Marvel’sBlack Widowhas bonded with a young symbiote and, together, the duo have become SHIELD’s strongest secret agent. Combining the alien powers of the symbiote andBlack Widow’s decades of training, the Widow is a lethal force of symbiosis and subterfuge. Tasked to unravel Alchemaxx’s ongoing illegal experimentation,Natasha and her symbiote have effectively become SHIELD’s latest incarnation of “Agent Venom.”
Black Widow: Venomous#1 – written by Erica Schulz, with art by Luciano Vecchio – sets the stage for the upcomingVenom Warcrossover event. Continuing their investigation into Alchemaxx, Natasha and her symbiote, Sliver, realize that the young alien needs training if it wishes to keep up with Natasha in the field. Likewise, Natasha has to learn what it means to care for and nurture young life, something she’s never been able to do thanks tothe Red Room. With the aid of SHIELD’s finest, the unified being known as Widow will soon be ready for the nearing war.
Black Widow Could Assume The Mantle Of Marvel’s Latest AGENT VENOM
Black Widow: Venomous#1 – Written By Erica Schulz; Art By Luciano Vecchio; Color By David Curiel & Rachelle Rosenberg; Lettering By Ariana Maher
Unlike Flash Thompson’s symbiote, a thrall ofthe Venom symbiotewith no independent will, Black Widow has to discover what it means to truly bond with another sentient life. She has already taken to her new partnership, noting that Sliver is the first being who empathetically understands the pain in Natasha’s life. Sliver has the unique ability to absorb the memories of its partner and its victims, imbuing it with an instant empathetic bond with Natasha that most symbiotic pairs take years to develop. To Natasha, training Sliver is more than just about preparedness, it’s about love.
During their initial training, Black Widow forces Sliver to experience the brutalRed Room trainingshe endured, but quickly comes to face the same shock of fear in her partner that she once felt. Instead, Natasha calls in her colleagues, or rather her family, the Agents of SHIELD, to help support Sliver’s expedited training.Where Agent Venom is the productof years of war, Widow becomes a culmination of SHIELD’s finest heroes’ skills.While they may not be prime soldiers,they can become SHIELD’s greatest secret agent.
VENOM WAR Offers Widow A Chance At A New Role In The Marvel Universe
Venom War#1 – Written By Al Ewing, Art By Iban Coello; Available July 29, 2025
Marvel has an opportunity to highlight a character often overshadowed by her super-powered counterparts, while setting the stage for further collaborations between the symbiotic soldier and super-spy.
Widow’s training doesn’t end with theBlack Widow: Venomousone-shot, as the pair will soon join forces with the original Agent Venom in the upcomingVenom Warseries.Flash Thompson has served as the only Agent Venom, now Agent Anti-Venom, for years, soit’s about time he gains an ally with the same experience with symbiotes and war as he does.Trained in espionage over direct warfare, Widow could easily become a balanced counterpart to Agent Anti-Venomas the two become internationaloperatives for SHIELD’s more secretive endeavors.
Hopefully, following the events ofVenom War, Natasha and Sliver will be able to remain a team. The two already have a heartwarming dynamic with the potential to develop in further comics. Marvel has an opportunity to highlight a character often overshadowed by her super-powered counterparts, while setting the stage for furthercollaborations between the symbiotic soldierand super-spy. For now, fans will have to wait untilVenom War #1to see ifBlack Widowhas what it takes to become a new Agent Venom.
Black Widow: Venomous#1is available now from Marvel Comics.
Black Widow
First introduced as an antagonist to Iron Man, the Russian assassin Natasha Romanoff eventually defected to the US and joined Marvel’s roster of heroes. Working as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, Black Widow has appeared in countless comics and several films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (played by Scarlett Johansson).
