Despite her star turn in Avengers, Black Widow isn’t getting a solo movie (yet). But she is getting a new comic book, which she richly deserves.
‘Twas not always so. Black Widow has a long history in comics, one that until relatively recently would make her a rather surprising candidate for her own title, much less a big role in an Avengers movie.
The first Black Widow – yes, there’s been more than one – was a character named Claire Voyant, who debuted in Mystic Comics #4 in the summer of 1940. That precedes Wonder Woman, and possibly all other costumed super-heroines. (Most “mystery women” in those days operated in evening gowns, high heels and domino masks. Seriously.)
Claire didn’t last long – only five appearances – possibly because she wasn’t a very nice person. Believe it or not, this Black Widow worked for Satan, killing evil-doers on Earth and delivering their souls to Hell. That isn’t a terribly admirable profession, although the end result is bad guys getting just deserts.
Mystic was a title from Timely Comics, the predecessor to today’s Marvel Comics, where the next, and current, Black Widow took her first bow in an Iron Man story in 1964. She still didn't look like today's version, or like the original – but she wasn't a very nice person, either.
She was a Soviet spy! Moreover, she was what is referred to as a “honey trap.” Far from her current status as a black-ops agent, Black Widow was originally a femme fatale, complete with black evening gown, white opera gloves, furs, veil and a beauty mark, right where Marilyn Monroe’s was. Her Soviet masters sent her over here to seduce Tony Stark – not much of a challenge in those days – and steal weapons-systems plans.
I have to digress here for a moment to put things in context. Comics in those days were all written and drawn by older men who all lived in or around New York City. So perhaps that explains why Black Widow seems to have walked out of a 1950s movie, and why her name was so dumb.
Did I mention her name? It was Natasha Romanoff. Natasha was possibly the best-known Russian girl’s name in America, thanks to Natasha Fatale in The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, which premiered in 1959. And Romanoff was perhaps the best known Russian surname, given that it was the family name of the last czar of Russia, Nicholas II, who was executed in the Russian Revolution.
So as a lad, the Li’l Captain didn’t realize at first that this woman with a cartoon character’s name was supposed to be taken seriously. Or that this woman who dressed in his grandmother’s Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes was supposed to be attractive. He did finally twig to the latter, given how the male characters in the Iron Man story reacted to her, but it was hard to swallow.
Anyway, Natasha finally saw the error of her ways, and defected. (Her Soviet masters trying to kill her for failure probably influenced the decision.)
After hanging around Hawkeye (whom she had previously seduced) and the Avengers for a while, she went to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and then later, abruptly, ran off to San Francisco to become Daredevil’s partner. (Then, as now, the Black Widow gets around.) It was at that point that she was finally made an Avenger (1973), the third female to be so honored. (The first was founding member The Wasp, whom I hope we will meet in the Ant-Man movie, and Scarlet Witch, whom we will see in Avengers: Age of Ultron, both premiering in 2015.)
Along the way, Natasha had ditched the evening gown for a genuine superhero suit, with grappling line and suction cups to walk on walls. Not exactly Spider-Man, you’ll agree, but she was becoming more like the super-agent we saw in Avengers.
That continued in, of all places, a 1970 issue of Amazing Spider-Man, where she adopted the skin-tight black leathers we know today. And over the years her armament has been upgraded, and even her name made more genuinely Russian. (It’s now Natalia Alianovna Romanova.)
And her past has not only been expanded, but has changed multiple times. In her first appearance, she was the widow of a cosmonaut. Later, it was changed to where she had been a prima ballerina recruited by the KGB. Some stories even showed her fighting in World War II!
And so what? She’s a spy! Some of those pasts could be true, or none of them, or even a combination thereof. Which is one reason I find her so fascinating. She could be lying every time she opens her mouth, and you’d never know, because she’s very, very good at it.
Which she demonstrated in the Avengers movie, as portrayed by Scarlett Johannson. Twice – once with international gun-runners and again with Loki – she tricked the bad guys into revealing their plans by playing the “I’m just a weak li’l girl” card. (That was before, of course, handing their heads to them.)
Further, Johansson showed a number of sides to Natalia in her scenes, ranging from genuine fear (of The Hulk), to determination (overcoming her fear), to regret over past transgressions, to grim efficiency. And let’s not forget her star turns in two Iron Man movies – which makes me eager for her big role in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4).
