The master spy Black Widow is one of the most recognizable and celebrated characters in the Marvel Universe. She was trained in espionage and assassination from early childhood by the Soviet Union before defecting to the US, where she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

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There is no denying that Black Widow is among the most iconic fictional spies in modern pop culture, having appeared in numerous comics, TV shows, and movies. Of course, this begs the question of how she would fare compared to other spies. She is more than a match for most, both in combat and spycraft, but there are a few who might be able to put her in their crosshairs.

10 SHE COULD BEAT: James Bond May Be A Great Killer, But He Is Mediocre At Spycraft

Pierce Brosnan's James bond at a party drawing a martini in for a drink.

James Bond is probably the most famous fictional secret agent of all time. From his tastes in martinis to his love of fast cars and women, there is almost no part of his life that is not well known to the public. He is also a world-class killer. But when it comes to ordinary tradecraft, he is sloppy.

In almost every Bond film, he is discovered by his enemies. Many times they recognize him before he ever officially meets them.

9 COULD BEAT HER: Nick Fury Is Marvel's Single Greatest Spy

MARVEL VILLAIN SIBLINGS - Nick Fury and Scorpio

Nick Fury is simultaneously a living legend and an urban legend. He is the epitome of a spy master, operating from the shadows even as he brings hidden secrets to light. There are technically two Nick Furys, father and son, both of whom have spent years as the leader of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Black Widow may be a great spy and assassin, but there is no one better at black ops work than Nick Fury. He keeps his eye on her as he does everyone and he knows some secrets about her past that not even she is aware of.

8 SHE COULD BEAT: Maria Hill Is An Excellent Operative But Is No Match For Black Widow

Maria Hill

Maria Hill served as the first Nick Fury's right hand at S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually replaced him as the leader of the spy organization. She is a skilled field agent with deadly marksmanship. More than that, she has been on top of overseeing many of the world's most pressing intelligence operations.

But that is also her greatest weakness. Maria Hill is a better supervisor than field agent. When it comes down to it, Black Widow will also be a better operative.

7 COULD BEAT HER: Midnighter's Brain Has A Computer That Lets Him Outmaneuver His Enemies

Midnighter

Midnighter was biologically augmented as a child to be able to perform assassinations, intelligence gathering, infiltration, and combat. He has extra organs and a computer in his brain that lets him run a million different fight scenarios before combat even begins.

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In other words, he was literally built to be a living weapon. In his life, he has been part of Stormwatch, the Authority, and worked alongside top agents for the espionage agency Spyral. Black Widow and he probably have the same amount of actual experience, but he is just better built for such work.

6 SHE COULD BEAT: Sharon Carter Is An Experienced S.H.I.E.L.D. Operative But Not Avengers Material

Captain America Sharon Carter

Sharon Carter is better known as Agent 13. She is a world-class spy and the long-time love interest of Steve Rogers. During her work with S.H.I.E.L.D., she fought alongside Captain America against A.I.M., Hydra, the Red Skull, and many of the most dangerous threats in the Marvel Universe. She has been a Secret Avengers and (like several others listed here) was briefly the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For all her skill, Sharon Carter is a B-list hero. Some fans might also consider Black Widow a B-lister, but Natasha Romanoff has fought alongside--and has beaten--many of Marvel's top-tier characters. In a contest between these women, Agent 13 might as well just be called "number two" because she will always end up ranking second best.

5 COULD BEAT HER: Shang-Chi Is The Master Of Kung Fu And MI-6 Agent

Shang-Chi comic fighting pose

Shang-Chi is a martial artist whose hands are deadly weapons. He spent his entire life training in kung fu. He also is a master spy who has taken point on missions with the Secret Avengers and who worked as an MI-6 agent.

While Natasha Romanoff could probably shadow Shang-Chi and perform many functions of espionage better than he could, if the two of them ever came head-to-head, Shang-Chi would win.

4 SHE COULD BEAT: Jason Bourne Is A CIA Assassin

Jason Bourne goes for a run

Jason Bourne is the star of numerous spy books, movies, and TV shows, having made his debut in Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel The Bourne Identity. He has worked as part of Force Reconnaissance and Delta Force, as well as working for the CIA.

Bourne is nothing to scoff at. He is a master of combat and of changing his identity whenever he needs to. Basically, he is the perfect action hero trope of a secret agent. But for all that, when his resume is put alongside Black Widow's file, he comes off looking like a chump.

3 COULD BEAT HER: Dick Grayson Was Personally Trained By Batman And Then Joined Spyral

Grayson Spyral Agent

Dick Grayson has been many things in his life. The first Robin. Nightwing. A temporary replacement Batman. Nightwing again. Another back-and-forth of the last two. And a secret agent working with the spy agency Spyral under the code name Agent 37.

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Like Black Widow, Grayson was trained from childhood in intelligence gathering, deception, disguise, and other types of tradecraft. He was also given even more extensive fieldwork than she was at an early age. He might not like to use lethal force, but considering that Batman was his mentor, he really doesn't need to.

2 SHE COULD BEAT: Hawkeye Is An Avenger And S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

Hawkeye and Black Widow

Hawkeye is one of the most famous and recognizable Marvel heroes. He has been on multiple Avengers teams, including the Secret Avengers. He is as much a superhero as he is a secret agent. He is also the person who got Black Widow to defect from the Soviet Union and join the US, where she went on to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

Hawkeye is a great hero, but he is also a hot mess. It is amazing that he has succeeded as much as he has in his life, as he can barely get through a day without causing chaos. His skills let him beat his enemies, but someone who knows him--or who is more disciplined--could easily best him. Sure, he may have beaten Black Widow in Avengers: Endgame, but that was just barely managed and under very unusual circumstances.

1 COULD BEAT HER: Steve Rogers Is Captain America And Powered By The Super Soldier Serum

Secret Avengers Captain America

People might not consider Captain America to be a spy, considering his bright-colored uniform. He is more of a soldier and classic superhero in the popular zeitgeist. But he has gone on more S.H.I.E.L.D. field mission than almost anyone alive and has even spent some time as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

On top of all that, Captain America helped found the Secret Avengers, leading superhumans into battle on espionage missions where full deniability was a requisite for success. Black Widow may be better trained in espionage, but he has all of the same training and superpowers to back it up.

NEXT: 10 Ways The MCU Screwed Up Black Widow's Character Arc