15 surprising facts you didn’t know about Black Widow

She’s had flings with multiple Marvel characters

The MCU isn’t exactly known for its romantic relationships, though that seems to be changing in Phase 4. However, Marvel Comics has spent many storylines entangling its characters with one another, and Natasha hasn’t been exempt from that.

In the comics, Black Widow has flings with a number of other Marvel characters. The most notable among them are Hawkeye and Bucky Barnes, both of whom she meets during her time as a Russian agent. Both relationships are defined by all the suffering the characters have gone through, but they also mark significant turning points in Natasha’s development. While her romance with Bucky helps her see that she’s more than a spy and soldier, her relationship with Hawkeye is what pushes her to leave her past behind.

In addition to Hawkeye and Bucky, Natasha is involved with Marvel characters who haven’t been brought into the MCU. This includes Daredevil and Hercules, even though Natasha doesn’t remain with either of them for very long.

Natasha also gets married to Alexei Shostakov in the comics, a partnership arranged by the KGB. Their marriage ends when the KGB fakes Alexei’s death and Natasha defects, and they don’t rekindle things when he becomes the Red Guardian. It’ll be interesting to see how the MCU adapts this story, with Alexei joining the MCU in Black Widow. 

The MCU’s Black Widow doesn’t have the same relationship history as the character she’s based on, as none of these characters wind up with her during the film franchise. In some ways, it’s made her a more independent character, but it would have been nice to see Natasha happy with someone before she sacrificed herself in the fight against Thanos.