The Evolution of Black Widow

The Evolution of Black Widow

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the evolution of Black Widow.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the heroine’s comic book origins and how her story was adapted into the MCU.

What part of Black Widow’s origins surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.

The exact details of Natalia Alianovna Romanova’s early life are admittedly still hard to pin down. But we know for sure that she was orphaned at a very young age before meeting a father figure named Ivan Petrovich. At some point, the young Natalia, who was nicknamed Natasha ended up in the Black Widow training program with around 28 other girls. As she trained alongside them to be a fierce spy and assassin, she was also extensively experimented on. Shady scientists enhanced her immune system, slowed down her aging and gave her fast healing. However, they also implanted false memories of her being a ballerina and made it impossible for her to have children naturally.

After years of training, Natalia was sent to take out a Russian Defector named Ivan Vanko in America. Since he was working at Stark Industries, she also had to face Iron Man. Natasha managed to gain his trust before she was exposed as a spy and her plans were dashed. In the aftermath of another failed attempt to stop Iron Man, she recruited Hawkeye to her cause. During a hectic clash between the archer and armored Avenger, an explosive arrow ricochets off and injures Natasha. A distressed Hawkeye immediately stopped fighting to make sure she was okay.

Natasha quickly fell for Hawkeye after his heroic Act. Unfortunately, she was recaptured by her old employers and brainwashed into fighting the Avengers again. Natasha also put on a costume complete with a mask and half cape. During her mission, one of her allies tried to take Hawkeye’s life. Natasha immediately broke her brainwashing and stepped into action to save the Avenger. She decided to help the heroic team with her considerable set of skills to help make up for what she’d done. Although most of the team wasn't ready to trust her, she still fought beside them to defeat a super villain. Before Black Widow could be formally added to the roster, Nick Fury asks her to do a secret mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. The injuries she sustained from this mission helped convince her to retire from being a heroine.

However, her retirement didn't last that long. After a few scattered missions and assignments, Black Widow decided to fully leave the past behind with a major redesign. She discarded her mask, mini cape and web-textured design in favor of a sleek black jumpsuit. Black Widow’s new costume quickly became an iconic part of the character that still influences her look today. Her outfit change marked the point where she started to become a more important player in comics. In the ensuing decades, Black Widow led superhero teams, allied with Tony during Civil War and investigated more secrets about the program that made her. The rising popularity of her character and interesting origins made her perfect for a live-action adaptation.

Scarlett Johansson first brought Natasha Romanoff to life in “Iron Man 2”. While we don't have all the details on her origins...yet, we know this version of the character was also orphaned. She also spent time in the Red Room and lost her ability to have children. And as Red Skull indicated in “Avengers: Endgame”, she did have a father named Ivan. But after this point, the MCU put a few twists on her origins. Instead of Black Widow recruiting Hawkeye to her evil cause, the archer convinces her to join the good guys at S.H.I.E.L.D. The first mission we see her on has her infiltrating Stark Industries again. But this time around, she’s spying on Tony for a noble reason.

Natasha's ascension to the Avengers comes with one more twist on her story. After Loki arrives on Earth, he quickly brainwashes Hawkeye into obeying him. Black Widow immediately drops what she's doing to free her friend's mind. Once Hawkeye was fully restored, the two of them were free to fight alongside each other as Avengers.

In both the comics and the MCU, Black Widow endured a lot of pain and suffering to gain her deadly skills. But Hawkeye’s kindness and loyalty convinced her to take a more heroic path. After Black Widow started saving lives, she became a staple in both her universes. While we don't know what the future holds for the character, we know about the tons of good she’s done. It wasn't easy for her to leave her past behind. But once she took control of her own destiny, she became an unforgettable heroine.