Avengers #44
The Valiant Also Die!
While attempting to rescue the Black Widow from a military base in China, Hawkeye is now a prisoner of the Red Guardian — communism’s answer to Captain America. He also learns the shocking truth about the Red Guardian, he is the husband of the Black Widow. Worse, they have also locked Hercules in the Psychotron, a psychological warfare weapon that has made the demigod believe he is fighting the legendary Hydra. Their captor, Colonel Ling is hoping to convince his Russian counterpart, General Brushov, to install Psychotron devices on all Russian nuclear submarines.[1] He explains that the weapon could be used to drive enemy states mad, allowing for victory without nuclear annihilation.
They then return their attention to the Black Widow, who they believe is a double agent for SHIELD.[2] In order to determine if she truly is a double agent or not, General Bruhov orders the Black Widow to be subjected to a sophisticated polygraph test. To their surprise, they find that the Black Widow is loyal to them and she is freed. The Red Guardian is pleased to learn this as he hopes to reconnect with his wife. Hawkeye watches helplessly from the glass cylinder he is imprisoned but refuses to give up if there is any hope that Natasha can still be trusted.
Meanwhile, the other Avengers have arrived at the military base and clash with Chinese troops. Even with their advanced weapons and jetpack soldiers, the Avengers are able to hold their own. In the middle of the battle, Captain America falls through a trap floor into a room where the Red Guardian, the Black Widow, and their handlers are located. The Guardian is pleased to see Captain America and he wishes to test his skills against his American counterpart. As the two fight it out, they learn that they are quite evenly matched. While everyone else is distracted, Hawkeye’s cylinder is suddenly shattered by a secretly planted bomb. Suspecting that Natasha was responsible, Hawkeye races to aid his teammates.
Seeing that the battle between Captain America and the Red Guardian could go on without end, Colonel Ling uses a stun ray on Cap so the Guardian can finish him off. Instead, this enrages the Red Guardian as he wanted to defeat Captain America on his own. While they argue, the Black Widow decides now is the time to break off and try and destroy the Psychotron. Suddenly, Colonel Ling pulls a gun and shoots Natasha’s ex-husband. When he tries to shoot the Black Widow as well, Hawkeye ruins his shot. Unfortunately, Natasha is still hit. Luckily, she was able to shut down the Psychotron before, freeing Hercules. With the facility now on fire, Hawkeye carries the Widow to safety while Hercules carries Captain America.
By this time, the other Avengers have retreated to their aero-car and begin air-lifting their comrades out of the base. Still alive, Colonel Ling tries to shoot Hawkeye in the back, but his aim is spoiled by the Red Guardian, who will not allow such a cowardly attack to happen. The shot goes wild and hits some nearby gas tanks. The Avengers managed to escape as the entire base self-destructs, seemingly killing everyone inside.[3] Once they are clear of the base, Hawkeye tells his team to hurry back to the States because Natasha needs immediate medical attention. As they head for home, Captain America recovers from the stun ray and realizes that while he and the Red Guardian came from different countries, they had a lot in common — including a sense of honor. The team soon arrives in Hawaii where the Black Widow is rushed into surgery.
They managed to get her help in time, and the surgeon tells Hawkeye that she is expected to survive. A few days later, the Avengers are allowed to see Natasha who is recovering well. She explains that she was able to fool Colonel Ling’s polygraph test because she was mentally conditioned to be loyal whenever her loyalty was called into question. That’s when Hawkeye asks the uneasy question: Just who was the Red Guardian to Natasha. She explains that she was once married to the Red Guardian — Alexei — who was a famous test pilot in Russia. However, one day she was told that he died when the experimental aircraft he was piloting exploded. When a representative for the military came to her to give her the bad news, Natasha was devastated. When she asked what she could do to honor the memory of her husband, that was when she was recruited to become the Black Widow.[4]
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch), Hercules, Black Widow, Red Guardian, Wai Ling, Yuri Brushov
Continuity Notes
The full names of Colonel Ling and General Brushov are not specified here. Their full names are Wai Ling and Yuri Brushov as revealed in Marvel Atlas #1 and Black Widow: The Coldest War #1 respectively.
Natasha was hired by SHIELD to infiltrate Colonel Ling’s base back in Avengers #38.
Although the Red Guardian appears to die here, he will turn up alive again many years later in Daredevil (vol. 2) #64.
The story that Natasha recounts here is only partially true. What nobody knows at this time is that the story that Natasha tells was orchestrated by the Russian government as part of mental conditioning by an organization called the Red Room used to obfuscate the origins of their operatives. This was all detailed in Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1-4. While the Black Widow’s marriage to Alexi Shostkov was legit, the deception here was that Natasha was already a Black Widow long before this and her “becoming” the Widow after Alexi’s alleged death was a manipulation. Alexi’s full name is revealed in Black WIdow: The Coldest War #1.
Topical References
The reason Colonel Ling tells General Brushov about the Psychotron is that China needs the use of Russia’s nuclear submarines. This should be considered a topical reference in that at the time that this story was published in 1967, China did not have any nuclear-capable subs. They would eventually develop their first nuclear sub in 1978. As such, they wouldn’t need access to Russia’s submarine fleet. Modern readers should assume that Ling has told Brushov about the Psychotron for diplomatic reasons.
