRA costume)
Avengers United They Stand#5, p14, pan2 (Shostakov)
Avengers United They Stand#5, p2, pan1 (Whirlwind)
Appearances:
Avengers United They Stand#2 (December, 1999) - Ty Templeton (script),
Eric Lewald (story consultant), Jason Armstrong (pencils), Scott
Koblish (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers United They Stand#5 (March, 2000) - Ty Templeton (script),
Eric Lewald (story consultant), Derec Aucoin (pencils), Walden Wong
(inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 09/11/2017
Last updated: 07/27/2017
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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