THE BLACK WIDOW II (Natalia Romanova, aka Natasha Romanoff)

Created By: Stan Lee, Don Rico & Don Heck

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964)
Role: Miss Fanservice, Femme Fatale, Lady Spy, Skillmonkey, The Hero's Girlfriend
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, The KGB, The Thunderbolts, The Lady Liberators, S.H.I.E.L.D., The Champions
Avengers Grade: B-Level
PL 9 (191)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 7
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 6
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+15)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+15)
Deception 9 (+13, +18 Attractive)
Expertise (Spy) 13 (+16)
Expertise (History) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Dancer) 1 (+8)
Insight 5 (+9)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 6 (+10)
Persuasion 5 (+9, +14 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Widow's Bite) 1 (+14)
Sleight of Hand 6 (+12)
Stealth 7 (+14)
Technology 3 (+6)
Vehicles 2 (+8)

Advantages: 
Accurate Attack, Attractive 2, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearance), Chokehold, Contacts, Daze
(Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 4 (Spy Gear), Evasion 2, Fascination (Deception), Grab Finesse, Improved
Aim, Improved Critical 3 (Unarmed, Widow's Bite, Gun), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Jack-
of-All-Trades, Languages (Many), Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 7, Skill
Mastery 2 (Spy, Deception), Taunt, Tracking (Sight), Ultimate Skill 2 (Spy, Deception), Uncanny Dodge, Well-Informed

Powers:
Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]

Equipment:
"Widow Gear" Spy Gear (4)
"Widow's Bite" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15) -- (16)

 AE: "Widow Line & Suction Cups" Movement 3 (Swinging 2, Wall-Crawling) (6)
AE: "Tear Gas Pellets" Affliction 5 (Fort; Dazed & Vision Impaired/Stunned & Disabled/Incapacitated)
(Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (15)

Offense:
Unarmed +15 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Widow's Bite +13 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Tear Gas +5 Area (+5 Ranged Affliction, DC 15)
Initiative +11

Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Various)- Black Widow has dated a lot (I mean, she's old). Most recently, it was Bucky Barnes. She dated
Daredevil for a while, too, and was a love interest for Hawkeye. She was married to the original Red Guardian.
Reputation (Femme Fatale)- Many people still don't entirely trust Natasha, based off of her history as a spy.
Enemy (Yelena Bolova)- The second Black Widow has attempted to kill Natasha in the past.
Disabled (Infertile)- Soviet interference with her genetics have left Natasha unable to have children.

Total: Abilities: 86 / Skills: 86--43 / Advantages: 44 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 17 (191)

-Natasha Romanova has had a weird run in comics. Initially being a Sexy Lady Spy archetype in the James Bond vibe
(but with an evening gown & veil as a "costume"), she quickly defected to the United States and fell in love with
Hawkeye, finally joining The Avengers. She didn't get her now-iconic black catsuit until 1970, six years after she'd
debuted. But then... well, being a relatively-unattached (she & Clint split up pretty quickly) super-hot chick can have
negative effects on your relationship status in the Marvel Universe. To prove this point, Widow was basically known for
being hooked up with various heroes over the years, as various writers can given the male character they wrote a
token "Super-hot hero girlfriend" in the Widow. She got a brief solo run in one of those half-books (sharing with The
Inhumans), and was a sidekick for a four-year chunk of Daredevil history (ending around the time of Frank Miller when
he resurrected the series as a gritty crime drama and not a generic hero book), she was the leader of The Champions
(a goofy, oddly-remembered book that was basically "Hey- let's throw together every character we're not using onto a
team, regardless of how much sense it makes!") where she hooked up with Hercules, etc.

-And never mind the unfortunate issue of her being a Cold War Spy in modern times- something that rapidly earned her
a Retcon into being an ageless spy with decades of experience. I wonder if Daredevil realized that for years, he was
boinking a septegenarian?

