Black Widow is the Marvel Universe's ultimate spy. She's played both sides of the spectrum, starting as a villain, deviling Iron Man, and using Hawkeye. She soon changed sides and joined the Avengers. There she began to define herself and find redemption.
She's worn many different costumes in her time, some good and some bad. With her popularity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe garnering her a solo film, focus comes back to those times when she looked awesome, and also when she wore a costume that just didn't work.
10 Lame: Journey Into Mystery #517
For a solo stint in 1998's Journey Into Mystery, Black Widow debuted a new costume, swapping black for blue with a predominant red hourglass logo on her abdomen. That's not the egregious offense in this costume. Being the 1990s, Natasha had to have metal shoulder pads and pointless straps.
Adding metal armor to a spy's costume is a bad move. Armor is also something that just doesn't serve the Black Widow well. Perhaps it's the cultural zeitgeist from the 1960s and Diana Rigg that has her black catsuit work so well and armor just appears out of place.
9 Cool: Practical White
In Black Widow: Deadly Origin, Natasha donned a white version of her costume. The reason is her going into winter areas with lots of snow. Since her traditional black would stand out, she switched to white. It let her blend in with snowy surroundings.
The costume is so striking that it made its way into Black Widow's feature film this fall. It's even featured in multiple action figures for the film's merchandising. Influencing other media is a sign that a costume is cool. This one is definitely cool.
8 Lame: Iron Maiden Armor
It bears repeating, armor does not work well with Black Widow. In the context of the story, this armor makes sense in the end. Unfortunately, at the time it first appears, it seems to have dropped suddenly. It also raises the question of why every member of the Ultimates doesn't have a suit of armor.
In the end, Tony Stark added a trick to his present, including nanites that ultimately let him control Natasha if she turned out to be a traitor. In the end, she was a traitor and he did have to use his failsafe.
7 Cool: Ultimates Matrix-inspired Outfit
In Ultimates #8, we first get introduced to Black Widow and Hawkeye in a raid on an office building. They're dressed in black with sunglasses, looking very much like they've stepped out of the Matrix. It's a look that just translates immediately how deadly they are.
When she doffs the coat, she's armed to the teeth and looking very much like we've come to know her in the films. It's a far cry from her traditional black catsuit, but it works in the context of the story. It also doesn't hurt that it's rendered by Bryan Hitch.
6 Lame: Dark Reign Thunderbolts
This outfit isn't too much of a departure from previous, utilitarian costumes. Where it departs is in the weird goggles with an odd number of small lenses. It doesn't look practical, and within the book itself, she rarely wears it while masquerading as Yelena Bulova as Norman Osborn's Black Widow.
However, when Yelena resurfaced with AIM as their Minister of State, she wore the goggles. They make so little sense in how small the lenses are and what the extra lenses do. They look as if they were designed just because someone thought that they looked cool.
5 Cool: Original Posh Soviet Spy
There's just something about the extravagant, refined Soviet spy Madame Natasha that fist bedeviled Iron Man that works on so many levels. Her look gives her the air of mystery yet allows her to get involved in the world of a millionaire.
Her appearance lends itself to seducing without being too base. It's believable that she not only targeted Tony Stark but also lured a burgeoning hero named Hawkeye into following her into a life of crime.
4 Lame: Avengers Bomber Jacket
There was a period in the 1990s where it was decided that the Avengers all needed matching bomber jackets. It's a look that doesn't work well at all with almost every member of the team, be it the Black Knight, Crystal, Sersi, or of course, the Black Widow.
Black Widow stands out, even in a group. However, these jackets made the Avengers look like the support staff for the Avengers. Natasha is no one's support staff, she's a key member that can be depended on. Remembering that she's on your team shouldn't take a jacket.
3 Cool: Grey Bodysuit
The grey suit that Black Widow wore in the 1980s helped her blend into the shadows and stand out when the story demanded it. It came about as she began to be a supporting guest-star in Daredevil by Frank Miller. Just as switching to the black catsuit initially coincided with separating herself from the Avengers, this change in look set her up to be a part of Daredevil's world, which got much more noir.
It's striking with a large spider on her back, although some artists would forego it. It remained striking with the popped collar flowing up into her short, red hair. It's almost as iconic as her black catsuit with the advantage of allowing her to show up against backgrounds.
2 Lame: Silver Age Fishnet
In the Silver Age, there were a lot of costumes that never quite worked, but Black Widow's first real costume is a truly bad match for her character. It paired a black one-piece and cape with all-over fishnet. Pairing it with earrings bearing the letter B and a clasp on her cape with the letter W is just tacky.
The fishnet is also a problem as depicted when she decided to change to her black catsuit costume. The fishnet wasn't very durable in fights. Let's face it, the Black Widow needs to have a costume that can last through a fight.
1 Cool: The classic black catsuit
The black catsuit is a design that Black Widow keeps coming back to. It's also the basis for her costumes in the MCU. It debuted in 1970 after Natasha encountered Spider-Man and wanted to incorporate his powers into her abilities. This was the beginning of a rebirth for the character.
The costume makes Natasha a stronger character and separates her from a less than spectacular past as a Soviet agent and simply Hawkeye's girlfriend. With this costume, Black Widow began her journey to the character that can headline a major motion picture. Some knew that sooner than others, though.