Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 15:14:11 GMT -4
The person behind the character:
Name/Nickname: Phedre
Age: 24
Experience: 5 yrs
Contact information: PM
Character basics:
Real name: Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova (Shostakova)
Code name: Black Widow
Date of Birth: December 28 1928
Place of Birth: Stalingrad, former U.S.S.R.
Age: 85
Known family:
unnamed mother (deceased);
Ivan Petrovitch ("foster father");
unnamed brothers (possibly deceased);
Vindiktor (older brother, deceased);
Ronin (Alexi Shostakov) (husband, divorced);
The Reflection in the mirror:
Hair: Red/Auburn
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 125lbs
Legal Status: Adult
Occupation: SHIELD Agent; Spy/Assassin
Affiliation: Avenger/SHIELD
Abilities:
ENHANCEMENTS & ABILITIES
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Through Red Room's variant of the Super-Soldier Serum Natasha's body was enhanced; subjected to similar painful treatments as Captain America once under gone. As a result, her physical and mental abilities had been enhanced beyond human limits. The following are a list of enhancements:
• Peak Human Strength: Physical strength is at the peak level of the natural limits of a woman her height, weight and build. She is capable of lifting up to 500 lbs.
• Peak Human Speed: Her speed is at the peak of the human condition; as fast as a human can be without being classified as superhuman.
• Peak Human Agility: Agility is heightened to a level greater than that of an Olympic gold medalist, able to coordinate her body with balance, flexibility, and dexterity with ease
• Peak Human Reflexes: Reaction time functions with near superhuman efficiency and capability.
• Peak Human Durability: Due to the serum and Red Room's experimentations, her body has been augmented to the pinnacle of human development. Though she can be injured in the same ways a human can be, Natasha possesses exceptional durability, endurance, and stamina.
• Peak Human Senses: Her five senses are enhanced and function at peak human capacity.
• Peak Human Immune System: Enhanced by biotechnology her body is resistant to aging and disease and heals at an above normal human rate. What takes months to heal it only takes her body weeks, what normally takes weeks would take only days and what would take a day would only take hours but in no way is her healing instant. It is simply better than the standard human but below super-powered individuals.
• Extended Longevity: The serum variant Red Room gave her has also extended her lifespan by dramatically slowing the natural aging process.
SKILL SETS
• Ballet Dancer: Natasha is an exceptional ballet dancer.
• Acrobat: She is an Olympic class athlete, gymnast, acrobat and aerialist capable of numerous complex manoeuvres and feats.
• Multilingual: She is fluent in Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Latin and various other languages.
• Master Martial Artist: Natasha is an expert in the field of martial arts. She is proficient in Krav Maga, Karate, Eskrima, Aikido, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Savate, boxing, and multiple styles of kung fu.
• Expert Marksman: Natasha is a very accurate marksman skilled in sharpshooting and knife throwing.
• Gifted Intellect: Similar to Captain America, Natasha possesses the ability to quickly process multiple information streams like threat assessments and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. She is a very fast learner and picks up concepts and skills rather quickly.
• Expert Tactician: She is a very effective strategist, tactician, and field commander.
• Hacker: Natasha can hack into most computer systems. She is comfortable with programming languages, familiar with firewalls and security systems that she can normally by pass and maneuver around them.
• Seduction and Manipulation: She is an expert in the field of seduction and manipulation as that was a crucial part of her Red Room Academy training in becoming the Black Widow.
• Spy: Natasha is a dangerous assassin and trained spy excelling in infiltration, espionage, stealth, disguise, and sabotage. She displays an uncanny affinity for psychological manipulation and can mask her real emotions perfectly.
• Assassin: Trained in various arts of assassination from poisons to firearms and martial forms, Natasha was trained by Red Room to be an efficient killer as well as a spy.
What's hidden behind the mask:
Personality:
Natasha has a naturally quiet reserve about her. A very controlled individual she rarely lets her true emotions show through other than a neutral repose. It is difficult for anyone to get a true read on her. She has had years to master her emotions and has learned to control her body's reactions so as not to give anything away though when the time is needed she can be the most charismatic and alluring of individuals. She is a social chameleon with ability to adapt to any social environment and take on a plethora of persona's to meet her needs but when not 'on the job', she is quiet, contemplative and reserved.
She is pragmatic and logical rarely allowing feelings to get in the way of a mission or a job, though through the years in working with others as part of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. she has grown to believe that she's been 'compromised'. Though she will not readily admit it to anyone she has grown fond of her teammates, this 'fondness' does concern her since in her line of work it is best to have no attachments. Never form attachments, never have anything you cannot readily walk away from, that was one of her cardinal rules. But time had softened her stringent rules. Even her conscience over killing had worn her down. She does not see herself as a hero but rather just the opposite. Her history is drenched in blood and she will be the first to admit that she is swimming in it. Her very moniker is testament enough to what she once was; one of the world's deadliest assassins and spy and that carries with it a certain amount of guilt and a need to make amends for the atrocities she had once committed.
History:
EARLY YEARS
Her true name many many years ago, Natasha really couldn't tell you. For so long she had no recollection of her past, for much of her true history had been stripped from her memory or hidden deep behind layers of reconditioning that she doesn't even remember the death of her family or that she was orphaned at a very young age and taken in by a compassionate soldier and turned over to a government run organization called Red Room that took in young orphaned girls, unmade and made them; experimenting and creating spies and assassins for the Russian government to utilize. She doesn't even remember her real name or the names of her siblings.
It is even speculated that Natasha is somehow related to the last ruling czars of Russia, and it was a soldier by the name of Ivan Petrovitch, that saved her from the fire and watched over her, believing her to be the last of the czar bloodline. It was Ivan that went after her and saved her from her captors when others who also believed Natalia to be of that bloodline had her abducted. After rescuing her from her captors Ivan realized that he could not raise this child alone and because of who she might be he enlisted the advice of a close friend that suggested Ivan turn her in to the Red Room Academy where she would be raised and trained and in her training would learn the keys to defending herself. So it was that Ivan agreed to hand Natasha over to the state, believing what he was doing was for her own good.
