Black Widow gets a new costume and new mission

Page from Black Widow #5 — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

This week's Black Widow #5 from writer Kelly Thompson and artists Elena Casagrande, Rafael de Latorre, and Jordie Bellaire wraps up the first tragic arc of Black Widow's ongoing title and introduces a new look for Marvel's greatest super spy.

Over the years, Black Widow's costume has evolved significantly from her earliest Silver Age Marvel Comics appearance as a spy attempting to sabotage Iron Man and steal Tony Stark's tech for the Soviet Union in 1964's Tales of Suspense #52.

In her first appearances, Black Widow's costume was much more dramatic, including fishnets, a mask, and even a webbed cape that played up the spidery nature of her codename. Widow quickly adapted her look to fit more in line with the femme fatale style of female super-spies of the '60s, zipping up a skin-tight black catsuit that has become the basis of most of her costumes since.

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In the '80s and '90s, during a stint as an Avenger in which she even served as team leader, Black Widow softened her costume somewhat with a gray outfit that bore a spider logo on the chest. But she almost always returns to some combination of her black suit with gold and red spider-themed accessories.

Black Widow redesign by Elena Casagrande — (Image credit: Elena Casagrande (Marvel Comics))

Now, Black Widow's new Elena Casagrande designed outfit goes back to black again, keeping that core design aspect of her usual look and making it somewhat more contemporary by incorporating more casual elements such as a hood, and aspects of athletic wear – allowing Widow to keep her mobility and acrobatics, while also hewing closer to modern superhero aesthetics, which often incorporate more elements that compare to real-world clothing.

To go along with her new look, which was previously previewed on the cover of the upcoming Black Widow #6, she'll also return to San Francisco, a city she has often used as a base of operations, including a time when she was in a romantic and crimefighting partnership with Daredevil.

Black Widow #6 goes on sale on April 28.

Are you a fan of Natasha's? Make sure you've read all of the best Black Widow stories of all time.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)