-She has the unfortunate status as the leader of the horrid "Leather Jacket" Avengers phase, which nearly 86'd her
standing with that team, and she ultimately became a minor recurring character by the 1990s. She'd show up as a
guest star most of the time, and nearly got replaced by that blonde Widow who failed pretty utterly as a new character
(Marvel tried to push her as a star, but ended up pushing her into the background as a villain), and was a back-up star
on the Mighty Avengers Bendis/Cho book (for like five seconds). Finally, she was the "Super Hero Girlfriend" of Bucky
Barnes/Captain America, playing up an old relationship she had with the "Winter Soldier".

-Therein lies an interesting issue with Natalia (the more correct name, apparently- it's a less-familiar form of "Natasha".
And Romanova is a female's last name- Romanoff is only used for dudes): She's not so much a great character, but
much like Wonder Woman, exists as this random-personality Symbolic Character- a symbol of the Cold War and Sexy
Lady Spies everywhere. This means that she's often been seen as a sultry, evil spy, a noble woman, a flirty (but
useless in a fight) partner to Daredevil, and more. In a current series (which is very well-made, but VERY light on
characterization and real depth; it's drawn by Phil Noto so I enjoy it regardless), she's gotten even WEIRDER, talking in
modern slang (I just CAN NOT imagine Natalia Romanova saying "Dude, seriously"), while being guilt-ridden for a past
full of assassinations (which didn't seem to bother her for like thirty years of continuity beforehand).

-Despite a very weird history of random characterization, her more down-to-earth origins as a Lady Spy made her
PERFECT for the less-weird Marvel Cinematic Universe, and when combined with uber-hotty Scarlett Johannsen, we had
a new big-name character. I still laugh when I think of one fan's shocked response to seeing candid pics of both her &
Anne "Catwoman" Hathaway in the catsuits beside each other, going all "Wow, I'm shocked at how much better Scarlett
looks". I mean, that's HILARIOUS- Hathaway is pretty enough (if a bit of a Megamouth), but is rail-thin in Dark Knight
Rises and a HUGE example of Hollywood forcing someone down our throats as an ultimate beauty/sex symbol when
she's really not, whereas Scarlett is damn near APHRODITE IN HUMAN FORM- of COURSE she looks better in the same
outfit! That said, I find Scarlett rather weird whenever she speaks- she gives off this very odd, soulless vibe when she
describes things, like she lacks all emotion or normal behavior. It's a bit creepy.
-Regarding her actual capabilities, I find the Widow to be one of the very DEFINITIONS of an overrated character in
terms of credibility. We're expected to buy her as a top-tier Human-Level Fighter, but she's nothing more than a
Sidekick to most heroes. Moreover, when she was Daredevil's "partner", she was basically a useless Damsel in Distress,
constantly being captured or beaten by villains! She was low-tier throughout her entire career, but then all of a sudden
somebody half-assedly writes in that she has PEAK HUMAN ABILITIES? That is GARBAGE, and is so unused these days
(it's not even treated like a power in any modern book I've ever read) that I ignore the Official Handbook completely
and leave it out- she's your standard +3 Damage human being (still pretty high for a lady martial artist).

-Yeah, I knew this one was gonna be pricey. I mean, Skillmonkeys are REALLY expensive in 3rd Edition, and
Natalia/Natasha (nobody can make up their mind) is THE iconic "Spy" character in all of comics, and that's the one job
that defines "Skillmonkey" better than any other. And the Widow's GOOD... she can lie, sneak and cheat with the best
of them, and surpasses all comparable characters (Black Cat has a very similar schtick). Her fighting skills put her a
notch above characters generally seen as awesome in melee (Domino, The Punisher, Bucky-Cap), despite her relatively
low Strength score (I don't see her lifting over 200 lbs., but I pushed it higher thanks to some ill-defined fluff about her
being partially Super-Soldiery). And I think it's fitting that she's among the most expensive and skilled characters
around, yet is only PL 9 overall- she's good, but is usually the weak link in every book she's in. She was Daredevil's
weaker partner all through his series, she's lesser than Bucky-as-Cap, and she was weaker than every other Avenger
when she was on the team. She's still very CAPABLE, mind you, she's just not that powerful (PL 9 all over). A +5
Multiattack Blast is the best thing she's got, despite being a great fighter who's nigh-impossible to hit.