Little is known about Natalia Alianovna Romanova‘s early life: she was born in 1928 in Stalingrad, daughter of an unnamed Russian soldier who was said to be relative to the czar’s family. When the Nazis invaded Russia, Natalia’s house was set on fire with all the occupants inside, but the kid’s mother threw her daughter from a window, in the arms of a soldier friend, Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov, who raised her as she was his own daughter. When she was still very young, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker kidnapped her, wanting to sell her to the mystical ninja sect The Hand, since they were looking for a child to be trained as their Master Assassin. In Madripoor, Von Strucker’s plans were thwarted by the unlikely alliance of Ivan, James Howlett (a Canadian soldier who would have later become Wolverine) and Captain America, who brought the child back to Russia and defeated the Hand. Growing under Ivan’s tutelage, Natalia became an amazing athlete, making herself known in all USSR. Wanting to ensure her a glorious future in the mother country, Ivan brought her to Department X, a secret Russian facility collecting young orphans. There, Natasha became part of the Black Widow Project, aimed to create the perfect spy for the upcoming Cold War. Trained to physical and mental perfection in the Red Room Academy, Natalia’s already amazing athletic abilities reached the human peak, and she became a master hand-to-hand combatant, a brilliant strategist, and overall a spy with no equal, imposing herself as the Project’s greatest success (they also gave her false memories about a happy past as a ballerina to ensure her loyalty). She also underwent bio-technological experiments, that gave her an unusually long and youthful lifespan. Out of the Department, she had a marriage arranged with another KGB operative, Alexi Shostakov, who would have become the Russian response to Captain America, Red Guardian. She entered KGB, and her training was perfected even more under the guide of the Winter Soldier, a cyber-enhanced veteran who made her become the greatest spy ever lived, and became her lover for a while. Nicknamed “Black Widow” by the Soldier, Natalia was finally ready for the field.
During one of her first missions in America, in the 60s, she met again James Howlett, who now called himself Logan, and seemed to have no memory of his past at all. Since he was hunted by Hydra assassins, the Widow saved him to settle her past debt, without reminding Logan their past together. Natasha was then assigned with the mission of supporting Boris Turgenov, the second Crimson Dynamo, in the killing of the first Dynamo, Anton Vanko, who had betrayed their country. Their attempt was foiled more than once by American superhero Iron Man, who also exposed Natasha, infiltrated in Stark Industries. In her long-lasting battle with Iron Man, Black Widow sought the help of a formidable young archer, Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, who fell in love with her and agreed to help her killing the hero. The two of them almost succeeded once, but the Widow got injured, and Hawkeye preferred to bring her to safety than eliminating Iron Man. During this period, Natalia started reciprocating Clint’s feeling, and also questioning herself about her loyalty towards the Soviet Union. After many failures, Natalia fell in the target of her former masters, and, when they learnt about her potential betrayal, they shot her down, sending her to hospital. When she came back to her senses, she took Clint and went to the Avengers asking for protection. Hawkeye became a member of the team, but Natasha was kidnapped by KGB and brainwashed into attacking Clint and the other Avengers. She hired Power Man and Swordsman, and started to battle the heroes, but the trio was defeated, and Hawkeye helped her to get free of the mind control. From that moment, Natasha tried to amend, helping the Avengers with some missions, like when she battled with them the racist Sons of the Serpent, without joining the team, since she didn’t embrace their “no killing” rule. She gained true membership only after a battle with the Ultroids, despite Hawkeye covered the fact that the battle was won only when Black Widow threatened to kill their leader Ifax. Her talents, also the ones that made her unsuitable for the Avengers, attracted Nick Fury, who offered her a place in S.H.I.E.L.D., where she became one of the top agents.
- ↑ Natasha Romanoff's Birth Certificate
- ↑ Marvel Studios Canada on X - October 17, 2023
- ↑ Avengers: Endgame Script