Natasha Romanov: Black Widow Appreciation 2020

[Sneakronicity]

Stubble wasn't even very good. A bit thin and sparse.

I agree, little emotional connection for me too, as I'm sure for others. Thompson may have hoped their chosen names might engender more sympathy. I think it's interesting she didn't chose say Ivan, or even Clint, and I am relieved neither was "Nicky". Also not sure the end game for this supposed "cabal" of Widow antagonists. Was the elaborate brainwashing and set up a permanent solution to the BW for them? Hard to imagine they thought this wouldn't have eventually been uncovered despite going to great extremes to "introduce" James and Stevie, and creating an enormous fabricated backstory. To what end?

I assume the child was some type of accelerated in vitro fertilization but who or what James may be is a mystery to me. Clone? Of whom? Or someone off the street that just happens to bear resemblance to Bucky?

Have to say the flashback scenes by Gomez were amazing!

Finally, I'm still not loving the Bucky/Clint team up, for some reason. Didn't feel it worked with Tales of Suspense, and I'm slightly bored with it here, even slightly irritated. But we've already touched upon Marvel's struggle writing the Winter Soldier well in earlier posts. Clint alone may have been a better choice. Yes, and maybe if James had been truly Bucky brainwashed (cause that's his never ending story anyway), I might have found the plot more immediate and accessible.

It does seem rather convoluted to just get her out of the way. And what was with her unknowingly building a bomb despite all of it? I really hope there's an amazing conclusion that brings it all together, 'cause I've definitely been hooked by the story the first three issues, and I'm absolutely in love with the art, but this issue has made me extra nervous about how it's all going to wrap up.

I don't agree James should have been Bucky, though, or anyone we know. This is Natasha's story, and adding another brainwashed big name character in there instantly takes away from that. Personally I think it needed to be someone we would question and be suspicious about in the beginning, that's what grabbed me and had me theorizing, and James fit that bill, but at the same time it made this issue not work for me. IMO it was this issue that was the problem, not the initial setup.

[chicago_bastard]

It felt disrespectiful to me and specially to the character. I also think this is a major disservice to Thompson's work, we saw Natasha taking a lot more thugs in a harder situations.
We would never have this problem with a male character.

It's not as if Thompson's story doesn't have problematic gender implications, too. You have an independent and strong woman living a life as a superhero and spy, being the best at what she does. Then she gets relegated into a slightly modified male 1950s fantasy as a loving suburbian soon-to-be-wife and mother. And what happens when she discovers she was stuck into this fake life? She acknowledges that fake life, that lasted barely three months, as her true ideal. I thought we had overcome such conservative role models.

Back to Duggan I also didn't like that particular scene but I don't think he's doing Nat disservice overall. Later he shows her giving the big bad of the issue the good old leg scissor takedown treatment and everyone can see that she's perfectly able to get the job done without relying on her looks.

That's more than can be said of Coates' book where she did nothing but get captured and now she's waiting to get saved. Sigh.

[tliscord]

I think you’re spot on here. No way to spin this that doesn’t imply a kind of gratuitous pining for something likely totally foreign and perhaps reprehensible to her. There is an implied bias with this story I didn’t see before.

[Godlike13]

It's not as if Thompson's story doesn't have problematic gender implications, too. You have an independent and strong woman living a life as a superhero and spy, being the best at what she does. Then she gets relegated into a slightly modified male 1950s fantasy as a loving suburbian soon-to-be-wife and mother. And what happens when she discovers she was stuck into this fake life? She acknowledges that fake life, that lasted barely three months, as her true ideal. I thought we had overcome such conservative role models.

Thats a stretch. She was hardly a Stepford wife in the fake life, and the idea that she would want a family is not egregious or offensive.

[Matternativ]

Thats a stretch. She was hardly a Stepford wife in the fake life, and the idea that she would want a family is not egregious or offensive.

Besides it's not like she's had much time to like process anything at all yet. It would have been weirder if she had just immediately been like "Oh I remember everything, I don't care about you anymore."
We don't know what she had done with her life if she had the opportunity to sit down and think for a few days.
I doubt the takeaway here is that Nat would go back to her normal Job and living that picture perfect family life even with her memories intact.

[baxer]

Besides it's not like she's had much time to like process anything at all yet. It would have been weirder if she had just immediately been like "Oh I remember everything, I don't care about you anymore."
We don't know what she had done with her life if she had the opportunity to sit down and think for a few days.
I doubt the takeaway here is that Nat would go back to her normal Job and living that picture perfect family life even with her memories intact.

