After a year away from movie theaters, fans of the MCU were treated with the summer release of Black Widow starring the magnificent Scarlett Johansson. The character was warmly welcomed back after her tragic death in the Avengers: Endgame.
The story introduced viewers to the backstory of Natasha Romanoff’s childhood and the relationship with her adoptive family as they take on General Dreykov, the man responsible for orchestrating the Black Widow program. But many fans who were introduced to Natasha through the MCU may not know about the comics that influenced the storylines in the film. After being exposed to the backstory of Black Widow and introduced to memorable characters such as Yelena and the Red Guardian, fans will be intrigued to know there’s plenty of Black Widow comics to explore.
5 Tales Of Suspense #52 Debuted The Black Widow Character
Much of what fans know of Natasha Romanoff’s character had been established during the early ’60s, dubbed The Silver Age of Comics. Comic book readers in the early ’60s got to know Black Widow as a Russian agent who is sent on a mission to kill Tony Stark and Anton Vanko, a scientist who would later become Crimson Dynamo. To get close to Tony Stark, she charmed him with her beauty to let his guard down.
After her counterpart, Boris, is killed fighting Crimson Dynamo, Natasha escaped. Some comic observers noted that the ending of this story allowed an opening that would see Black Widow go from villain to hero. There are a lot of older tropes in this comic, such as the noir trope of the “femme fatale,” that are not seen in the MCU version of Black Widow. But this laid the groundwork and the basics for the character that would later evolve into a fan-favorite MCU hero.
4 Avengers Vol 1 #43 Introduced The Red Guardian In Relation To Black Widow
David Harbour wowed and delighted audiences with his portrayal of Alexei Shostakov, aka the Red Guardian. Many MCU fans may not have known of the Red Guardian until seeing the movie. In Avengers Vol 1 #43 readers are introduced to the Red Guardian, who was trained and engineered to be the communist equal to Captain America. The villain of the story, Colonel Ling, was the mastermind behind the Red Guardian.
In a story that hinges on Hawkeye rescuing Black Widow, it is revealed that the Red Guardian is Black Widow’s husband. There’s a crucial difference between this comic and the film, the latter having Alexei be Natasha’s adoptive KGB father rather than her husband. The change from husband to father figure was considered a positive aspect of the movie. But nevertheless, this comic gave the Marvel world the Red Guardian and established some familiar connections between him and Black Widow that would later be used in the film.
3 The Itsy-Bitsy Spider Showcased The Rivalry Between Yelena and Natasha
Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, is an exciting new addition to the MCU. The post-credits to Black Widow foreshadowed a compelling future for Yelena in the upcoming MCU phase. But it was the sisterly rivalry in the movie that captivated viewers to the character of Yelena. Much of that rivalry was influenced by Black Widow: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.
The comic book series had Yelena, eager to prove herself as the new Black Widow, attempting to assassinate Natasha at all costs. The movie showed the adoptive sisters putting their differences aside after a quick fight scene, proceeding to work together even though there is still competitiveness between the two. But the character Yelena may not have been considered as a character for the movie without this late 90’s story arc.
2 Black Widow: S.H.I.E.L.D’s Most Wanted Revealed Natasha On The Lam, Similar To The Film
This comic finds Natasha in a very similar position that’s also in the film. In Black Widow Vol 1: S.H.I.E.L.D’s Most Wanted, Natasha is on the run as S.H.I.E.L.D and Iron Man chase her down. While evading their capture, Black Widow relived her past and encountered the dreaded Red Room. This is not only a highly respected Black Widow trade but it also shares a lot of the same plot points in the movie.
The movie takes place after Captain America: Civil War where Natasha is on the run for violating the Sokovia Accords. Both stories also revolved around confronting her past in regard to the Red Room. In terms of what comic is most like the film, this is one of the closest narratives.
1 Black Widow: Homecoming Watches Her Reckon With Her Red Room Past
Written by award-winning science fiction author Richard K. Morgan, this is a great suggestion of a comic to read before watching the movie. Black Widow: Homecoming finds Natasha trying to put her life as a spy behind her and seek out a better life. Natasha’s quest for a peaceful, normal existence is squashed when she survives an assassination attempt. In the process of tracking down who was behind the attempt, she discovered shocking revelations and has to confront her past again.
For Natasha, this means going back to Moscow and going to the birthplace of the Black Widow program: the infamous Red Room. Much like S.H.I.E.L.D’s Most Wanted, Black Widow: Homecoming dealt with Natasha confronting the trauma of the Red Room, which was a major theme of the movie. The story of Natasha Romanoff battling her past will always be intriguing to fans in any medium.
About The Author