I think it’s a shame that there is no Black Widow movie on the current Marvel Films roster, as I think the character has enormous potential – especially as played by Johannson, who has enormous range as an actress. Black Widow could keep a toe in a lot of different sandboxes, from espionage to romance to comedy to action, just like James Bond. That means ticket sales, baby!
Well, we can hope. Meanwhile, we have this new Black Widow title, whose first issue ships Jan. 8, and second issue arrives Jan. 22 ($3.99 each). According to Marvel, this title will depict the Widow seeking atonement for her bloody past in the darkest corners of the world.
“[Writer] Phil Noto and [artist] Nathan Edmondson have one those magical creative partnerships that brings out the best in both of them,” said series Editor Ellie Pyle, in a press release. “Together they bring you a Natasha who is unsettlingly human in the midst of all the action and intrigue you’d expect.”
It’s not Scarlett Johansson, but it’ll do!
Contact Captain Comics at capncomics@aol.com.
Replies
I'm still amazed that the Black Widow was in The Avengers movie instead of the Wasp or the Scarlet Witch (though how weird would it have been if Scarlett Johansson played the Scarlet Witch!) considering that Tasha wasn't never one of the main Avengers as far as I was concerned. Now if they ever make a Champions movie...
Anyhoo, when I was young and reading Marvel Triple Action, I was never overly impressed with the Widow. When she reappeared in Avengers #29, she was brainwashed by the Chinese Communists though she was freed soon enough and stayed with Hawkeye and the Avengers. Her past, however, prevented her from being fully accepted or trusted. She was a spy after all.
Her finest hour was in Avengers #37 (F'67) when she intimidated Ixar into surrendering because she wasn't bound by the Avengers' code against killing which would have been a strike against her joining as far as the Avengers were concerned. Not that it was all that impressive! I mean, Ixar....
She wasn't featured in every Avengers story but unfortunately when she reappeared in #43-44 (Au-S'67) and #63 (Ap'69), she was taken prisoner and had to be rescued.
After that, they revamped her to such a degree that she could have been a new character.
Characters like Natasha are sort of stuck though, the soviets are long gone and the cold war also long gone. The father we get from those days the more her origin has to be retconned. The first time I ever saw her in a comic was in a Marvel Team Up where she, Spiderman and a bunch of others battled Viper on the helicarier. I never read Daredevil while she was in it, but I did like her in Champions. There was a very well drawn story with her in black and white done in one of the large format magazines, but I can't remember which one.
That might be Bizarre Adventures #25. I've only seen the cover.
One of my favourite old-style Black Widow appearances was around #9-#10 ish of Captain Marvel (pre Gil Kane revamp days), she's doing her espionage stuff (on a plane? or am I mixing it with the Iron Man appearance around the same time?)
But she gets an awful lot of page-time and O remember thinking she was portrayed better there than years of Avengers appeances and I'm sure it helped towards her rehabilitation/new look in ASM.
I came late to the party, and didn't see BW until Daredevil. I've always been a fan.
Philip said:
I just figured in such a SFX heavy movie they took someone who needed practically none.
Your Silver Age cover example made me curious enough to look it up on GCD. Tales of Suspense #53 (MAY64) has the first attempt to reinvent the Black Widow. I don't remember the story, but apparently it involves an anti-gravity device stolen from Stark, and Fort Knox. According to IMDB, the movie Goldfinger was released in January 1965, almost a year after this comic went on sale. Of course, Marvel was aware the movie was being made and that it involved Fort Knox. I wonder if this was a consideration?
All I can say is that I loved the first issue. I haven't read the second one yet, but if it's anything like the first one, it's goingto make me a happy man.
When the Widow was still Hawkeye's gf around roughly Avengers #30, he was always pushing for her membership, but Goliath and Wasp were agin it. Eventually that became moot when she was written out of the series (only to return, as noted, as an occasionally brainwashed bad guy). Ironically, she eventually became an Avenger as Daredevil's girlfriend! The Avengers offered both DD and the Widow membership in Avengers #111 or 112 or so. He turned it down, but she accepted it! I don't recall if that was the beginning of the end of their relationship or what, but it was an odd moment in Avengers history.
Apropos of exactly nothing, when DD and Widow were an item, they were living in San Francisco. Evidently DD is about to move to the West Coast again.
All I know is that I love this new series. That having been said, I've read one issue. The other one is loaded onto my iPad and ready to go. But doggone it, Phil Noto had melded with some Nate Edmondson and they have created something awesome.
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