Ava Anatalya Orlova, also known as Red Widow, was a former student of the Red Room whose mother was killed by the leader of the Russian mafia when she was six. Since she was born her actions were dictated by the mafia leader, until one day, when she was nine, she was rescued from the mafia by Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Romanoff promised Ava that it was all going to be alright and that she would meet her at the embassy to help her, but she never did. Ava was brought from Ukraine to America by S.H.I.E.L.D., who kept her in a safe house for years. Ava picked up knowledge from living with spies and escaped custody when she turned fourteen. Ava learned from her experiences that if she was to survive, she would have to do it on her own.
She fled to Brooklyn where she started living on the streets, where she met and befriended a girl named Oksana. When Ava was seventeen, she reluctantly went with Oksana to a rave. In the middle of the party, Ava realized Oksana had disappeared. Ava made her way to a back room, where she attacked the boy who had lured Oksana into it and rescued her, but not without attracting the attention of the police. After Oksana and herself were safe, Ava came to her senses on how violently she had reacted. Later that night, Ava recalled her encounter with Romanoff, and how much of a disappointment she ended up being to her, but at the same time she was inspired by her to do the same for others, and create her own vigilante identity, the Red Widow.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Ava picked up skills and knowledge from living with spies and escaped SHIELD custody when she turned fourteenth, along with stolen SHIELD technology before disappearing. What Ava learned from her experiences was that if she was going to survive she would have to do it on her own.
Abilities[]
Red Room and S.H.I.E.L.D. Training:
- Master Martial Artist: Ava is an expert in the field of martial arts. She is proficient in sambo, boxing, karate, judo, aikido, ninjutsu, savate, muay thai and multiple styles of kung fu.
- Expert Acrobat: She is an Olympic class athlete, gymnast, acrobat and aerialist capable of numerous complex maneuvers and feats.
- Expert Marksman: Ava is an extremely accurate marksman skilled in sharpshooting and knife throwing.
- Multilingual: She is fluent in Russian, English, French,German, Chinese, Japanese, and various other languages.
- Gifted Intellect: She possesses the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations.
- Graceful Dancer: Ava is a profound ballet dancer.
- Talented Hacker: Ava can hack into all computer systems without tripping any firewalls or security with ease.
- Expert Spy
Equipment[]
S.H.I.E.L.D. Equipment: When Ava escaped from the S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house, she stole gear from the organization. She wields a pair of twin sabers, electroshock weapons that glow with a blue light, that can deliver a powerful, electrical shock to incapacitate her targets, and combine to form one longer staff giving her alternate fighting options.