WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Black Widow #9 from Marvel Comics, on sale now.
Black Widow might be the Marvel Universe's foremost super spy, but that doesn't quite stack up against what most of her fellow Avengers are capable of. But as her most recent exploits have just shown, her ability to escape any situation might actually be Black Widow's real superpower.
Black Widow's hunt for the maniacal Apogee, the villain that has imbued his cult-like followers with lethal powers of their own, has drawn her right into the middle of a fight she can barely handle. It has also nearly cost her the life of her closest ally, Yelena Belova, who was only narrowly saved by her most recent sidekick, Lucy. As lucky as it was to have Lucy there when she was needed most, her unexpected appearance has created a serious problem when it comes to the heroes making their escape. With a parachute that only holds two having been relegated to Lucy and Yelena's escape from the high-rise building turned battlefield, Black Widow is left to work things out for herself. In spite of Lucy's concerns, Yelena and Natasha both know that the situation is well enough under control as the world's greatest spy unveils her most remarkable skill.
Black Widow #9 by Kelly Thompson, Elena Casagrande, Rafael De Latorre, Elisabetta D'Amico and VC's Cory Petit sees the titular hero make a miraculous leap through the window down to the streets below as her cohorts watch on from the safety of their gently descending parachute. Not only does Black Widow manage to survive the fall; she also arrives in a sleek red getaway car to pick up the others before Lucy has even wrapped her head around what just took place. It's hardly the first impossible escape that Black Widow has made in her career, but it is still a testament to just how easy these kinds of daring feats are for her.
Apart from the more typical getaways necessitated by her work as a spy, Black Widow's place in the upper echelon of Marvel heroes has seen her emerge unscathed by some truly unbelievable scenarios. Some of these have been at least somewhat grounded in reality, such as the semi-controlled crash landing of Air Force One that she pulled off alongside Norman Osborn's team back in 2009's Thunderbolts #129 by Andy Diggle, Roberto de la Torre, and Carlos Magno. Others, like her incredible escape from the wreckage of the freefalling Red Room in this year's Black Widow are objectively less feasible.
Unfortunately, much of that action surrounding her escape from Apogee's forces happens to take place off-panel. Then again, that does add something to the allure of just how Black Widow managed to come away unharmed in the first place.
It might not seem like much when compared to the far more powerful heroes and villains that Black Widow frequently finds herself surrounded by, but her own innate abilities have kept her alive so far. The fact that Yelena is so quick to assume the best when seeing her partner in crime take such a high dive directly towards asphalt drives home the fact that this is just another day on the job for the Widow. With any luck, Black Widow's other signature move will keep her around for a long time to come.