Now under the Red Room Academy, Ivan had no clue what he had sent Natasha into as a young child. It was a gruelling process that stripped the young girl of who she was, all her morals and her beliefs; stripped and unmade to the point of not knowing up from down, day from night, right from wrong. Unmade and remade, her whole world became the Red Room Academy, what they taught or programmed, what they said, she followed; she believed. Her given name then after the recalibration of her mind was Natalia Alianova Romanova, though many within called her the 'Little Spider' when growing up within the facility run institute which disguised itself as a government run orphanage for young girls. She was nimble at climbing and often was so quiet around everyone that she was barely noticed. The turn-around or deaths of the young girls within Red Room were quite high but in a war torn country finding other orphaned girls to 'train' wasn't difficult at all. Natasha saw many girls come and go so much that much like the others in the program she had grown accustomed and desensitized to death and violence. She learned at a young age never to get attached to those that entered into the program. It wasn't all death and violence though, the young girls were given proper education as well as studies in the arts. For Natasha, due to her grace and flexibility was sent to study at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg with her 'Handler' Alina who posed as her Aunt taking care of Natasha. Natasha excelled in her studies, her training with Red Room and even ballet. Dancing gave her a bit of an escape from the harshness of her true life but it also kept her body flexible and limber.
Natasha's training didn't just stop at dance and fighting, Red Room was efficient in training their young spies so it was a mixture of the softer skills like etiquette and social behaviours to the more brutal weapons and demolitions training. She was trained to be self-sufficient and adapt to her environment. As a teenager she was selected based on her high performance and skill set to be the one given a variant of the Super Soldier serum. It was supposed to be an honour, and she accepted out of a misguided sense of loyalty to Red Room and her country; Russia. It was a painful and gruelling experience one that to this day Natasha does not openly discuss but the experiments had altered her body. She was enhanced beyond the human condition and imbued with abilities that made her greater. This was the birth of the 'Black Widow'.
Red Room broke her as a child, undid every ounce of morality, identity she had; undid everything and made her a clean slate. They trained her with specific skill sets in mind, moulded her into an image fitting their needs and then unleashed into the world. They had her doing spy and reconnaissance at a very young age then as she grew up progressed to infiltration and sabotage right up to espionage and assassinations. It was a spiralling rabbit hole she couldn't climb out of but at that time Natasha believed she was doing it for the good of her country.
KGB DAYS
Ready and trained by the Red Room Academy, the Soviet government intelligence (KGB) decided that Natasha's skill sets would make her superb special operative so she was drafted into their ranks. She became their best operative excelling at espionage, assassination and information gathering. During this time she trained under the Winter Soldier and even at her young age she was a fast learner and able to excel at whatever he taught her. Eventually he became her handler and then partner on various missions. It was during this time Natasha had started to form a bond with the Winter Soldier one Natasha would claim the first time she fell in love. Their bond grew to a concerning closeness that had Red Room disapproved of. Intervening and reclaiming Natasha away from the KGB citing that she had been compromised, Natasha was taken back into Red Room and reconditioned once more wiping her mind clean for the time being, clear of the Winter Soldier.
RED ROOM'S 'DOLL'
After having her mind wiped again and reprogrammed, Natasha was finally unleashed into the world without the accompaniment of a handler, Natasha became a sleeper agent, activated when needed for specific missions otherwise she lived a seemingly 'normal' life. Her cover, Natalia Romanova; a ballerina trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg. From there she was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Company and travelled the world. As one of the finest Ballet companies in the world Natasha danced for celebrities, dignitaries, world leaders and politicians; the rich, the influential. But beneath the shroud of a dancer's fame she was Red Room's little 'spider', one that wore the unassuming mask of an innocent Prima Ballerina and who also wove webs of deception to gather intel, one that also stole sensitive government secrets and killed for her country. Natasha had given everything to Red Room, to Russia and yet it was still not enough. Her mistake in the whole thing was believing in the illusion of her so called 'freedom' and falling into the fantasy of a 'civilian' life. She later fell victim to her own tangled web.
It was a child's hope really, an innocence of belief that such a thing would be 'enough'; love . His name was, Alexi Shostakov a test pilot, and the son of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. In a whirlwind romance that had Natasha and Alexi married within a year. Unknown to Natasha the only reason she was allowed to marry Alexi was to propagate a charade. Red Room was expecting her to spy on the Shostakovs. Natasha was required to spy on the Minister and Alexi, his son, was Natasha's entry point. Being in the employ of deceivers and killers, raised and trained by them to be like them; only better. Love or emotions such as that was to have no place in the equation not for a spy like her and Natasha's mistake was warning Alexi of an assassination attempt on his father. She had thought he would understand, and forgive her. She had thought the love they had would be enough, but she had since learned that love is for the innocence of children it had no place in the real world, in the heart of an assassin, in the heart of a spy.
Red Room framed Natasha for Alexi's father's death, turned Alexi against her and forced Natasha's hand so as to have no choice but to kill the only man she loved and in killing him, she killed that childish belief in that emotion. Natasha hated Red Room for it and hated Alina most of all. The true Spider, the Mistress of the Web, Natasha had learned from her all that she knew and once Natasha thought Alina near close to a mother to her, until of course Alina drove home that dagger and forced Natasha to rip out my own heart by killing Alexi or making her believe she did. Alexi actually survived his altercation with the Black Widow and his broken body healed and altered to become the Red Guardian (unknown to Natasha). There was to be no trust among assassins and spies, only veiled alliances. They were a breed of deceivers and manipulators, they were to have no heart, no compassion, no love. It was Alina's final lesson to Natasha and one she have never forgotten or forgiven.
ESCAPE TO THE WEST
Natasha buried her hatred for Red Room and Alina then and bided her time. It had taken many years but finally she had broken free of her, of Red Room gained her freedom through the very tools of deception and manipulation she had taught her. Natasha threw back at Alina all that she had learned and blackmailed Red Room and Alina for her freedom. It was a strained agreement but so as not to expose the Black Widow Project or Red Room they were to let Natasha go; alive and free of them. And so started Natasha's 'Freelance' work as a mercenary. She had a specific skill set thanks to Red Room and now entering the world a free agent and a woman scorned, Natasha didn't care who she worked for, who she used her skills for or on. She did what she did to survive and she did it well. Over time she managed to make a name for myself as one of the best spies and assassin for hire, which garnered the attention of some rather powerful people and suddenly she was on SHIELD's radar in a bad way.
