CTX Essay Final Attempt

Natalia “Natasha” Alianovna Romanova. Better known as Black Widow, is one of Marvel’s deadliest spy and assassin. Behind all of that, who is she? From my perspective, she is a child who is afraid of the world. Just like many of us today where no one and nothing is guaranteed what it really is. She has been through traumatic events in her life where it doesn’t surprise me that Black Widow is who she is shown to be. Her parents were killed in a fire, she was tortured, she was brainwashed, she was sterilised, she killed her best friend and even her own brother. It’s not usual for anyone to kill their own bloodline but Black Widow did, and it just shows how someone, regardless of relationship or even blood ties would do when there is a sense of revenge and hatred. This brings me to the point where I say Black Widow is just a facade she shows just to hide who she really is on the inside. The painful memories that haunts her overshadows the goodness in her world. Ever since she was a kid, she was always surrounded by violence and never saw the bright side of life. It is similar to the world today where people give up because they don’t see hope and light. Instead they go into hiding, they isolate themselves from people because they don’t feel “normal”. Looking from the aspect of social representations, Black Widow became an icon of women empowerment. According to Mackay, recent films present her as a potential role model for viewers. Natasha feels the need to show that the past does not define who we are as individuals but who we can be. She was trained to be an assassin who just kills without mercy but eventually she became empowered and strong as a female superhero. She broke the stereotype that women are weaker than men. She killed her own brother and even approached a physically and emotionally broken Matt Murdock and told him that she still loved him. She said she would never get back to him as he was full of anger. She wouldn’t have said so if she wasn’t strong enough to deal with the consequences of admitting it. He was flawed but still went for it. It shows that not all women play the “weaker” role in a relationship. If you asked me, I would say it takes a lot of courage to do so but Black Widow changed my opinion on it. Women are now stronger than ever. Michelle Obama said, “There is no limit to what we, as women can accomplish”.

As we are still on this topic, Black Widow has yet to have her own movie. Directors, producers and executives did not think a female lead movie of Black Widow would sell but DC Comics Wonder Woman movie that came out in 2017 proved otherwise. The movie had gain more profits than expected even with a female director, Patty Jenkins taking on the responsibility. It is a living proof that women are now capable of things that were once assumed, couldn’t be done by them. Does Marvel not believe in the capabilities of the character that they themselves created? It was stated that Marvels had once published a swimsuit special for their comics, and female superhero characters including Black Widow was dressed in bikinis and swimwear as a shameless attempt to sell more comics especially to horny teenagers. Now, when you see Black Widow or hear her name mentioned, the first thought that comes to our mind is, a female superhero in the Avengers team. She is no longer an “eye candy”. Mackay also says that, “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.” There is no doubt that Black Widow is visually beautiful. She had taken the super soldier serum which slows down her aging process and prolongs her youthful look. Her looks attract men and is part of her charms. As shown in Iron Man 2 movie, Happy Hogan didn’t want to let Natasha go into Hammer Industries alone not knowing her real identity. He said “Look, I’m not letting you go in there alone”. When they were met by bodyguards, after Hogan had taken down one men, Natasha had already defeated and injured at least a dozen of men. She proved that she wasn’t just a pretty face that sits back and watch. This relates to how some things work here today. “Pretty” girls are not about waiting to be served but visually, they represent something more than that. It’s more than just an image. It’s about growing into the new generation where women are now getting out there, making changes. Ever wondered how life would have been different for Natasha Romanoff if she didn’t become a Black Widow? It is obvious in The Avengers movie, Age Of Ultron, Black Widow showed love interest towards Bruce Banner. That shows that she longed for love, even if she could not bear any children as she was sterilised. This is probably because she did not get the chance of experiencing real love since she was a kid. This could be related to certain people today. What I mean is, smokers smoke although they know for a fact it is a silent killer and people drink alcohol although it’s not good for health. But it’s the curiosity and the desire to experience, feel or understand what it means although it may harm us somehow. Black Widow has natural grace, she understands people. She sees Bruce Banner as who he is and not as Hulk, a monster. It’s because she’s seen and experience worst to conclude that Bruce is a monster. She said that she’s a monster herself that she could kill without mercy. She’s a Black Widow and scientifically, female Black Widows are spiders that kill and eat their mate after mating and that is how they live up to their name. I believe all of us have a little demon in us. No matter how “good” of a person we are, how kind we are, how nice we are, there is a monster inside of us all, whether it is making us do things that consider ourselves selfish or to do things that harm ourselves. Like I said before, it is the desire and need to feel and experience something.

In terms of art influences, Black Widow shows off that art is important. She is a master of many martial arts that originated from the East Asia countries. These arts have been used to build good character and self-control according to Kopel. It really pushes the boundaries of how many skills someone can master. There is literally no borderline or boundaries set for what one can achieve physically, mentally or even academically. This makes me believe a person can achieve greater and better things if they are not bound by rules and regulation. We live in a hectic world where law and order is needed but sometimes, someone has to push boundaries and make a difference for the better. Even if it means chaos, if something good comes out of it, it would be worth the shot.

Based on visual design observations, her black skin-tight bodysuit she wears during battles, flatters her body. Realistically, her outfit does not play a super important role as Black Widow’s skill itself doesn’t require them. She can fight in casual clothes and still win a battle. The armour that she wears is designed with special fabric that protects mher from extreme temperatures and small-arms fire.This makes her even more powerful. It is similar to how we, human beings, we live our life dressing up for the day because we have to, not because we want to. The way we dress up as well somehow tells a story about who we are, what we represent. The colour black, physiologically shows power, elegance, mystery, evil and formality. Black Widow’s armour has undergone many changes since the first design until today. “It was a look that seemed less "world's deadliest assassin" and more "woman you see standing on the corner of the street at night in the dodgy part of town" (Young, 2017) Her black skin-tight bodysuit is not just about flattering her body shape, but it also shows that you don’t need to show skin to look sexy. In conclusion, Natasha Romanoff, a women who was trained and programmed to kill and seduce, became a superhero when she showed more individual strength and courage than anyone could have expected. She showed competence through her evolution of character as the Black Widow. She is more than just Black Widow, she is a superhero who has a message to convey. To be strong, to have courage and to fight for the better.