Black Widow
The Black Widow is a Soviet spy. She is renowned for her beauty and clever wiles.
Biography
In 1964, Widow and Boris Turgenov were sent to the United States to kill Tony Stark, his bodyguard Iron Man (secretly Stark himself), and Anton Vanko, who had defected to the U.S. after being sent on a similar mission some months ago. The two came posing as simple foreign visitors, and Widow occupied Stark as Turgenov made his way to Vanko in Stark's plant. Turgenov independently decided to take Vanko alive in an attempt to achieve greater glory, kidnapping him and claiming his Crimson Dynamo suit. This eventually led to a fight between Turgenov and Iron Man in Stark's plant while Widow distracted Iron Man from the sidelines. Anton Vanko proved to be the deciding factor, firing a prototype laser-light gun on Turgenov and killing them both in the process. Widow escaped in the confusion to ponder her next mission.[1] While in hiding, Widow learned through the press that Tony Stark had created an anti-gravity ray, but was unable to replicate it. Recognizing the power of this device, she realized that acquiring it could get her back in the U.S.S.R.'s good graces after her previous mission's failure. She sent Stark a letter asking to meet with him personally, and upon seeing him in his office, used gas to incapacitate him and stole the ray and escaped. She contacted the Soviet leader, who applauded her for stealing the device and assigned her with destroying Stark's plants and killing him and Iron Man. She went on to use the ray to sabotage several of Stark's plants across the country, and though Iron Man pursued her, she managed to stay out of his grasp for some time. At one of her hideouts, she was approached by another pair of communist agents that had been set by the U.S.S.R., apparently to keep her in check. They turned out to be quite a bumbling pair, blowing her cover and allowing Iron Man to track her down. He was able to destroy the ray, though Widow was again able to escape.[2]
One day while driving through the city, Widow happened upon a masked man with a bow and arrow fleeing the police. She hastily picked him up in her car and learned that he was known as Hawkeye. Hawkeye was instantly grabbed by Widow's beauty, and blindly agreed to do whatever she asked of him. She took him to her rented home in the suburbs and armed him with advanced technology to supplement his arrows in exchange for carrying out her wish: to defeat Iron Man, but not harm Tony Stark. As Hawkeye infiltrated Stark's plant, Widow waited at the dock with a getaway boat. Hawkeye arrived chased by Iron Man, his mission apparently a failure as yet. He fired the demolition arrow that Widow had granted him, but it ricocheted off of Iron Man's armor and struck Widow instead. Concerned for her wellbeing, Hawkeye rushed the injured Widow onto their getaway boat on the way to getting her medical attention. Iron Man was unable to pursue them due to the risk of flying so close to the airport.[3] After some time of hiding out, Hawkeye and Widow heard over the radio that Tony Stark had disappeared, and that Iron Man was a person of interest in his disappearance. With Stark out of the picture, Widow told Hawkeye that now was the perfect time to steal weapon plans from one of his factories. Hawkeye did as she instructed, but was quickly seen by security. He was forced to flee soon after by a returning Iron Man. As this happened, Soviet spies led by Sergi Amkov caught up to the Black Widow and took her back under their thrall, leaving Hawkeye by his lonesome.[4]
The Widow was whisked back to the U.S.S.R. and ordered by her superior[note 1] to return to America and destroy Iron Man on behalf of the Soviet Union. She initially refused, but he reminded her how her parents would be perceived as the parents of a traitor. When she reluctantly accepted, she was granted a new tactical uniform that granted her the ability to climb walls and swing on strong nylon lines—an acknowledgment of her codename that granted her powers similar to those of Spider-Man. She returned to the U.S. several months later and reunited with Hawkeye, who was overjoyed to see his love again—though he didn't wish to act on behalf of the U.S.S.R., he was more than happy to assist Widow in defeating Iron Man. The two kidnapped Tony Stark's chauffeur and secretary, Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts, and used them to bait Iron Man. The hero arrived and defeated the duo—Hawkeye's affection for Widow hindered his performance in the fight, and the two were forced to flee.[5] Shortly thereafter, a Soviet spy attempted to assassinate Widow, but Hawkeye arrived in time to save her and deliver her to the hospital. This chain of events led to Hawkeye seeking redemption for his actions, and he joined the Avengers a week later.[6]
Notes
- ↑ The "comrade leader" is strongly implied to be Nikita Khrushchev. Widow spoke to him "just before his fall from power," which in our universe occurred on October 14, 1964.
See also
References
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #52a: "The Crimson Dynamo Strikes Again!" (April 1964) Lee, Stan and Don Rico (w), Heck, Don (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #53a: "The Black Widow Strikes Again!" (May 1964) Lee, Stan and Don Rico (w), Heck, Don (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #57a: "Hawkeye, the Marksman!" (September 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Heck, Don (art), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #60a: "Suspected of Murder!" (December 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Heck, Don (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #64a: "Hawkeye and the New Black Widow Strike Again!" (April 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Heck, Don (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ The Avengers #16: "The Old Order Changeth!" (May 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).