It was through fluke and happenstance that had her meeting up with another master assassin by the name of Hawkeye who was sent to kill her. A cat and mouse game was played between the two deadly assassins each one avoiding the 'traps' set out for the other. It was an intricate game of chess that had the two shadowy combatants growing a certain amount of respect for one another or well at least from Natasha's stand point. She hadn't yet met anyone that was able to come even close to catching her but Hawkeye was a different 'bird' altogether. Their cloak and dagger games started to become more playful in and as much as they could be when each was trying to outsmart and kill the other but in the end when Hawkeye had the chance to take Natasha down and kill her, he didn't and Natasha had never forgotten that. It was the basis for their working relationship and formed a bond with him that was as complicated to explain as she was.
Natasha ended up joining SHIELD not that she had much of a choice; it was that or die, but Barton made a good case. Doing what she did best she was a perfect fit in SHIELD and had gone into many missions on her own as well as alongside other agents. Her skill sets and Barton's worked well together so they had done various missions together as well which cemented her bond with him. There was no one that she could think of that that was any closer to her than Clint; his constant joking around was the perfect balance to her seriousness. He was the closest thing she Natasha ever had to a friend not that she ever really used that word to describe anyone but her bond with him ran deeper. It wasn't love in the traditional romantic sense of the word, nor was it the innocence of light hearted strings of friendship her bond with him went beyond any of those things; it ran deeper. It was a relationship born of blood and death, walking on a constant tightrope of danger and forged by a trust which grew from that first day when he lowered his bow and made that choice not to kill her.
She owed the man her life and for that he didn't just have her respect, he had her loyalty and gratitude, not that she would ever admit any of that. Her relationship with Clint is 'complicated' and difficult to explain or for anyone to understand, but they understood one another on a level few people could and there is a deep seeded loyalty between her and Clint. This loyalty made for a great partnership and for a time it was the Widow and the Hawk against the 'villains' SHIELD pit them up against.
AGENT OF SHIELD
As an agent of SHIELD, Natasha worked both on her own and at times on teams and excelled in both. On one such mission she was assigned to keep an eye on Tony Stark thereby infiltrating the man's company and insinuating herself into the man's life by becoming his personal assistant for a time when his former assistant Pepper Pots was promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. With SHIELD and Natasha's help Tony was able to defeat Ivan Vanko in his plot to destroy the Stark Expo and with her evaluation of Tony and the Ironman suit completed she was once again reassigned to another mission and for a few years it was on mission after another, one country at a time until somehow slowly her hardened shell started to erode some.
Blame the wise cracking archer who never misses for her suddenly gaining a conscience, Clint helped a lot in that department but it isn't like Natasha will ever admit that to the man. It would just totally go to his head if she did and he'd never allow her to live it down she was sure of that. But like all good things for Natasha things ended badly between Clint and her when she secretly agreed on a mission Fury asked her to take. Nick Fury asked her to spy on her former masters in Russia on behalf of SHIELD. The catch was in agreeing to this, Natasha was forced to break her ties with SHIELD. publicly and that also meant cutting her ties with Clint and as part of her mission, the press branded her as a traitor, though for Natasha the worst part was breaking Hawkeye's heart in her defection but she saw this mission as important enough to put up the facade and take the flack for the deception later.
Natasha's mission to return to Russia and spy on her former masters were not without some glitches. The Black Widow was not easily trusted and she was subjected to the Psychotron device, a machine that could brainwash anyone. She proved to be too strong willed and she had to be gassed and kept locked up. Learning that Natasha was now a prisoner of her former Communist masters, Clint now part of the Avengers who finally learned the truth about Natasha's apparent defection, traveled to China with some of the Avenges to rescue her, clashing with the Red Guardian; Natasha's ex-husband who was thought to be dead. The Avengers with the help of Natasha defeated the Communists plot to use the Psychotron against the western world.
SOLO AGAIN
Clint had tried to convince Natasha to join up with the Avengers but after her recent ordeal on the SHIELD mission and Psychotron, Natasha decided she didn't want to be taking orders from anyone any longer and went about on a solo career attempting to make things right in the world as she tries to wipe that red ledger of hers clean. During her solo career Natasha mostly clashed with underworld figures and costumed villains during this period but nothing so heavy as thwarting governments or world domination not anymore. During this time she had team ups with various other vigilante heroes like Spiderman, and Daredevil to name just a few.
On a freelance mission, the Black Widow attempted to prevent the Hand from stealing the long-dead body of their Master Warrior, Kirigi. Utilizing deadly poisons, Natasha was killed by the Hand. She was revived by Stone of the Chaste, and joined forces with Stone and Daredevil to stop the Hand from reviving Elektra. Natasha knew that they failed in this endeavour, but kept the information from Matt for his well-being.
It was during this time that an enemy from her past alongside Daredevil kidnapped Ivan to lure her to her death.Damon Dran planned to bring Natasha to his island so a small army of female combat specialists could destroy her. The plan was that once she was out of the way, he would send a fake Black Widow back to rejoin SHIELD and assassinate Nick Fury. Unfortunately for Dran, Natasha defeated the army, saved Ivan, and notified Fury (who in turn bombed Dran's island).
Iron Man had also at one point teamed up with Black Widow to prevent an agent named “Oktober” from attempting to start World War III by launching missiles. The missiles were launched, but Iron Man kept them from detonating. Oktober ended up actually being Natasha under some old KGB reprogramming that had been dormant in her mind. Having broken free of that programming the Black Widow and Ironman together, captured the agent responsible for it all.
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE
Natasha, still one of the world’s most sought-after espionage agents alive, was finally recruited and convinced by Iron Man and Hawkeye be on the newest team of Avengers. Working along side her old friend once again she immediately proved herself in battle against the Avengers' various foes and despite being a full fledged member of the Avengers, she still does take assignments from SHIELD from time to time.
