Equal parts sexy and dangerous, Russian-born Natasha Romanoff is the Black Widow. She has world-class martial arts training in both hand-to-hand and armed combat, so even though she has no powers like many of the Avengers, she is by far one of their most formidable members. Originally, she was a secret agent for the Soviet Union, but after the failure of her first mission she defected to the U.S. and joined the Avengers.
Ever the spy, she was forced by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. to become a double agent, which painted her as a traitor to the Avengers and the U.S. and devastated her then lover and fellow Avenger Hawkeye. She would eventually clear her name and rejoin the team, but their relationship never rekindled successfully. Currently, she is a member of the Secret Avengers, where she gets to cut loose and do what she does best: use her qualities as a femme fatale to infiltrate clandestine locations and beat up bad guys.