| For the Avenger, see Black Widow |
| For alternate versions of the Black Widows, see the Black Widows' Organization Hub |
- "It's my network of Widows that help me control the scales of power. One command, the oil and stock markets crumble. One command, and a quarter of the planet will starve. My Widows can start and end wars. They can break and make kings."
- âDreykov to Natasha Romanoff[src]
The Black Widows were the Red Room's elite group of female spies and assassins who underwent the Black Widow Program. By the 1980s, they served under the command of Dreykov until the Red Room's termination.
History[]
Original Widows[]
- "Training young girls to be what, assassins? Seems like the Russians would want to train grown men."
"Women are often overlooked, taken for granted. They can slip easily through a man's defenses." - âPeggy Carter and Johann Fennhoff[src]
To be added
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Taken by Dreykov[]
- "He takes more every day. Children who don't have anyone to protect them. Just like us when we were small. Maybe one in twenty survives the training, becomes a Widow. The rest, he kills. To him, we are just things. Weapons with no face that he can just throw away."
- âYelena Belova to Natasha Romanoff[src]
By the 1980s, the Black Widows fell under the command of Dreykov, a high-ranking officer of the Soviet Union. He had many young girls who were deemed unwanted and lacked protection trafficked and taken to the Red Room Academy, training them to become formidable assassins and talented spies, nothing more than living weapons to carry out tasks that did not warrant Dreykov's direct attention.
After the Soviet Union was dissolved, Dreykov still operated the Black Widow Program. However, several of these "candidates" were severely injured or even killed during the brutal trainings. Those that lacked adequate skills were killed by Dreykov. According to Yelena Belova, about one in twenty survive the training. For many years, the Black Widows performed secret espionage missions and assassinations and were involved in or possibly orchestrated several crises worldwide, such as the Euromaidan in Ukraine, all while Dreykov met many important world leaders and figures and continued garnering a powerful influence.[2]
Mind-Controlled Widows[]
- "Dreykov still has the Widows under his control, so you have to expose them to this antidote."
- âMelina Vostokoff to Yelena Belova[src]
Using the information retrieved from the North Institute by Melina Vostokoff and Alexei Shostakov, Vostokoff was able to concoct a mind control serum that would allow Dreykov to control the Widows however he sees fit. In 2016, a Widow named Oksana acquired Red Dust vials and used it on Yelena Belova, freeing her from the mind control. Belova was then tasked to give out the vials to the other Widows and mailed them to Natasha Romanoff, in hopes she could due to her status. Romanoff and Belova teamed up and eventually with Vostokoff and Shostakov's help took down the Red Room and freed a group of Widows. Romanoff then tasked Belova with using the rest of the vials to free other Widows around the world.[2]
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
| This section requires expansion |
- Black Widow's Bites: To be added
- Black Widow Batons: To be added
Other Equipment[]
| This section requires expansion |
- Uniforms: To be added
Vehicles[]
| This section requires expansion |
- Motorcycles: To be added
- Jets: To be added
Appearances[]
| Appearances for Black Widows |
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In chronological order:
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