DAYS OF FUTURE'S PAST
Natasha is shocked when she is intercepted by none other than her former lover, Bucky Barnes; the Winter Soldier, who steals Captain America's shield. Natasha then sets in her mind to rescue Barnes from the Red Skull's minions, and bring him to the SHIELD. Helicarrier, where Stark convinces Bucky to become the new Captain America. Afterward, Natasha accompanies Bucky as his partner for a brief time to help him acclimatize from the brainwashing. During this time her feelings for the man are rekindled though she kept it hidden at first since the man had just literally woken up from the fog of mind control. Natasha was then called back by SHIELD for a mission. But later rejoins Bucky and Falcon for the final confrontation with the Red Skull. The events and altercations brought back the full extent of her attraction to the Winter Soldier that had for so many years thought to have been wiped from her mind, but Natasha has since learned that the memories Red Room thought they wiped weren't wiped so much as laid dormant. but seeing him again and working along side the Winter Soldier once again brought back the flashes of memories Natasha just couldn't deny any longer.
PRESENT DAY
Natasha splits her time between the Avengers and SHIELD. She continues to do what she does best which is espionage, infiltration and on occasion helping the Avengers save the world. She has also restarted her relationship with Bucky choosing for the first time to follow her heart and see where it takes her and this time there would be no Red Room or mind control interference to get in the way of their relationship.
NOTES:
History is an amalgamation of creative license, comic lore and a little bit of movie lore taken from Avengers and Ironman 2. I also used parts of my old app of Black Widow from a site that died.
The Following are other references also used:
marvel.com/universe/Black_Widow_(Natasha_Romanova)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(Natalia_Romanova)
marvel.wikia.com/Natalia_Romanova_(Earth-616)
(From an Avengers movie site that closed)
'And Hansel said to Gretel, "Let us drop these breadcrumbs so that together we find our way home. Because losing our way would be the most cruel of things"....'
It was funny, random memories that would surface sometimes; strange in their poignancy and nostalgic significance. He had teased her once for not knowing any of the classic childhood stories but Red Room didn't believe in Fairy tales for children she had said. So one Christmas he gets her The Golden Book of Fairy Tales for no other reason than it was a shame she didn't know them. Her lips twitch to a small smile at the fond memory. She had chided him for his sentimentality but secretly she was touched by the gesture. There were many a night she would read those tales. It amazed her sometimes just how he knew exactly what she'd need even if she herself never realized it until after. She wasn't really sure if he realized it but he was the one that kept her from losing her humanity. Like Hansel and Gretel they worked together to find their way out of the dark forest; Natasha and Clint worked together to bring each other back from the black. He had pulled her out of the dark once and now it would be her turn to return the favor.
Because losing our way would be the most cruel of things...
Her green eyes watched his still and motionless form as he lay unconscious and restrained. Watched as his chest slowly rose to fill with breath and exhale. Twenty eight hours, thirty two minutes and...twelve seconds. That had been how long he'd been out, how long it had been since they had fought. Her body ached from various cuts and contusions acquired during their little skirmish and she was certain he had bruised some of her ribs. It was a fight to the death she had almost lost. She could still remember that deadly look in his eyes, as her life hung in that balance; that dark and piercing blank look and Loki's words came back to haunt her just as Clint's blade came pressing ever close to her throat as he pulled her head back by the hair to expose the flesh beneath her collar. And she remembered the God of Mischief's promise:
'... I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear...'
Close. It was so close the fight really could have gone either way but she'd manage to beat him and survived by the skin of her teeth, quite literally; she had bit him. Got him to release his hold, flipped over his arm, used that momentum and rammed him hard into the steal post; hard enough to scramble his senses just long enough to cold clocked him for good measure. Cognitive reconditioning it was called though she was afraid when he didn't move and they had to drag him out that she might have hit him too hard.
Rising from her seat and pulling herself away from those memories Natasha moved to the corner of his bed to stand beside him as he started to stir. The sounds of her soft footfalls must have startled him because she saw him stiffen and his arms go to move for his knife no doubt, but his restraints stop him at the wrists. Taking a wet face cloth from the bedside table she dabbed the edges of his forehead with the cool fabric only to hear him whisper her name.
"'Tasha." Her name left his lips in almost a groan, light and tired.
"Clint, you're gonna be alright." she reassured, her voice its usual cool and neutral repose gave nothing away of the true emotion and relief felt; it was too soon to celebrate. Too many things could still go wrong.
"'Tasha...the lights. Turn 'em down."
"Of course." she said, Setting the cloth down momentarily Natasha obliged the request and moved to the switch to dim the lights.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked and his question stopped her in her tracks. Caused her to falter in her speech and thoughts as her eyes caught his and she was forced to look away and shake her head.
"I'm fine." she replied with practiced calm even though it was pretty easy to see their handy work on each other's bodies.
The story of their reunion was written upon the cuts and injuries each other wore, still though she would have gone through it all again if it meant getting her partner back from the shadowy clutches of a god. Natasha remembered the brutality in their duel, a macabre dance they seemed to do all too well. It was for keeps and the blank cold determination in his attempt to kill her did frighten her some, if Natasha were honest with herself. At that one point where he pulled her back by the hair to expose her neck prone and open with the blade precariously tipped just over her jugular as she tried to meet his eyes to tap into something she thought would still be there to pull him free. She had remembered whispering out his name in hopes to call the man back that she knew but all she found was the cold hard stare of an assassin with no remorse and no recognition of who she was; there was only the kill. In the end it wasn't eyes or the sentimental call of his name so much as her fist that loosened the old proverbial chains of Loki's hold. Still though the chill of that memory, how close she came to dying at his hand left a spectral chill upon her when she thought of it and the memories of being in a similar situation a lifetime ago with a different man did not make it any easier, though the ending here was different. Looking over at her partner, that for so long been a persistent companion and stalwart friend who had pulled her out of the black so many times. She was going to return the favour.
