Natasha Romanoff isn't a Marvel character with amazing powers. Nor does she have a background steeped in science fiction, technology, or mythology. Yet, since her debut in April 1964, Black Widow has been a prominent character on Earth-616.

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So much so that her popularity has kept her steeped in team books and solo adventures for decades. On top of that, she became a huge movie star in the Avengers films and her own theatrical release. It goes to show that, no matter how much she has changed, Black Widow will always resonate with fans.

10 She's No Longer A Russian Spy

Black Widow was originally a Russian Spy

When introduced in Tales of Suspense #52 by Stan Lee, Black Widow is a Soviet agent. Premier Khruschev requests that she, along with her partner, assassinate Tony Stark and Anton Vanko, the former Crimson Dynamo. In the end, things go awry. At the end of the issue, Natasha is seen running in fear from the authorities.

She continued to attack Stark and Iron Man. Eventually, she teamed up with, Clint Barton, Hawkeye, to take action against him. Years later, she began to fall for Barton and decided to defect from the Soviet Union and change her ways.

9 She Got Her Own Costume

Black Widow's costume in 1967 and 1970.

In Tales of Suspense #64 by Stan Lee, Natasha was provided a costume by Soviet authorities. The blue fishnet leotard with a matching mask and cape might have been stylish in the mid-60s. However, it became quickly outdated. By the early 70s, as she went solo, she went with a black version of the costume.

A few years later, Natasha grew her hair out and adopted a black bodysuit. She incorporated her stingers, among other spy-related gadgets, into wrist gauntlets and belt. Though there have been slight modifications to this outfit over the years, it has remained Black Widow's go-to costume.

8 She Became An Avenger

Black Widow in Avengers v1 #111

It took a while for Natasha to become a member of The Avengers. One reason is some of them had doubts about her intentions. However, as she started to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and help other Earth-616 heroes, they had a change of pace.

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Natasha helped the team several times before sponsorship. For instance, she led them to the headquarters of the racist group Sons of the Serpent and aided them against the Ultoids. It wasn't until 1973 and Avengers 111 that she was offered official membership with her partner at the time, Daredevil. While she accepted, ol' Hornhead declined.

7 She Had A Relationship With Daredevil

Hawkeye, Black Widow, Daredevil

The Black Widow has had her share of relationships with the heroes of Earth-616. The first, during the early days of her career, was with Hawkeye. Her next one was with Matt Murdock, the street-level superhero known as Daredevil.

This occurred after she became a pawn of Baal, a supercomputer from Earth-71778. Rescued by Daredevil, she and Matt began a partnership and romance. It got to the point that his comic book series featured Natasha from issues 92 to 124.

6 She Became An Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Black Widow Stories

In the second Iron Man film, Natasha wasn't originally introduced as the Black Widow. Instead, she was shown as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. This isn't an MCU concept. The Black Widow has been an official and freelance agent of the super-spy agency for decades.

In fact, she defected from the Soviet Union to join the group. Among the tasks Nick Fury hired her to do was spy on her former Russian master and prevent the villain Egghead from performing an orbital strike on Earth.

5 She Co-Founded The Champions

Ghost Rider, Angel, Hercules, Black Widow, Iceman

In the mid-1970s, on a break from The Avengers, Natasha helped co-found another superhero team. The Champions came to be after several West Coast heroes foiled a plot by the god Pluto in Los Angeles.

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Joining her on the team were former Avenger Hercules, former X-Men Iceman & Angel, and Ghost Rider. Unfortunately, due to bankruptcy, The Champions broke up not long after their formation.

4 She Had Her Face Surgically Swapped

Yelena Belova and Natasha hold guns to each other's heads in Marvel Comics

In the 1997 film Face/Off, an FBI agent and crazed terrorist swap faces to infiltrate each other's organizations. Natasha had the same thing done in her first solo series. Here, it was to stop Cold War nuclear weapons from being sold.

She also wanted to know why another Russian agent, Yelena Belova, had taken on the mantle of Black Widow. Once she found out what was going on, Natasha had her regular face restored. However, she portrayed Yelena once again to infiltrate the Norman Osborn-led Thunderbolts.

3 She Retired To Arizona

Black Widow Red Room training

Being an Avenger and an undercover agent takes a toll on anyone. Even someone with as much resilience as Natasha. After seeing her once-dead, once-alive, once a robot, now-alive former husband Red Guardian, she couldn't take it anymore. So, she retired to Arizona.

Unfortunately, it was only for a short time. Agents of the Red Room, the location where Natasha trained under the Black Widow Ops Program, started to kill their former students. She decided to track down these murderers. Along the way, Natasha learned she had a mind-control mechanism embedded in her brain. Nick Fury revealed he was able to trigger it to get Black Widow to defect.

2 She Became A Supporter Of The Superhero Registration Act

Black Widow takes aim at her enemies

The first Civil War series had several twists and turns. Among them was Natasha's agreement to support the Superhero Registration Act. A surprising move coming from her.

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Due to this fealty to Iron Man and the federal government, she joined the post-Civil War Avengers team while Tony Stark became S.H.I.E.L.D. director. When he seemed to die and Maria Hill became incapacitated, Natasha assumed temporary leadership of the group as the highest-ranking agent.

1 She Died And Came Back As A Clone

Spider-Man, Black Widow, Captain America

Despite the consequences of their creation, Earth-616 certainly has its share of active clones. Among them are Ben Reilly, Peter Parker's duplicate, several X-Men, and Natasha Romanoff.

After her death by Captain America's shield in Secret Empire, the Black Widow Ops Program created a clone of her. Though her Red Room operatives wanted her to kill off the remnants of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha still retained her memories from the original. Therefore, she was able to infiltrate the organization and destroy it.

NEXT: Black Widow: 5 Fictional Spies She Could Beat (& 5 Who’d Beat Her)