The MCU’s Black Widow Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Here’s why the MCU’s Black Widow is more dangerous than may initially appear. Natasha is a formidable hero, thanks to her early training in the Red Room and experience working with multiple government agencies around the world, this super-spy is able to excel even alongside the other Avengers, a team that boasted the likes of Asgardian demigods and hulking green monsters. Part of that comes down to her own personal arsenal of bespoke weapons, including her Widow’s Bite.

A S.H.I.E.L.D.-designed electroshock weapon in the form of a bracelet, the Widow’s Bite is showcased throughout the MCU, first worn by Natasha in Iron Man 2 during her conflict with Ivan Vanko at Hammer Industries Headquarters. Natasha may not have traditional “superpowers” but her training is such that even the most innocuous of things can be deadly in her hands, which is perhaps why her combat is mostly limited to hand-to-hand in her MCU appearances, albeit augmented by technology.

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Thanks to the recently released The Wakanda Files: A Technological Exploration of the Avengers and Beyond, it appears that Black Widow had the potential to be even more dangerous than originally thought thanks to her impressive technology. A fictional but in-universe text written by Princess Shuri, The Wakanda Files sets out to explain much of the ins and outs regarding the MCU’s gadgets and scientific exploration with its compilation of papers, notes, articles, and blueprints. And among the items discussed in the book’s many entries is Natasha’s famous Widow’s Bite, which are revealed to have a setting that could kill enemies easily, but, tellingly, Natasha never actually uses, which speaks to her own personal MCU journey.

According to Shuri, the weapon is akin to a typical stun gun used by law enforcement but notes that its effects vary depending on the settings the wearer chooses. She goes on to remark that King T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther only ever saw the device set to its lowest – and least devastating – setting, which emits some 40,000 to 50,000 volts. While T’Challa enjoyed some augmented protection from the Widow’s Bite due to his own impressive super suit, Shuri mentions that side-effects of such an attack could lead to “weakened or sore muscles, cramping, epidermal burns, temporary nerve damage, and temporary lapses in consciousness” on an unprotected person, not to mention any additional injury that comes with falling after being incapacitated.

However, this fails to account for the assassin-turned-heroine’s signature weapon’s fullest potential. Though rarely utilized, the Widow’s Bite’s highest setting allows for some 250,000 to 300,000 volts to pass through an enemy, capable of inflicting “permanent nerve damage, third-degree subdermal burns, loss of vision, even death.” In the book, Shuri continues on, explaining that such an attack could lead to permanent damage and a potential recovery depend on the victim, their species, and any super-powered enhancements that may offset the effects of the device.

While it is no shock that Black Widow has the ability to end the lives of her victims (she is a notable and skilled assassin, after all), her choice and the choice of the MCU’s architects to exclusively use her weapon’s stun-only setting is significant. Natasha’s story has been marked by her determined rejection of her violent history, always aiming to “wipe the red from her ledger.” Her apparent refusal to take additional lives unnecessarily is a subtle reminder of the character’s overall heroic journey; an arc which begins with her rather cold and detached Iron Man 2 characterization (which allows for the residual hardness from her Red Room training to peek through) to her most recent appearance in Avengers: Endgame, which sees Black Widow committing to her friends and allies fully, leading the remaining heroes, and ultimately doing “whatever it takes” by sacrificing herself so that Clint Barton can safely possess the Soul Stone.

Of the top-billed Avengers, after Tony Stark, Black Widow is the second to be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making her a true mainstay of the series. It is therefore always exciting when new information crops up to help flesh out Nat’s background and perspective, especially as eager fans continue to wait for her oft-delayed solo film thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant closure of movie theaters. With any luck, Natasha Romanoff will continue to impress and showcase more impressive feats of superheroism in the very near future.

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