From the Comics: Black Widow- From Villain to Supervillain to Hero

Black Widow is one of many comic book characters who, over time, managed to make a permanent transition from villain to hero. She started out as one of the Soviet Union’s top spies but somehow ended up as a prominent Avenger and one of the most famous comic book heroines.

So how exactly did this switch take place. In today’s “From the Comics” exploration, we’re going back to the middle of the Silver Age of Comics, when some serious changes were introduced for Black Widow’s character.

Background

Black Widow had been an Iron Man antagonist since her introduction to comics. Her origin story involved the Soviet Union sending her to America in an effort to dismantle Stark Industries and take down Iron Man (learn more about that story here). Then, when Clint Barton decided to put on a costume and become Hawkeye, she convinced him to become a villain and join her cause, leading them to take on Iron Man together. In this way, Black Widow’s early days mostly involved manipulating the people around her and only rarely involved taking physical action against her opponents.

However, none of her plans were successful and, after numerous attempts, she was no closer to taking down Iron Man than she was when she arrived in America. This caused her leaders in the Soviet Union to become concerned and they decided to respond by sending agents to bring her back home.

From Villain to Supervillain

After being taken back to the Soviet Union, Black Widow initially refused to go off on another mission against America. She had developed real feelings for Hawkeye and those feelings caused her to view her homeland in a different light. In addition, she learned that her superiors were only holding off on killing her because it would be an admission that their plan failed. At this point, Natasha felt no love for her homeland and was unwilling to do any more evil for them.

However, her superiors had kidnapped and were threatening Natasha’s parents. With this in mind, she agreed to work for them once more.

Before setting off to America, Black Widow was given a real costume and a variety of new tools. Her new boots would allow her to walk on walls or hang from the ceiling and her new wrist launcher would shoot a grappling hook that could serve a variety of purposes. She also designed her own mask, one based on Hawkeye’s and designed to remind her that they would reunite one day.

Upon returning to America, Black Widow immediately went to Hawkeye and explained the situation. He agreed to help her again and the two set off on another mission against Iron Man.

Their mission, like all before it, failed. Iron Man was able to stop their plans and minimize the damage to Stark Industries. Their failure put Black Widow and Hawkeye right back where they started.

After this, agents from the Soviet Union recaptured Natasha and brought her back to her homeland. There, they brainwashed her and gave her a new task… to destroy the Avengers.

Supervillain to Hero

Black Widow began her work against the Avengers by recruiting two of their old enemies, the Swordsman and Power Man, to her cause. Both villains were defeated by the Avengers in the past and were willing to do whatever they could to make them pay.

Then, she asked Hawkeye to help her as well. Hawkeye was a member of the Avengers at this point in time and, despite his love for Natasha, was not willing to betray his teammates for her. Plus, he had a sneaking suspicion that Black Widow was brainwashed, based on her cold and unusually cruel demeanor.

Unfazed by his rejection, Black Widow had her associates subdue Hawkeye and went along with the rest of her plan. This plan actually went rather well and she was able to capture Hawkeye, Captain America, Scarlett Witch, and Quicksilver. However, it all fell apart when Goliath and the Wasp set her prisoners free. After this, Black Widow and her villainous allies were forced to flee the scene.

While they were fleeing, Hawkeye had a chance to shoot at them and potentially stop them from getting away. However, he couldn’t bring himself to fire at the woman he loved and, thus, she and her crew escaped.

Sometime later, before the villains could plan their second attack, the Avengers discovered the location of their hideout. Hawkeye, desperate for a chance to redeem himself, went by himself to stop them.

Once there, Hawkeye was able to defeat the Swordsman in one-on-one combat but was nearly defeated by Power Man. The only thing that saved him was the unexpected intervention of Black Widow, who decided to attack Power Man. She explained that she was brainwashed but was finally able to break free of her brainwashing. In her words to Hawkeye: “when it mattered most, my love for you won out!”

The following few issues of the Avengers confirm Natasha’s transition from villain to hero. One has her assist the team by giving Hawkeye some key information and another has her step in to save Captain America. Though not all of the Avengers trust her, it is clear to the reader that, at this point, Black Widow is no longer one of the bad guys.

Recommended Reading

If you’re interested in reading these comic adventures for yourself, we recommend the following:

• Check out the “Silver Age” section of ComicBookWire’s “Black Widow Reading Order” to see how her adventures progress throughout this era.
• Tales of Suspense #52-53- These comics show Black Widow’s origin and her first actions as an Iron Man antagonist. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2 (Review).
• Tales of Suspense #57 and #60- These comics detail Black Widow and Hawkeye’s initial team-ups. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2 (Review).
• Tales of Suspense #64- This comic features Black Widow’s return and her new costume. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man Vol. 2 (Review).
• Avengers #29-30- These issues show Black Widow attacking the Avengers and then quitting a life of crime. These issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 3 (Review).

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