Code word: Armageddon
Name/Nickname: Phedre
Age: 24
Experience: 5 yrs
Contact information: PM
Character basics:
Real name: Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova (Shostakova)
Code name: Black Widow
Date of Birth: December 28 1928
Place of Birth: Stalingrad, former U.S.S.R.
Age: 85
Known family:
unnamed mother (deceased);
Ivan Petrovitch ("foster father");
unnamed brothers (possibly deceased);
Vindiktor (older brother, deceased);
Ronin (Alexi Shostakov) (husband, divorced);
The Reflection in the mirror:
Hair: Red/Auburn
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 125lbs
Legal Status: Adult
Occupation: SHIELD Agent; Spy/Assassin
Affiliation: Avenger/SHIELD
Abilities:
ENHANCEMENTS & ABILITIES
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Through Red Room's variant of the Super-Soldier Serum Natasha's body was enhanced; subjected to similar painful treatments as Captain America once under gone. As a result, her physical and mental abilities had been enhanced beyond human limits. The following are a list of enhancements:
• Peak Human Strength: Physical strength is at the peak level of the natural limits of a woman her height, weight and build. She is capable of lifting up to 500 lbs.
• Peak Human Speed: Her speed is at the peak of the human condition; as fast as a human can be without being classified as superhuman.
• Peak Human Agility: Agility is heightened to a level greater than that of an Olympic gold medalist, able to coordinate her body with balance, flexibility, and dexterity with ease
• Peak Human Reflexes: Reaction time functions with near superhuman efficiency and capability.
• Peak Human Durability: Due to the serum and Red Room's experimentations, her body has been augmented to the pinnacle of human development. Though she can be injured in the same ways a human can be, Natasha possesses exceptional durability, endurance, and stamina.
• Peak Human Senses: Her five senses are enhanced and function at peak human capacity.
• Peak Human Immune System: Enhanced by biotechnology her body is resistant to aging and disease and heals at an above normal human rate. What takes months to heal it only takes her body weeks, what normally takes weeks would take only days and what would take a day would only take hours but in no way is her healing instant. It is simply better than the standard human but below super-powered individuals.
• Extended Longevity: The serum variant Red Room gave her has also extended her lifespan by dramatically slowing the natural aging process.
SKILL SETS
• Ballet Dancer: Natasha is an exceptional ballet dancer.
• Acrobat: She is an Olympic class athlete, gymnast, acrobat and aerialist capable of numerous complex manoeuvres and feats.
• Multilingual: She is fluent in Russian, English, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Latin and various other languages.
• Master Martial Artist: Natasha is an expert in the field of martial arts. She is proficient in Krav Maga, Karate, Eskrima, Aikido, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Savate, boxing, and multiple styles of kung fu.
• Expert Marksman: Natasha is a very accurate marksman skilled in sharpshooting and knife throwing.
• Gifted Intellect: Similar to Captain America, Natasha possesses the ability to quickly process multiple information streams like threat assessments and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. She is a very fast learner and picks up concepts and skills rather quickly.
• Expert Tactician: She is a very effective strategist, tactician, and field commander.
• Hacker: Natasha can hack into most computer systems. She is comfortable with programming languages, familiar with firewalls and security systems that she can normally by pass and maneuver around them.
• Seduction and Manipulation: She is an expert in the field of seduction and manipulation as that was a crucial part of her Red Room Academy training in becoming the Black Widow.
• Spy: Natasha is a dangerous assassin and trained spy excelling in infiltration, espionage, stealth, disguise, and sabotage. She displays an uncanny affinity for psychological manipulation and can mask her real emotions perfectly.
• Assassin: Trained in various arts of assassination from poisons to firearms and martial forms, Natasha was trained by Red Room to be an efficient killer as well as a spy.
What's hidden behind the mask:
Personality:
Natasha has a naturally quiet reserve about her. A very controlled individual she rarely lets her true emotions show through other than a neutral repose. It is difficult for anyone to get a true read on her. She has had years to master her emotions and has learned to control her body's reactions so as not to give anything away though when the time is needed she can be the most charismatic and alluring of individuals. She is a social chameleon with ability to adapt to any social environment and take on a plethora of persona's to meet her needs but when not 'on the job', she is quiet, contemplative and reserved.
She is pragmatic and logical rarely allowing feelings to get in the way of a mission or a job, though through the years in working with others as part of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. she has grown to believe that she's been 'compromised'. Though she will not readily admit it to anyone she has grown fond of her teammates, this 'fondness' does concern her since in her line of work it is best to have no attachments. Never form attachments, never have anything you cannot readily walk away from, that was one of her cardinal rules. But time had softened her stringent rules. Even her conscience over killing had worn her down. She does not see herself as a hero but rather just the opposite. Her history is drenched in blood and she will be the first to admit that she is swimming in it. Her very moniker is testament enough to what she once was; one of the world's deadliest assassins and spy and that carries with it a certain amount of guilt and a need to make amends for the atrocities she had once committed.
History:
EARLY YEARS
Her true name many many years ago, Natasha really couldn't tell you. For so long she had no recollection of her past, for much of her true history had been stripped from her memory or hidden deep behind layers of reconditioning that she doesn't even remember the death of her family or that she was orphaned at a very young age and taken in by a compassionate soldier and turned over to a government run organization called Red Room that took in young orphaned girls, unmade and made them; experimenting and creating spies and assassins for the Russian government to utilize. She doesn't even remember her real name or the names of her siblings.
It is even speculated that Natasha is somehow related to the last ruling czars of Russia, and it was a soldier by the name of Ivan Petrovitch, that saved her from the fire and watched over her, believing her to be the last of the czar bloodline. It was Ivan that went after her and saved her from her captors when others who also believed Natalia to be of that bloodline had her abducted. After rescuing her from her captors Ivan realized that he could not raise this child alone and because of who she might be he enlisted the advice of a close friend that suggested Ivan turn her in to the Red Room Academy where she would be raised and trained and in her training would learn the keys to defending herself. So it was that Ivan agreed to hand Natasha over to the state, believing what he was doing was for her own good.
