Natasha Romanova, Black Widow, and the Squirrel Girl go on an adventure to discover their meanings in Marvel Comics' Women of Marvel #1 anthology.
It's no surprise that the famous Black Widow starred in the comedy special "Women of Marvel #1," but it's not Natasha Romanov's military career in question, but the true meaning of her superhero's name. Or, more specifically, what the codename "spider" doesn't mean, courtesy of Squirrel Girl.
Black Widow names have been questioned many times over the years, for several reasons (Natasha's last name is "Romanov" which defies Russian surname conventions). Nearly sixty years later, Marvel has revealed that more than a few superheroes have some misconceptions about their powerhouse. While it's true that Black Widow has superhuman powers, her choice of code name is misleading in a world with a Spider-Verse entirely made up of superhuman spiders.
The "Marvel Women" comedy anthology brings together stories from female veterans and emerging female talent. They bring their hilarious character-building adventures onto the powerful females of the Marvel Universe and their relationships while fighting evil and solving problems that have been on the minds of comic book readers for decades. For "Comb Foot," one of the short stories from Charlie Jane Anders, he wonders if the name Black Widow makes sense with Natasha Romanoff's abilities.
Jody Houser Web of Black Widow #1 explained that the name was intended to associate Natasha with the infamous spider killer, along with his ability to escape from observation (and hit him faster and more deadly). Since then, Natasha has been reformulating the name for her purposes - a mission to reclaim her past and identity in the name, just as it is in Essence, Psychology, and Ethics. The story shows that Natasha takes the name (which he called her "very bad people") and gives it a meaning that she decides.
Whatever the name Black Widow means to her, it can evolve and change with the character she sees fit. Like Iron Man, not only is it a description of his tough outer shell, it's an apt name for someone with similar inner emotional qualities. With fandoms evolving and inclusion now more accepted than ever, many fans will endorse Natasha's words to Squirrel Girl, Doreen Green: "Here's the thing about identities: You make them your own by living as hard as you can. He tries to define you".