10 Times Black Widow Proved She Was The Most Powerful Avenger

The Avengers have featured heroes like a man who turns into a giant, green creature when angry, a super-soldier from World War II, and even a god. But even they’d admit their team wouldn’t be complete without…

Black Widow, played by Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, doesn’t have superpowers. However, she’s an incredibly skilled fighter, strategist, and spy, often surpassing her teammates. Both the comics and her movies demonstrate just how formidable Black Widow really is.

Black Widow Apprehends The Punisher

As a huge Marvel fan, I always wondered why it took so long for Black Widow to get her own movie! It finally happened with the 2021 film, but it’s interesting to remember she actually shared the spotlight in a fun animated adventure, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, way back in 2014. It wasn’t a full movie, but it was a nice little precursor!

In this anime-style collaboration, Black Widow (voiced by Jennifer Carpenter, known for Dexter) teams up with the Punisher (Brian Bloom) on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. The Punisher’s reckless behavior nearly sabotages the operation, leading to a fight. Surprisingly, they both survive—a feat few others have managed against the Punisher’s gunfire, thanks to Black Widow’s skillful dodging.

Black Widow Infiltrates The Thunderbolts

Sadly, Black Widow died before Marvel’s cinematic universe introduced the Thunderbolts, a team that would eventually become known as the New Avengers in a 2025 film. Interestingly, in the original comics, Natasha Romanoff was part of the team, but her teammates didn’t know about it.

During Marvel’s “Dark Reign” story, Black Widow went undercover as her sister, Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), to secretly monitor the Thunderbolts, who were being led by Norman Osborn. Even with her skills as a spy, the mission was incredibly dangerous, putting her life at risk multiple times, but she always managed to survive.

Black Widow Bonds With a Symbiote

Very few Marvel characters have successfully bonded with alien symbiotes like Venom, but Black Widow is one of the exceptions. Surprisingly, a partnership with a symbiote would actually be incredibly helpful for her.

You’d think Natasha Romanoff was already a master spy, but bonding with a symbiote actually made her skills even better. It gave her the power to turn invisible by merging with shadows, and to enter someone’s mind and instantly learn anything she needed.

Black Widow Lays Waste To Hammer Security

Scarlett Johansson first played Natasha Romanoff – later known as Black Widow – in 2010’s Iron Man 2, over ten years before the release of her standalone Black Widow movie. She was initially presented as Natalie Rushman, but fully debuted as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in a memorable scene at the end of Robert Downey Jr.’s second Iron Man film.

Natasha Romanoff, as Black Widow, infiltrates Hammer Industries with the goal of capturing Ivan Vanko. She swiftly and skillfully defeats all of the security guards, using a combination of kicks, punches, and graceful movements – making it seem like her backstory of ballerina training might actually be real. This sequence is a standout action scene in Iron Man 2 and a fantastic introduction to the character.

Black Widow Wields Mjolnir

In the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron, the heroes try to lift Thor’s magical hammer, Mjolnir, to see who is worthy. Black Widow (Natasha) refuses, saying she doesn’t need to know if she could lift it. This is because she’d already discovered the answer to that question for herself just a year before.

In a 2014 story called “Age of Ultron” from the What If…? series, Thor dies, and Black Widow takes on his powers and becomes the new God of Thunder. Because of her difficult history as a trained KGB assassin starting in childhood, Natasha often doubts if she deserves to be considered a hero, but this particular story clearly shows she is worthy.

Black Widow Shows Her Interrogators Who’s Boss

Most Marvel fans had a good idea of Black Widow’s skills after seeing her in Iron Man 2. However, her very first scene in The Avengers showed that she was even more capable than they’d realized.

I still remember being totally hooked from the very beginning of the movie! It throws you right into the action with Black Widow – Natasha Romanoff – being interrogated. Then, just when things are getting really intense, Agent Coulson calls with some crazy news: Loki’s stolen the Tesseract, and that becomes the priority. What follows is amazing – she basically fights her way out of the interrogation, taking down everyone in her path, all while Coulson calmly waits on the phone. And the best part? She’s doing it in heels and a cocktail dress! It’s such a fantastic introduction to the character and sets the stage for everything to come.

Black Widow Takes Down Crossbones And His Goons

One of the most memorable moments showcasing Black Widow’s strength in the Marvel Cinematic Universe happens right at the beginning of the team’s first fight in . While the Avengers are working together for the first time, it’s Natasha Romanoff who really stands out.

The Black Widow shows incredible determination while fighting Brock Rumlow, also known as Crossbones (Frank Grillo), and his team. She’s trying to stop them from getting a dangerous virus. Until Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and his drone, Redwing, arrive to help, she fights relentlessly, moving quickly and even using an enemy as a human shield to protect herself from a grenade.

Black Widow Destroys A Group Of French Mercenaries

The intense opening scene in Captain America: Civil War isn’t the first time Black Widow has outshone Captain America in one of his sequels. The thrilling first 15 minutes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier really belong to her, showcasing her skills and taking center stage.

When Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff are sent to reclaim a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship taken over by French mercenaries, Natasha immediately takes the lead, skillfully taking down each enemy one by one with increasingly clever moves. It’s an impressive display proving that letting the woman go first can be a very effective strategy.

Black Widow Exacts Revenge On The Red Room

Many superheroes have abilities tied to difficult or shameful pasts, and Black Widow is a prime example. She became a highly skilled fighter and spy through brutal training at the Red Room, a place that turned young girls into ruthless assassins. She vowed to eventually dismantle this organization that created her.

In the first story arc of Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto’s Black Widow comic, titled “The Finely Woven Thread,” Natasha Romanoff finally gets the intel she needs from a source called Epsilon Red to destroy the Red Room—the organization that trained her as an assassin. With help from Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier, she delivers a long-awaited reckoning and begins to confront the trauma of her past.

Black Widow Fights Taskmaster In Freefall

Natasha Romanoff finally got her revenge on the Red Room in the thrilling climax of Black Widow, her first and only solo movie. The mission showcased what was perhaps the most impressive demonstration of her skills to date.

When a bomb explodes in the Red Room, a facility suspended in the air, Natasha jumps from the collapsing structure, avoiding falling debris to ensure her sister, Yelena, reaches the ground safely. But their escape is interrupted by Taskmaster, leading to a fight in the air. Both Natasha and Taskmaster eventually land without serious injuries.

2026-01-12 04:08