Black Widow #1 — Nick Peron

Dec 19

Dec 19 Black Widow #1

Itsy-Bitsy Spider Part 1 of 3: Uninvited

In the nation of Rhapastan, Colonel Khan has Doctor Dideir Ines test out a new drug one of his soldiers. Once injected, the soldier goes berserk and is able to fight three men to the death. After killing his opponents, the madman then withers away and dies. Khan is pleased with the results of this experiment and Ines suggests they discuss things further in private.

In the United States, Natasha Romanov — aka the Black Widow — goes through a trunk of personal possessions. Inside are ballet slippers from her time in the Bolshoi, medals she earned in Russian military, a newspaper clipping from when she first joined the Avengers, an issue of San Francisco Magazine with a cover story about her one-time partnership with Daredevil, and lastly a photograph of her with her late husband Alexi Shostakov.[1]

That’s when she gets a phone call from a Russian official asking Natasha to deal with the biological weapon being developed by Doctor Ines in Rhapastan. She accepts the mission and as she hangs up the phone there is a knock at the door. This turns out to be her old friend Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, who has come to see how Natasha is doing. As she picks up a letter sent to her by the office of Doctor Sullivan, she tells Matt that he has come at a bad time as she is leaving town for a few days. When he asks if this is Avengers business, she says it will be if she fails. As Matt sees her out, Natasha becomes aware that someone in the apartment next door is spying on her, but doesn’t let on that she knows. The woman on the other side of the door has been spying on Natasha for some time. She is a young woman with blond hair, dressed in a slightly more revealing version of Natasha’s Black Widow costume, complete with her trademark widow’s bit bracelets.

The woman follow Natasha all the way to JFK International Airport. There, the woman jumps a flight attendant and steals her uniform so she can pose as part of the flight crew on Natasha’s plain and continue observing her in plain sight.

By the time Natasha arrives in Rhapastan it is nightfall. Changing into the Black Widow she heads to the military base to search for the bioweapon she has been hired to find. As she finds some a case of the weapon and files on the weapon, she overhears her pursuer getting caught by some guards. The woman is a good fighter but still inexperienced, so Natasha comes to her aid. She reveals that she was aware that the young woman had been following her this entire time. The blonde introduces herself as Yelena Belova, the latest graduate from Russia’s infamous Red Room.[2] She is also the first recruit to surpass Natasha Romanov. She has come after Natasha to best her and prove to be worth of the mantle of the Black Widow. Natasha doesn’t have time for this, and tells Yelena to go home, as this kind of life is not for her. However, Yelena has a lot to prove and when Natasha’s back is turned she pulls a knife and puts it up against Natasha’s throat.

Meanwhile, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, American and Russian officials meet over the bioweapon that is being developed in Rhapastan. Apparently, both sides have enlisted the Black Widow to recover the weapon and now both sides are bickering over which country she’ll bring the weapon back to.

Back in Rhapastan, the stand off between the two Black Widows is interrupted when guards come to stop them. While Yelena is busy mowing them down with a machine gun, Natasha flees to a military helicopter. She hops into the cockpit and flips on the automatic pilot. Moments later, the chopper takes to the air only to be shot down with a rocket launcher moments later. While the soldiers are busy thinking the Black Widow died in the explosion, Natasha steals a jeep and flees from the base.

She drives out into the middle of the desert and stops for a moment. Its here that she opens the letter from Doctor Sullivan. As she reads it, she is unaware that Yelena has caught up with her and is standing on the roof of the truck preparing to strike.

Recurring Characters

Black Widow (Romanov), Black Widow (Belova), Matt Murdock, Yuri Stalyenko, Dideir Ines, Colonel Khan

Continuity Notes

These are all moments of Natasha’s past exploits over the years. The details:
- At the time of this story, Natasha believes that she was once a ballerina in the Bolshoi theater. This was first referenced in Solo Avengers #7. However, as we’ll learn in Black Widow: Deadly Origin #2, Natasha was given a number of false memory implants to make her a more effective spy.
- The Black Widow first joined the Avengers back in Avengers #111.
- Natasha’s partnership with Daredevil lasted from Daredevil #81 through 124.
- Alexi Shostakov and Natasha were married for years. As the first Red Guardian of the modern age, he seemingly died in battle with the Avengers in Avengers #43-44. However, he is later revealed to be alive and well and will resurface again in Daredevil (vol. 2) #64.
This is the first mention of the infamous Red Room, the program that developed the Black Widow. This is the first time it is mentioned that Natasha isn’t unique in her training and distinction. The Red Room trained many women to become Black Widows. In addition they are also the handlers for the Winter Soldier and other superhuman operatives. For more on this see Captain America (vol. 5) #27.

Topical References

Yelena Belova is depicted as using a camcorder that uses video tape to spy on Natasha. This should be considered topical as this is an obsolete technology.