Here ’s your usher to all the most important comic strip to read ahead of theBlack Widowsolo movie . Created by Stan Lee , Don Rico , and Don Heck , Black Widow was to begin with introduced as a sexy Russian spy   back in 1964 . She was in the first place envisioned as an Iron Man baddie , which made sense feed the Cold War and the rivalry between American capitalist economy and Soviet communism was at its height . It did n’t take long for Natasha Romanoff to hoist up scrap on the side of the angels , though , and she soon wound up a member of the Avengers .

Scarlett Johansson was preface as the MCU ’s version of Black Widow back in 2010 , and there ’s been a clamor for a solo pic ever since . Marvel ’s eventually decided to give the quality her own starring vehicle , despite it being oddly timed since Black Widow was killed inAvengers : Endgame .

Related : MCU Theory : How Black Widow Reunites With The Avengers

Close-up of Wes Chatham as Amos in The Expanse TV Show

Black Widow has been in a reproducible force in Marvel Comics since 1964 , so there is certainly a lot of stories for the MCU flick to choose from . Natasha has been through a luck in the comic strip - still , there ’s no hazard the MCU will give its interlingual rendition of Romanoff a long - standing romance with Daredevil since the movies watch their own path . Here are some comicsBlack Widowis likely to draw stirring from .

Black Widow: Deadly Origin - Natasha Romanoff’s Definitive Backstory

One comic book miniseries has essentiallytransformed Black Widow for the MCU ; Paul Cornell’sBlack Widow : Deadly Origin . Ahead of Black Widow ’s liberal - screen introduction inIron Man 2 , Marvel Comics need Cornell to straighten out her convolute backstory . He did a grand job , subtly rewriting the account of the Red Room and Natasha ’s formative experiences there .

Black Widow : Deadly Originhad a unfathomed impact on the MCU , with Joss Whedon drawing upon it for his Black Widow plot of land inAvengers : Age of Ultron , and it look to be likewise significant forBlack Widow . TheBlack Widowtrailer conspicuously features awhite costumethat ’s lifted directly fromDeadly Origin .

Tales of Suspense #52 - Black Widow’s Introduction

Of naturally , reader will desire to check out Black Widow ’s genuine introduction as an Iron Man foe inTales of Suspense#52 - if only to see how far she ’s issue forth . This earliest iteration of the Black Widow was very different , lacking the complex mythology that would be added over the class of decades . She did n’t even put on her stylemark catsuit , instead donning a strange purplish outfit that was supposed to be clothing from the height of way rather than a superintendent - courtship .

Avengers #43-44 - Meet Black Widow’s Husband

Black Widowfeatures David Harbour ( Stranger Things , Hellboy ) asRed Guardian , aka Russian spaceman   Alexi Shostakov . Created as Russia ’s result to Captain America , Red Guardian was intended to be the whizz of the Soviet Super - Soldiers . He also has a very personal connection to Natasha Romanoff . In the cartoon strip , Shostakov had met Natasha when she was in deep cover years ago , and the two hadfallen in love and married . alas , Shostakov was a patriot , and the Soviet Government was able to persuade him to wangle his death to become a superintendent - soldier . This was the turning point in Natasha ’s life because his apparent destruction lead her to give up and surrender to the Red Room program . Avengers # 43 - 44saw Red Guardian approach the Avengers , and he and Black Widow recognized one another pretty quickly .

come to : Black Widow Movie ’s Red Guardian Is Goofy ( & That ’s Why It ’s Great )

Amazing Spider-Man #86 - Black Widow Gets A New Look

Amazing Spider - Man#86 sees Black Widow reinvent herself , finally adopting the mordant catsuit she ’s most illustrious for . It ’s an comical effect , not least because she decides to essay the new lawsuit out by submit on a spider - powered enemy - Spider - Man . The patch is fair inconsequent , but it gives a good insight into Natasha Romanoff ’s mindset in those early days .

