Written by Dr. Mike Robinson ~ Guest Writer
Photo of comic book cover retrieved from http://www.wikipedia.com.
Six decades ago, a scheming beauty and a jealous archer became inextricably linked. While they would go on to become quintessential members of the Avengers, the Black Widow and Hawkeye were slightly different from the characters you might know from the MCU.
In fact, the Black Widow was radically different. Marvel comics echoed the Cold War fears of Communist aggression and espionage, but perhaps never more so than in the pages of Tales of Suspense, a former monster-of-the-month comic that was taken over by Iron Man when the superheroic character debuted late in 1962. As a billionaire industrialist and playboy, Tony Stark served as a natural symbol of American ingenuity and freedom. Therefore, it was only natural that sinister Soviet agents scheming against this country would send villain after villain to defeat this icon of capitalism.
The Black Widow was a bit different than the superpowered menaces Iron Man normally faced. She was a glamorous woman of intrigue not an armored brawler. In her initial appearance (Tales of Suspense #52, April 1964), she used her mystique and wiles to seduce Stark while her deadly agent Boris moved to capture the defector Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. the Crimson Dynamo (sorry MCU fans, Vanko was never Whiplash in the comics). Of course, Iron Man saved the day, but Black Widow remained at large to cause more troubles.
Manipulating men became the Widow’s primary modus operandi and she found an excellent dupe when she met Hawkeye (Tales of Suspense #57, September 1964). A brash attention seeker, circus archer Clint Barton became Hawkeye after Iron Man received public adoration for stopping an accident at the carnival. Barton wanted to be a hero, but he was mistaken for a criminal after stopping a robber. He quickly threw his lot in with the Black Widow. Surprise, surprise, Black Widow manipulated Hawkeye’s romantic interest in her to convince him to attack Iron Man.
Later, the Black Widow would get some Spider-Man-lite powers—a nylon web line and some suction cup boots and gloves for wall crawling. She moved into a more action mode.
Melodrama is a powerful thing in Marvel and soon these two found themselves bound by star-crossed love. For his part, Hawkeye did not like the Widow’s Communist masters, but his heart ached for her so he would do anything she asked. The Black Widow, of course, ached to escape from her ruthless superiors to be with her love, but she was often bound too tightly by their web of intrigue.
Believing his love to be fatally wounded by her espionage handlers, Hawkeye decided to change his reputation. In his typically bold style, he invaded Avengers mansion to show them just how good a hero he could be (in the legendary Avengers #16, May 1965). Fortunately for him, at just that moment many of the Avengers were having a meeting about taking leaves of absence from the team. Soon joined by Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and led by Captain America, Hawkeye would become part of what was fondly called “Cap’s Kooky Quartet.”
Marvel was Marvel, so of course Black Widow was not dead. Her connection to Hawkeye was strong and she would often aid the Avengers on some of their missions. Black Widow would take a long time to accept the team’s offer of membership (in Avengers #111, May 1973). By then, in the soap operatic way that is so Marvel, the Widow was exiting another relationship, this time with the superhero Daredevil.
The MCU’s take on these characters is certainly different. Hawkeye is a far more stable presence in the films. He even has a perfectly normal family life. With the Cold War long over, Black Widow’s connection to the insidious Red Room training program gives her a different role as a Russian agent. Hawkeye’s friendship and guidance is what helped the Widow leave that deadly world. While not so romantic, the connection is still there between them, just as strong as it has always been in the comics.
