Black Widow

Black Widow
Real Name	Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanova
First Appearance	Tales of Suspense #52 (April, 1964)
Creators	Stan Lee, Don Rico, Don Heck
Team Affliations	S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers, Champions, KGB, Marvel Knights, Mighty Avengers, Lady Liberators, Thunderbolts, Secret Avengers, Heroes for Hire
Aliases	Natalie Rushman, Laura Matthers, Natasha Romanoff, Oktober, Yelena Belova
Base of Operations	New York City
Powers	Slowed Aging
Skills and Abilities	Extensive training in military operations, hand-to-hand combatant, martial artist, and spy, Enhanced psychological defenses and immune system, Abnormally superior athletic condition, Hypnosis
Tools and Weapons	Stingers, Various guns

Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) is a supervillainess turned superheroine in the Marvel Universe.

Origin

A former Russian spy, Natasha Romanoff (AKA Black Widow) defected and began working with the Avengers and then on her own as a superhero.

Biography

Early Life

Very little is known about Natasha Romanoff's early life and much of what has been stated has yet to be verified.

Skills and Abilities

The Black Widow is a world class athlete, gymnast, acrobat, aerialist capable of numerous complex maneuvers and feats, expert martial artist (including karate, judo, ninjutsu, aikido, savate, various styles of kung fu, and boxing), marksman, and weapons specialist as well as having extensive espionage training. She is also an accomplished ballerina.

Natasha has received the Red Room's variant of the Super-Soldier Serum. As a result, her physical and mental abilities had been enhanced slightly beyond human limits.

The Black Widow has been enhanced by biotechnology that makes her body resistant to aging and disease and heals at an above human rate; as well as psychological conditioning that suppresses her memory of true events as opposed to implanted ones of the past without the aid of specially designed system suppressant drugs, attempts to do so result in extreme biological reactions, indicated as vomiting and black-outs. The Soviet experimentation has rendered her body infertile.

Due to the Super-Soldier Serum, the white blood cells in her body are efficient enough to fight off any microbe, foreign body and others from her body, keeping her healthy and immune to most, if not all infections, diseases and disorders. Also, it takes quite a bit for Natasha to become intoxicated.

Her agility is greater than that of an Olympic gold medalist. She can coordinate her body with balance, flexibility, and dexterity easily.

Her bodily tissues have been augmented to superhuman development. She possesses exceptional durability, strength, endurance, and stamina.

Natasha's reaction time is similarly enhanced and functions with the peak of human efficiency and capability, bordering on superhuman level. It is possible for Natasha to dodge a bullet even at point blank range.

Natasha has a gifted intellect. She displays an uncanny affinity for psychological manipulation and can mask her real emotions perfectly. Like Steve Rogers, she possesses the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations.

Natasha is an expert tactician. She is a very effective strategist, tactician, and field commander. She has led the Avengers and even S.H.I.E.L.D. on one occasion.

Within 2010's Black Widow: Deadly Origin miniseries, another level to the Biotechnology is that Natasha has been subjected to wear "nanites", designed to be passed from her body with even the slightest touch. These nanites were a part of something called the "Icepick Protocol" and when activated could incite someone to homicidal rage. A counter form of these were also introduced to her body so as she could neutralize the activated nanites in another.