Black Widow (1999) - Introducing Yelena Belova

Written by Devin Grayson and with art by J.G. Jones ,   the 1999Black Widowseries - which ran for three subject - is one of   Natasha Romanoff ’s most important stories . It saw Natasha cross way with Yelena Belova , her replacement at the Red Room , who desperately wanted to prove herself good than Black Widow . The competition between the two played out in a deathly crisis , as they rush along to acquire a potent bioweapon . Yelena is played by Florence Pugh inBlack Widow , and the dynamic between the two looks to be primal to the movie .

Black Widow (2001) - Redeeming Yelena Belova

One of the strange entries on this list , the 2001Black Widowseries - write by Greyson with Greg Rucka , and with art by Scott Hampton - was intended as a subsequence to the 1999 book . In this tarradiddle , Natasha Romanoff went to extreme measuring rod to take some steal nuclear artillery out of commission while endeavor to redeem Yelena Belova . Her method was utterly loony , involving having their bodies surgically altered so as to confuse Yelena into believing she was actually Natasha Romanoff .

Black Widow (2004) - The Secrets of the Red Room Revealed

tight - forward to 2004 , for another keyBlack Widowminiseries . This one - written by Richard K. Morgan and with art by   Bill Sienkiewicz - ran for six issues , and it saw Natasha face the evils of the Red Room once again . She finally come human face - to - face with the woman who had draw the Red Room for all this time ;   Lyudmila Kudrin , a remorseless char who had justified her evilness as nationalism . The book subtly rewrote the history of Black Widow once again , revealing that aspects of her memories were fake , including those famous ballet object lesson .

link : Black Widow Trailer Proves The Movie Is Years Too Late

Secret Avengers #20 - Black Widow and Time Travel

Warren Ellis’Secret Avengersrun included a fascinating one - and - done exit in which Natasha Romanoff attempted to rewrite history to guarantee the Avengers were n’t killed in battle . The construct is quite an challenging one , andSecret Avengers#20 is peculiarly notable because of itsmodel of secular mechanics . It ’s fairly much the same approach the MCU accept withAvengers : Endgame .

Tales of Suspense# 100-104 - The Resurrection of Black Widow

2017 ’s " Secret Empire " consequence see Steve Rogers go rogue , and in the tiptop of his madness he brutally killed Black Widow . Fortunately , that was n’t the end of Natasha Romanoff ’s story in the comics ; Marvel put writer Matthew Rosenberg in charge of a revivification of the oldTales of Suspensebrand , and he was ask to narrate the story of Black Widow ’s resurrection . Hawkeye and Winter Soldier discovered the truth behind the Red Room ; it had develop cloning applied science and was working with a mutant named Epsilon Red . When Black Widow died , they initiate a resurrection protocol , and Epsilon Red was supposed to implant copies of Natasha ’s memories into the torso - but carefully edited so as to make her loyal to the Red Room . as luck would have it , he rebelled . It ’s unclear whether this story will have any major impact on theBlack Widowmovie , but it ’s interesting to see the ultimate direction the Red Room took in the comics before Natasha brought it down for trade good . There are certainly some interesting ocular similarities between the Red Room costume Black Widow was given in this book andone of the raw costumesseen in theBlack Widowtrailer .

More : Black Widow Trailer Breakdown : 23 Story Details & Secrets You lack

A composite image of the Peanuts gang hoisting Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the air in front of black and white panels from the Peanuts comic strips

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Web of Black Widow Variant Cover

Black Widow Deadly Origin Cover

Black Widow Tales of Suspense 52

Red Guardian Marvel Comics

Amazing Spider-Man 86 Black Widow

Black Widow and Yelena Belova

Natasha and Yelena face off after having their faces surgically swapped in Marvel comics

Black Widow 2004 Cover

Secret Avengers 20

Tales of Suspense Black Widow Hawkeye Winter Soldier

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