That i how I saw the scene, she was still "high" from the manipulation. She will have time to reflect about her fake life later

[Will Evans]

Does anyone have an accurate list of names of the villains from the villain head splash page?

[chicago_bastard]

Does anyone have an accurate list of names of the villains from the villain head splash page?

Moving down the left side from top:

Bullseye - Taskmaster
Damon Dran - Weeping Lion
Mandrill - Anya aka Recluse
Lady Bullseye - Norman Osborn
Arcade? - Red Skull
The Hand - Ivan Petrovich
Elektra

Moving down the right side from top:

Red Guardian - Iron Maiden
Imus Champion - Ultron
Baron von Strucker - Kingpin
No idea
AIM - Doctor Doom
Madame Masque
King Cobra? - Snapdragon

Not sure about Arcade and King Cobra though and still have no clue about the female.

[chicago_bastard]

Thats a stretch. She was hardly a Stepford wife in the fake life, and the idea that she would want a family is not egregious or offensive.

Besides it's not like she's had much time to like process anything at all yet. It would have been weirder if she had just immediately been like "Oh I remember everything, I don't care about you anymore."
We don't know what she had done with her life if she had the opportunity to sit down and think for a few days.
I doubt the takeaway here is that Nat would go back to her normal Job and living that picture perfect family life even with her memories intact.

You are right that it's a bit of a stretch but one has to admit it's at least a bit iffy that Nat claims to truly love that guy she knew for only three months as the result of brainwashing.

[chicago_bastard]

Moving down the left side from top:

Bullseye - Taskmaster
Damon Dran - Weeping Lion
Mandrill - Anya aka Recluse
Lady Bullseye - Norman Osborn
Arcade? - Red Skull
The Hand - Ivan Petrovich
Elektra

Moving down the right side from top:

Red Guardian - Iron Maiden
Imus Champion - Ultron
Baron von Strucker - Kingpin
No idea
AIM - Doctor Doom
Madame Masque
King Cobra? - Snapdragon

Not sure about Arcade and King Cobra though and still have no clue about the female.

Oh right now it occured to me that the female in question could be the young version of the original headmistress, Anya's mother. The hairstyle is identical.

[Seren]

Dumb question nevermind.

[Matternativ]

You are right that it's a bit of a stretch but one has to admit it's at least a bit iffy that Nat claims to truly love that guy she knew for only three months as the result of brainwashing.

I dunno. Her memories are fake but her feelings are not.
Like if this wasn't comics but any other story I could see her choosing to stay with him and if it's just for their "sons" sake.

In a scenario where that wouldn't put them on the line at least.
I can totally see where you are coming from but I don't necessarily agree. I've seen much iffier love stories being romanticised if nothing else.

[tsaimelemoni]

Moving down the left side from top:

Bullseye - Taskmaster
Damon Dran - Weeping Lion
Mandrill - Anya aka Recluse
Lady Bullseye - Norman Osborn
Arcade? - Red Skull
The Hand - Ivan Petrovich
Elektra

Moving down the right side from top:

Red Guardian - Iron Maiden
Imus Champion - Ultron
Baron von Strucker - Kingpin
No idea
AIM - Doctor Doom
Madame Masque
King Cobra? - Snapdragon

Not sure about Arcade and King Cobra though and still have no clue about the female.

I'm surprised Elektra was represented there... as far as I know they aren't enemies - in fact, they're working together over in Savage Avengers


Anyway, I finally caught up on this series, and I'm enjoying it overall.

[chicago_bastard]

I'm surprised Elektra was represented there... as far as I know they aren't enemies - in fact, they're working together over in Savage Avengers


Anyway, I finally caught up on this series, and I'm enjoying it overall.

I agree that calling them enemies would go too far. But they had a violent encounter in Liu's BW run and most of the times they crossed paths in Daredevil one gets the vibe they don't really like each other. I see them working together in SA more as a partnership of convenience.

That said some of the villains in that panel are a bit questionable. Natasha doesn't really have a rich rogues gallery so they had to stretch it.

[baxer]

I dunno. Her memories are fake but her feelings are not.
Like if this wasn't comics but any other story I could see her choosing to stay with him and if it's just for their "sons" sake.

In a scenario where that wouldn't put them on the line at least.
I can totally see where you are coming from but I don't necessarily agree. I've seen much iffier love stories being romanticised if nothing else.

The feelings are kinda of fake too, that wasnt herself. Of course that the kid is her son, so that is different, I think really deep buried she always wanted to be a mother or at least not have been sterilized