#ComicBytes: Five weird facts about Black Widow
What's the story
Black Widow is one of the finest spies in the Marvel universe. Despite having no superpowers, her espionage skills make her a feared member of the Avengers. However, in comics, her character has an ambiguous backstory. Since her history is shrouded in mystery, there are many facts about Black Widow that have not seen the light of day. Read, 5 weird Black Widow facts.
Fact 1
Super spy kept her name a secret
Black Widow has been introduced to us in the comics as Natasha Romanova. However, since she is a super spy, Black Widow likes to keep her name and identity a secret. As far as the comics have revealed, here real name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova. She just goes by the name Natasha. Perhaps, for all we know, Natalia is not her real name either!
Fact 2
Black Widow's idea comes from a cartoon show
Stan Lee took the inspiration for Black Widow's character from a 1960s popular cartoon series. Titled Rocky and Bullwinkle, the show portrayed some good old fashioned communist villains. One particular villain that stood out was Natasha Fatale. Stan Lee took inspiration from the character and name, and introduced Black Widow in Marvel's Tales of Suspense #52, where she was sent to kill Tony Stark.
Fact 3
Black Widow has been a zombie and a werewolf
Marvel had a series of comics where heroes were explored as zombies. Black Widow was one of these characters who got affected and as a zombie, she tried to eat the Silver Surfer. Another time the super spy returned as a werewolf and developed a taste for flesh. In a bizarre turn of events, Black Widow consumed the planet-eating entity, Galactus.
Fact 4
Black Widow was trained by the Winter Soldier
The Winter Soldier has been shown as an ally and sometimes enemy of Black Widow. Winter Soldier was part of the Russian experiments too and as a result was present during Black Widow's training. The spy was apparently brought to her fullest potential by the soldier, while Natasha spent her time in the red room. They have also been romantically linked in comics.
Fact 5
Black Widow can lift Thor's hammer
If Natasha's stint as a Russian spy cast shadows on the moral uprightness of her character, this episode laid all questions to rest. In comics, there was a story where Thor lost his life. In his absence, Natasha became the God of thunder. In a battle against frost giants, she lifted Mjolnir, Thor's hammer and its powers were bestowed upon her, proving her worth.