Now under the Red Room Academy, Ivan had no clue what he had sent Natasha into as a young child. It was a gruelling process that stripped the young girl of who she was, all her morals and her beliefs; stripped and unmade to the point of not knowing up from down, day from night, right from wrong. Unmade and remade, her whole world became the Red Room Academy, what they taught or programmed, what they said, she followed; she believed. Her given name then after the recalibration of her mind was Natalia Alianova Romanova, though many within called her the 'Little Spider' when growing up within the facility run institute which disguised itself as a government run orphanage for young girls. She was nimble at climbing and often was so quiet around everyone that she was barely noticed. The turn-around or deaths of the young girls within Red Room were quite high but in a war torn country finding other orphaned girls to 'train' wasn't difficult at all. Natasha saw many girls come and go so much that much like the others in the program she had grown accustomed and desensitized to death and violence. She learned at a young age never to get attached to those that entered into the program. It wasn't all death and violence though, the young girls were given proper education as well as studies in the arts. For Natasha, due to her grace and flexibility was sent to study at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg with her 'Handler' Alina who posed as her Aunt taking care of Natasha. Natasha excelled in her studies, her training with Red Room and even ballet. Dancing gave her a bit of an escape from the harshness of her true life but it also kept her body flexible and limber.
Natasha's training didn't just stop at dance and fighting, Red Room was efficient in training their young spies so it was a mixture of the softer skills like etiquette and social behaviours to the more brutal weapons and demolitions training. She was trained to be self-sufficient and adapt to her environment. As a teenager she was selected based on her high performance and skill set to be the one given a variant of the Super Soldier serum. It was supposed to be an honour, and she accepted out of a misguided sense of loyalty to Red Room and her country; Russia. It was a painful and gruelling experience one that to this day Natasha does not openly discuss but the experiments had altered her body. She was enhanced beyond the human condition and imbued with abilities that made her greater. This was the birth of the 'Black Widow'.
Red Room broke her as a child, undid every ounce of morality, identity she had; undid everything and made her a clean slate. They trained her with specific skill sets in mind, moulded her into an image fitting their needs and then unleashed into the world. They had her doing spy and reconnaissance at a very young age then as she grew up progressed to infiltration and sabotage right up to espionage and assassinations. It was a spiralling rabbit hole she couldn't climb out of but at that time Natasha believed she was doing it for the good of her country.
KGB DAYS
Ready and trained by the Red Room Academy, the Soviet government intelligence (KGB) decided that Natasha's skill sets would make her superb special operative so she was drafted into their ranks. She became their best operative excelling at espionage, assassination and information gathering. During this time she trained under the Winter Soldier and even at her young age she was a fast learner and able to excel at whatever he taught her. Eventually he became her handler and then partner on various missions. It was during this time Natasha had started to form a bond with the Winter Soldier one Natasha would claim the first time she fell in love. Their bond grew to a concerning closeness that had Red Room disapproved of. Intervening and reclaiming Natasha away from the KGB citing that she had been compromised, Natasha was taken back into Red Room and reconditioned once more wiping her mind clean for the time being, clear of the Winter Soldier.
RED ROOM'S 'DOLL'
After having her mind wiped again and reprogrammed, Natasha was finally unleashed into the world without the accompaniment of a handler, Natasha became a sleeper agent, activated when needed for specific missions otherwise she lived a seemingly 'normal' life. Her cover, Natalia Romanova; a ballerina trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg. From there she was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Company and travelled the world. As one of the finest Ballet companies in the world Natasha danced for celebrities, dignitaries, world leaders and politicians; the rich, the influential. But beneath the shroud of a dancer's fame she was Red Room's little 'spider', one that wore the unassuming mask of an innocent Prima Ballerina and who also wove webs of deception to gather intel, one that also stole sensitive government secrets and killed for her country. Natasha had given everything to Red Room, to Russia and yet it was still not enough. Her mistake in the whole thing was believing in the illusion of her so called 'freedom' and falling into the fantasy of a 'civilian' life. She later fell victim to her own tangled web.
It was a child's hope really, an innocence of belief that such a thing would be 'enough'; love . His name was, Alexi Shostakov a test pilot, and the son of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. In a whirlwind romance that had Natasha and Alexi married within a year. Unknown to Natasha the only reason she was allowed to marry Alexi was to propagate a charade. Red Room was expecting her to spy on the Shostakovs. Natasha was required to spy on the Minister and Alexi, his son, was Natasha's entry point. Being in the employ of deceivers and killers, raised and trained by them to be like them; only better. Love or emotions such as that was to have no place in the equation not for a spy like her and Natasha's mistake was warning Alexi of an assassination attempt on his father. She had thought he would understand, and forgive her. She had thought the love they had would be enough, but she had since learned that love is for the innocence of children it had no place in the real world, in the heart of an assassin, in the heart of a spy.
Red Room framed Natasha for Alexi's father's death, turned Alexi against her and forced Natasha's hand so as to have no choice but to kill the only man she loved and in killing him, she killed that childish belief in that emotion. Natasha hated Red Room for it and hated Alina most of all. The true Spider, the Mistress of the Web, Natasha had learned from her all that she knew and once Natasha thought Alina near close to a mother to her, until of course Alina drove home that dagger and forced Natasha to rip out my own heart by killing Alexi or making her believe she did. Alexi actually survived his altercation with the Black Widow and his broken body healed and altered to become the Red Guardian (unknown to Natasha). There was to be no trust among assassins and spies, only veiled alliances. They were a breed of deceivers and manipulators, they were to have no heart, no compassion, no love. It was Alina's final lesson to Natasha and one she have never forgotten or forgiven.
ESCAPE TO THE WEST
Natasha buried her hatred for Red Room and Alina then and bided her time. It had taken many years but finally she had broken free of her, of Red Room gained her freedom through the very tools of deception and manipulation she had taught her. Natasha threw back at Alina all that she had learned and blackmailed Red Room and Alina for her freedom. It was a strained agreement but so as not to expose the Black Widow Project or Red Room they were to let Natasha go; alive and free of them. And so started Natasha's 'Freelance' work as a mercenary. She had a specific skill set thanks to Red Room and now entering the world a free agent and a woman scorned, Natasha didn't care who she worked for, who she used her skills for or on. She did what she did to survive and she did it well. Over time she managed to make a name for myself as one of the best spies and assassin for hire, which garnered the attention of some rather powerful people and suddenly she was on SHIELD's radar in a bad way.
