10 Worst Things Black Widow Has Ever Done
Easy to forget about all that child murder.
As a character who flits from doing good to indiscriminately murdering at the drop of a hat, it's easy to see how Black Widow could have done a huge amount of terrible, terrible things in her time in comics, especially since she first appeared in the Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #14 as a supervillain.
While the vast majority of this can be put down to the brainwashing of her former KGB trainers and captors, not all of Natasha's worst actions take place in her days as an enemy of the Avengers. Indeed, Black Widow has been responsible for a whole host of awful antics while entirely free of the chains of her old life.
Unfortunately, many of Nat's worst moments occur when she's arguably trying to do good things - as a lifetime of being a hardcore assassin has left her willing to do literally anything to get the end result she wants, which leaves her slaughtering and maiming completely innocent folks for *Hot Fuzz voice* "the greater good".
With a rap sheet that includes fratricide, cannibalism, and almost ending the world, it's kind of a surprise that Natasha Romanova is still considered a hero in the first place.
10. Killing Her Oldest Friend - Black Widow (Vol. 5) #20
As an assassin trained from childhood to love nobody and kill everyone, it's safe to say that the Black Widow was somewhat lacking in the friend department for most of her life. There was one exception to this rule, however: that of Marina, a girl who Natasha trained alongside in the Red Room, and with whom she formed a firm friendship.
So, obviously, the end of the fifth volume of Black Widow has Natasha being forced to kill Marina, as her superiors felt that the woman had grown too fond of her undercover life in Cuba and thus would betray them. Despite knowing that it would be denying her friend a long-deserved chance at happiness - and being aware that there was a very good chance Marina could successfully change identities instead - she shoots her in the shower, with an expression that suggests that she also knows this is a terrible thing to have done.
Just to emphasise that this isn't a heroic move, she then kills the cat, despite the fact it notably lacks the vocal faculties required to grass on the assassin.