10 Superheroes Who Started Out As Villains
8. Black Widow
When Natasha Romanova made her first appearance in the pages of Tales of Suspense #52, she was a Russian spy. Her purpose in the early appearances was to act as a recurring antagonist to Iron Man, and five issues after her first appearance, she steps up her game by recruiting Hawkeye.
She didn't wear a costume in those appearances, but it wasn't long before the USSR supplied her with her first Black Widow costume. That came with some high-tech weaponry, which made it more feasible that she could stand up to the likes of Iron Man.
Romanova grew up in Stalingrad and was educated by her nation to be a top-tier spy. She was trained to become a sniper, a martial artist, and a spy capable of infiltrating her nation's enemies. While she wasn't considered a villain in her native land, she absolutely was in the United States, which is where she operated.
Eventually, it would be her relationship with Hawkeye that would push her to reform. She was injured in their attempt to take down Iron Man, and at that time, she chose to defect. When the KGB learned of her intent, they gunned her down, but that only pushed her closer to becoming an Avenger.