CTX Essay Attempt 1

CTX Essay: Black Widow: an Avenger, Underappreciated. When we say superheroes, we think of Marvel’s Avengers or DC Comic’s Justice League, but we never really praise Black Widow as an individual for who she really is and her phenomenal abilities. Black Widow, in the science field is a spider that is known for its poisonous venom which makes Natasha, her character in the superhero world similar in certain ways. The character Black Widow was created by the one and only, Stan Lee with the help of Don Rico and Don Heck. Black Widow is known to be one of the best spies and assassins in the world; lethal and unbeatable. Black Widow who is also known as Natalia Alianovna Romanova goes by the name of Natasha Romanoff was born in 1928 and became an orphan after a house fire killed her parents when enemies attacked Stalingrad. She was recruited by the KGB where she was trained in the Red Room to be a world class spy and assassin. The Red Room training programme trains young women to be the deadliest killers in the world and are brainwashed to be unmerciful. This includes killing brutally and not having any conscience about it. Only when they are excellent and superb would they be able to gain the title of a Black Widow. Black Widows are also generally “planted” with false memories to maintain their loyalty towards the government. Before anything, let’s look back into history. Natasha Romanoff is Russian. Back in the days, the Russians were known to be violent even before World War I and the Russian Revolution. History states that crime rates overshadowed everything else in Soviet Union during the 1930s and that is why it is not a surprise that a training programme like The Red Room could exist. Russians are also generally known to be blunt and serious. Her trainer, Madame B was very hard on her and could possibly be the reason why Natasha Romanoff is the Black Widow we speak of today. When Natasha started failing her tests on purpose and tried to escape, Madame B was quick enough to see it and eventually forcefully sterilised Natasha. “You never fail.” Madame B said to Black Widow. These words and the painful memories still linger in her. Even after leaving the Red Room for years, she is still haunted by the memories. Now comes the question, why is she called a superhero? Black Widow is a superhero because she uses her abilities to protect the world and fight against evil, hence her character as an Avenger. Her superpowers are extraordinary as she received a female version of the super-soldier serum that gives her physical abilities just like Captain America. She was biologically and psychologically enhanced with the use of technology. This makes her strong, agile, fast, and durable unlike any normal female human. Her dedication and skills has also proved herself to be one of the best informant in the Marvel Universe and despite being trained to be a deadly assassin from Russia, she eventually uses her ability to fight for the better. She was an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agent at Tony Stark’s legal department, helped the Avengers defend New York City, and fought alongside Captain America against HYDRA. She excelled in every task given. This brings me to the point, how and what Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow represents in this world. Being the only female Avenger before Wanda Maximoff, better known as Scarlet Witch joined the team, Black Widow was always assumed to be the “weak” one and not many praise her as much as how the community praises the other superheroes. Her character has always been underestimated by many. And why is that? Just because Captain America has a shield, Thor wears a cape and has a hammer made only for him, Tony Stark with his Iron Man armour, and Hulk who turns green with incredible strength, is Black Widow not enough? Or is it because she’s a woman? Despite not having a cape or the ability to change appearance physically, Black Widow portrays the figure of a strong and independent women. She is very confident, reliable and fierce in whatever she does. In the 2012 movie, The Avengers, even when she was in the middle of an interrogation, when Agent Coulson called and mentioned that S.H.I.E.L.D needed her help as Barton had been compromised, she did not hesitate for a second to help and immediately agreed. She could be one of the faces of women empowerment in this generation of ours where feminism is an uprising movement. She hardly relies on anyone to accomplish something and if f she could get the job done herself, she would. Her femininity power makes her different from the male heroes surrounding her. “This distinct difference between Black Widow and the rest of her fighting teammates throughout her history sets her up as a seductive spy in the Marvel world and a strong feminine role model in modern society.” (Mackay, 2016). Black Widow had a past of being an agent who sleeps around but “recent films present her as a potential role model for viewers” (Mackay, 2016). Black Widow has natural grace and is elegant. There is something about her with her interest in Bruce Banner. It is the fact that she is the only one that could calm the Hulk and that she is attracted to the Hulk when he has always been assumed to be a monster. The bravery, sincerity and trust in her towards him allows her to do so as she sees Hulk as Bruce Banner and not Hulk, a monster. Her sincerity could also be seen whenever Hawkeye needs her help. It shows that she cherishes her friendship with Barton. She has the values of a well-respected woman. “No longer are female supers intended to be nothing more than examples of promiscuity and eye candy. The new Natasha Romanoff presents a distinctly new kind of heroine, one whose personal life could be set as a model for women everywhere.” (Mackay, 2016). When it comes to art influences, Black Widow masters skills of many martial arts that has origins from the East Asia countries. She knows karate, judo, sambo, and jujutsu. “The arts have been used to build good character and self-control.” (Kopel, 2007). Her moves hardly have any flaws in it. Based on visual design observations, her black skin-tight bodysuit she wears for battles, flatters her body and it comes with different weapons. It is designed with special fabric that protects her from extreme temperatures and small-arms fire. This makes her even more powerful. The colour black, physiologically shows power, elegance, mystery, evil and formality. It fits the description of Black Widow as a character perfectly. When we relate Black Widow to Science, she had taken the super serum, which allows her to have prolonged youth which is why she looks beautiful in every movie and she gets even more beautiful as time goes on. Her looks make her seductive as shown in Iron Man 2 when Tony Stark was attracted to her looks.

The Black Widow monogram is also significant as it is literally taken from the actual spider. The red and black monogram could be seen on the body of a black widow spider. This just makes her character’s name even more true to its origin. When we talk about her weapons on the other hand, the top two ones are, black widow’s bite and black widow’s baton. Both are electroshock weapons and delivers powerful electric charges. It could be seen when she used it against the Chitauri, Ant Man and the Black Panther. The Black Widow batons are special as it was designed by Tony Stark for her. Although her weapons are powerful, a superhero like Black Widow can handle it without a problem. There are hardly any flaws about the Black Widow but if there is anything you could critique about her, it might be her being so fearless and strong. Sometimes, her strength and fearlessness could make her too violent as she may lack empathy when it comes to getting the job done. As she is the best at the what she does, she is constantly driven by motto of getting the task done without considering the consequences. In the 2016 Captain America: Civil War movie, she fights a pair of armed men in the market in front of hundreds of civilians. In those civilian’s eyes, she might be fighting off the bad guys, but she could also be seen and treated as one of them as she’s strong enough to handle them and could defeat them. In conclusion, it is true that Black Widow is what she is said to be. It has been proven that she is strong, powerful, lethal and unbeatable just like the other superheroes we speak off today. She represents women in the Marvel Universe and is a hero to many of us. Black Widow’s overall strength and cunning-self makes her character admirable and interesting to the audience. Her character should be praised and appreciated more. She deserves a spotlight.