It was through fluke and happenstance that had her meeting up with another master assassin by the name of Hawkeye who was sent to kill her. A cat and mouse game was played between the two deadly assassins each one avoiding the 'traps' set out for the other. It was an intricate game of chess that had the two shadowy combatants growing a certain amount of respect for one another or well at least from Natasha's stand point. She hadn't yet met anyone that was able to come even close to catching her but Hawkeye was a different 'bird' altogether. Their cloak and dagger games started to become more playful in and as much as they could be when each was trying to outsmart and kill the other but in the end when Hawkeye had the chance to take Natasha down and kill her, he didn't and Natasha had never forgotten that. It was the basis for their working relationship and formed a bond with him that was as complicated to explain as she was.
Natasha ended up joining SHIELD not that she had much of a choice; it was that or die, but Barton made a good case. Doing what she did best she was a perfect fit in SHIELD and had gone into many missions on her own as well as alongside other agents. Her skill sets and Barton's worked well together so they had done various missions together as well which cemented her bond with him. There was no one that she could think of that that was any closer to her than Clint; his constant joking around was the perfect balance to her seriousness. He was the closest thing she Natasha ever had to a friend not that she ever really used that word to describe anyone but her bond with him ran deeper. It wasn't love in the traditional romantic sense of the word, nor was it the innocence of light hearted strings of friendship her bond with him went beyond any of those things; it ran deeper. It was a relationship born of blood and death, walking on a constant tightrope of danger and forged by a trust which grew from that first day when he lowered his bow and made that choice not to kill her.
She owed the man her life and for that he didn't just have her respect, he had her loyalty and gratitude, not that she would ever admit any of that. Her relationship with Clint is 'complicated' and difficult to explain or for anyone to understand, but they understood one another on a level few people could and there is a deep seeded loyalty between her and Clint. This loyalty made for a great partnership and for a time it was the Widow and the Hawk against the 'villains' SHIELD pit them up against.
AGENT OF SHIELD
As an agent of SHIELD, Natasha worked both on her own and at times on teams and excelled in both. On one such mission she was assigned to keep an eye on Tony Stark thereby infiltrating the man's company and insinuating herself into the man's life by becoming his personal assistant for a time when his former assistant Pepper Pots was promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. With SHIELD and Natasha's help Tony was able to defeat Ivan Vanko in his plot to destroy the Stark Expo and with her evaluation of Tony and the Ironman suit completed she was once again reassigned to another mission and for a few years it was on mission after another, one country at a time until somehow slowly her hardened shell started to erode some.
Blame the wise cracking archer who never misses for her suddenly gaining a conscience, Clint helped a lot in that department but it isn't like Natasha will ever admit that to the man. It would just totally go to his head if she did and he'd never allow her to live it down she was sure of that. But like all good things for Natasha things ended badly between Clint and her when she secretly agreed on a mission Fury asked her to take. Nick Fury asked her to spy on her former masters in Russia on behalf of SHIELD. The catch was in agreeing to this, Natasha was forced to break her ties with SHIELD. publicly and that also meant cutting her ties with Clint and as part of her mission, the press branded her as a traitor, though for Natasha the worst part was breaking Hawkeye's heart in her defection but she saw this mission as important enough to put up the facade and take the flack for the deception later.
Natasha's mission to return to Russia and spy on her former masters were not without some glitches. The Black Widow was not easily trusted and she was subjected to the Psychotron device, a machine that could brainwash anyone. She proved to be too strong willed and she had to be gassed and kept locked up. Learning that Natasha was now a prisoner of her former Communist masters, Clint now part of the Avengers who finally learned the truth about Natasha's apparent defection, traveled to China with some of the Avenges to rescue her, clashing with the Red Guardian; Natasha's ex-husband who was thought to be dead. The Avengers with the help of Natasha defeated the Communists plot to use the Psychotron against the western world.
SOLO AGAIN
Clint had tried to convince Natasha to join up with the Avengers but after her recent ordeal on the SHIELD mission and Psychotron, Natasha decided she didn't want to be taking orders from anyone any longer and went about on a solo career attempting to make things right in the world as she tries to wipe that red ledger of hers clean. During her solo career Natasha mostly clashed with underworld figures and costumed villains during this period but nothing so heavy as thwarting governments or world domination not anymore. During this time she had team ups with various other vigilante heroes like Spiderman, and Daredevil to name just a few.
On a freelance mission, the Black Widow attempted to prevent the Hand from stealing the long-dead body of their Master Warrior, Kirigi. Utilizing deadly poisons, Natasha was killed by the Hand. She was revived by Stone of the Chaste, and joined forces with Stone and Daredevil to stop the Hand from reviving Elektra. Natasha knew that they failed in this endeavour, but kept the information from Matt for his well-being.
It was during this time that an enemy from her past alongside Daredevil kidnapped Ivan to lure her to her death.Damon Dran planned to bring Natasha to his island so a small army of female combat specialists could destroy her. The plan was that once she was out of the way, he would send a fake Black Widow back to rejoin SHIELD and assassinate Nick Fury. Unfortunately for Dran, Natasha defeated the army, saved Ivan, and notified Fury (who in turn bombed Dran's island).
Iron Man had also at one point teamed up with Black Widow to prevent an agent named “Oktober” from attempting to start World War III by launching missiles. The missiles were launched, but Iron Man kept them from detonating. Oktober ended up actually being Natasha under some old KGB reprogramming that had been dormant in her mind. Having broken free of that programming the Black Widow and Ironman together, captured the agent responsible for it all.
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE
Natasha, still one of the world’s most sought-after espionage agents alive, was finally recruited and convinced by Iron Man and Hawkeye be on the newest team of Avengers. Working along side her old friend once again she immediately proved herself in battle against the Avengers' various foes and despite being a full fledged member of the Avengers, she still does take assignments from SHIELD from time to time.
