Fuck Yeah, Black Widow

Natasha: So, Jessica, how did you do that with your powers?
Veranke: I tried. It worked.
Natasha: According to your files you shouldn’t have come anywhere near that level of power.
Veranke: Oh, that. My powers react differently to different types of attacks. We lucked out this time.
Natasha: That’s not what it says in your file.
Veranke: Really? The my file’s incomplete. I’ll look into that. Natasha. We won. Enjoy the moment.

Of course, Bendis already established Natasha’s superiority over skrullkind. Can I just say how much I appreciated a giganto-crossover with the theme “Who can you trust?” that showed Natasha as maybe the most trustworthy Avenger of them all?

From Mighty Avengers #11, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley.

Natasha: Maria Hill is out. Ms. Hill?
SHIELD Agent: Oh man, then who’s in charge??
SHIELD Agent: The ship’s first officer!
SHIELD Agent: Then let’s get him—
SHIELD Agent: Unless there’s an agent level ten on board.
SHIELD Agent: Level ten? Nick Fury is the only level ten I ever heard of.
Natasha: Actually, I’m level ten.
SHIELD Agent: Then where to, Captain?
Natasha: Battle stations, people!! We are at full-scale worldwide white alert!! I want full reports from all stations! I want full analysis from all departments!! I want a solution to our problem five minutes ago!! All world leaders are to be informed immediately that we are under attack and head to their emergency bunkers. Inform all members of the Initiative that we are on high alert and to await further instruction! Find Reed Richards And let me know when we’re ready to get this boat back up in the sky.
Carol: She’s in charge now?
Jan: Oh, she’s in charge. (Not bad.)
Natasha: Avengers— Ultron. We lost visual. Go!!

What I best like about this sequence is the split-second of hesitation on Natasha’s face. You see, Natasha isn’t a natural leader. She’s very good at planning and tactics and very good at reading and manipulating people. She also likes being in charge of everything. But her bossiness is almost a self-defense mechanism— her life hasn’t been up to her, she’s controlling because she despises being controlled. And she isn’t gung-ho for the spotlight, not because she fears responsibility, but because stealth is something that’s been drilled into her.

She’s not supposed to stand in front of an army and lead it into battle, she’s not supposed to be the center of attention, hell, she’s really not supposed to be on a team at all. But when people need her, she shows up. And that’s pretty cool.

From Mighty Avengers #3, by Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho.

Natasha: Battle stations, people!! We are at full-scale worldwide white alert!! I want reports from all stations! I want analysis from all departments!! I want a solution to our problem five minutes ago!! All world leaders are to be informed immediately that we are under attack and to head to their emergency bunkers! (Need some heroes…) Inform all members of the initiative that we are on high alert and await further instruction! (Need a big brain…) Find Reed Richards!! And let me know when we’re ready to get this boat back up in the sky!
Carol: She’s in charge now?
Jan: Oh, she’s in charge. (Not bad.)
Ares: (♥)
Natasha: Avengers— Ultron. We lost visual. Go!!

Here’s another thing Bendis did: he put Natasha back on the Avengers. See, Natasha was with the team for a good chunk of the nineties, and chairperson for most of that period, but it all ended when Marvel decided to reboot their A-listers in a pocket dimension in the mind of Franklin Richards. (Comics, everybody!) Back in the main Marvel Universe, Natasha believed her whole team had been killed on her watch, and suffered a year of survivor’s guilt. It was actually an interesting set of plotlines for Natasha, but for a while she thought she made for good spy, but a poor superhero— a bad Avenger.

She was off the team for nearly a decade, and part of that was because she didn’t think she was good enough.

But Bendis put her back on the line-up. He put her back on the line-up and he had her lead and he had her be good at it. This moment was a kind of redemption.

From Mighty Avengers #3, by Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho.

fyeahlilbitoeverything:

This is the kind of cool shit I hope we get to see Black Widow doing in The Avengers movie (minus the gratuitous Frank Cho T&A of course). She really is a kickass member even if people seem to act like she isn’t a good fit for the team.

Natasha’s a terrific Avenger who cares more about the team then people think. Movieverse Avengers is SHIELD-based anyways, so I do not see the problem (except in the lack of Jan, but that’s not about Natasha, that’s about Jan) with including the character with the most prominent historic ties between the two franchises. Remember kids, Hulk: obvious choice, Woman Who Led The Team For 50+ Issues: GTFO.

From Mighty Avengers #2, by Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho.

Weary SHIELD Recruit: How is this training us?
Natasha: If you have to ask, you’re not done training yet.
Tony: Come on, Natasha. It’s not these kids fault you’re not in the field.
Natasha: Whose fault is it? I’ll hit them.
Tony: Just the ghost of Nick Fury coming back to bite you in the ass. Politics, you know. Grab your Black Widow gear and meet us on the flight deck.
Natasha: New assignment?
Tony: You’re an Avenger again.
Natasha: Spasibo, baby.

Natasha’s rank under Stark was higher than her rank under Fury— which I actually find kind of fitting. She and Maria Hill did not get along, as one of Hill’s first acts as Director was rounding up Daredevil and then implying that Natasha sleeps around too much.

Anyway, Natasha in workout gear!!

From Mighty Avengers #2, by Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho.

Ms. Marvel: Are you worried about her in the more intense combat situations?
Iron Man: Am I worried? Uh, no.

Mighty Avengers #1, Brian Michael Bendis and Frank Cho.