DAYS OF FUTURE'S PAST
Natasha is shocked when she is intercepted by none other than her former lover, Bucky Barnes; the Winter Soldier, who steals Captain America's shield. Natasha then sets in her mind to rescue Barnes from the Red Skull's minions, and bring him to the SHIELD. Helicarrier, where Stark convinces Bucky to become the new Captain America. Afterward, Natasha accompanies Bucky as his partner for a brief time to help him acclimatize from the brainwashing. During this time her feelings for the man are rekindled though she kept it hidden at first since the man had just literally woken up from the fog of mind control. Natasha was then called back by SHIELD for a mission. But later rejoins Bucky and Falcon for the final confrontation with the Red Skull. The events and altercations brought back the full extent of her attraction to the Winter Soldier that had for so many years thought to have been wiped from her mind, but Natasha has since learned that the memories Red Room thought they wiped weren't wiped so much as laid dormant. but seeing him again and working along side the Winter Soldier once again brought back the flashes of memories Natasha just couldn't deny any longer.
PRESENT DAY
Natasha splits her time between the Avengers and SHIELD. She continues to do what she does best which is espionage, infiltration and on occasion helping the Avengers save the world. She has also restarted her relationship with Bucky choosing for the first time to follow her heart and see where it takes her and this time there would be no Red Room or mind control interference to get in the way of their relationship.
NOTES:
History is an amalgamation of creative license, comic lore and a little bit of movie lore taken from Avengers and Ironman 2. I also used parts of my old app of Black Widow from a site that died.
The Following are other references also used:
marvel.com/universe/Black_Widow_(Natasha_Romanova)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(Natalia_Romanova)
marvel.wikia.com/Natalia_Romanova_(Earth-616)
(From an Avengers movie site that closed)
'And Hansel said to Gretel, "Let us drop these breadcrumbs so that together we find our way home. Because losing our way would be the most cruel of things"....'
It was funny, random memories that would surface sometimes; strange in their poignancy and nostalgic significance. He had teased her once for not knowing any of the classic childhood stories but Red Room didn't believe in Fairy tales for children she had said. So one Christmas he gets her The Golden Book of Fairy Tales for no other reason than it was a shame she didn't know them. Her lips twitch to a small smile at the fond memory. She had chided him for his sentimentality but secretly she was touched by the gesture. There were many a night she would read those tales. It amazed her sometimes just how he knew exactly what she'd need even if she herself never realized it until after. She wasn't really sure if he realized it but he was the one that kept her from losing her humanity. Like Hansel and Gretel they worked together to find their way out of the dark forest; Natasha and Clint worked together to bring each other back from the black. He had pulled her out of the dark once and now it would be her turn to return the favor.
Because losing our way would be the most cruel of things...
Her green eyes watched his still and motionless form as he lay unconscious and restrained. Watched as his chest slowly rose to fill with breath and exhale. Twenty eight hours, thirty two minutes and...twelve seconds. That had been how long he'd been out, how long it had been since they had fought. Her body ached from various cuts and contusions acquired during their little skirmish and she was certain he had bruised some of her ribs. It was a fight to the death she had almost lost. She could still remember that deadly look in his eyes, as her life hung in that balance; that dark and piercing blank look and Loki's words came back to haunt her just as Clint's blade came pressing ever close to her throat as he pulled her head back by the hair to expose the flesh beneath her collar. And she remembered the God of Mischief's promise:
'... I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear...'
Close. It was so close the fight really could have gone either way but she'd manage to beat him and survived by the skin of her teeth, quite literally; she had bit him. Got him to release his hold, flipped over his arm, used that momentum and rammed him hard into the steal post; hard enough to scramble his senses just long enough to cold clocked him for good measure. Cognitive reconditioning it was called though she was afraid when he didn't move and they had to drag him out that she might have hit him too hard.
Rising from her seat and pulling herself away from those memories Natasha moved to the corner of his bed to stand beside him as he started to stir. The sounds of her soft footfalls must have startled him because she saw him stiffen and his arms go to move for his knife no doubt, but his restraints stop him at the wrists. Taking a wet face cloth from the bedside table she dabbed the edges of his forehead with the cool fabric only to hear him whisper her name.
"'Tasha." Her name left his lips in almost a groan, light and tired.
"Clint, you're gonna be alright." she reassured, her voice its usual cool and neutral repose gave nothing away of the true emotion and relief felt; it was too soon to celebrate. Too many things could still go wrong.
"'Tasha...the lights. Turn 'em down."
"Of course." she said, Setting the cloth down momentarily Natasha obliged the request and moved to the switch to dim the lights.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked and his question stopped her in her tracks. Caused her to falter in her speech and thoughts as her eyes caught his and she was forced to look away and shake her head.
"I'm fine." she replied with practiced calm even though it was pretty easy to see their handy work on each other's bodies.
The story of their reunion was written upon the cuts and injuries each other wore, still though she would have gone through it all again if it meant getting her partner back from the shadowy clutches of a god. Natasha remembered the brutality in their duel, a macabre dance they seemed to do all too well. It was for keeps and the blank cold determination in his attempt to kill her did frighten her some, if Natasha were honest with herself. At that one point where he pulled her back by the hair to expose her neck prone and open with the blade precariously tipped just over her jugular as she tried to meet his eyes to tap into something she thought would still be there to pull him free. She had remembered whispering out his name in hopes to call the man back that she knew but all she found was the cold hard stare of an assassin with no remorse and no recognition of who she was; there was only the kill. In the end it wasn't eyes or the sentimental call of his name so much as her fist that loosened the old proverbial chains of Loki's hold. Still though the chill of that memory, how close she came to dying at his hand left a spectral chill upon her when she thought of it and the memories of being in a similar situation a lifetime ago with a different man did not make it any easier, though the ending here was different. Looking over at her partner, that for so long been a persistent companion and stalwart friend who had pulled her out of the black so many times. She was going to return the favour.
Code word: Armageddon