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Black Widow (2014 series) #16

May 2015 on-sale: Mar 18, 2015

Nathan Edmonson
writer
 |  Phil Noto
penciler

Black Widow (2014 series) #16 cover

Story Name:

How to Be Good


Synopsis

Black Widow (2014 series) #16 synopsis by reviewer Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Russia, many years ago. Natalia Romanov, a child, and her friend Marina escaped from the Red Room to live in the streets. Nat keeps returning to look through the windows of a ballet school, dreaming that she could be a dancer someday like the blonde girl there….

Today: Black Widow wakes up in a desert with the Prophet, his eyes with an inhuman glow. He introduces himself and notes that Chaos is his organization and invites her to think about the future….

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Back then: Marina mocks Nat’s aspirations and, in the alley, they discover a handgun. Marina wants to turn it over to the authorities but Nat hides it in a hole in a wall behind a brick. They rush over to the bakery to get discarded leftovers to eat….

The next day, Natasha sneaks into he ballet studio to watch from the rafters. She sees the dancer she admires dragged out by her abusive boyfriend Sergei. Nat remains in the ceiling, basking in the warmth and memories of her parents, long gone….

Two days later, Nat and Marina are hanging around he studio when they see Sergei’s car pull up; the dancer, on crutches with a seriously injured leg, enters the school to pick up her belongings. Nat is so outraged that she jumps up on the car roof, stomping and cursing Sergei. Sergei’s henchman grabs her and throws her away. The dancer returns and Sergei drives away. Nat hurls a brick, shattering the car’s rear window. Sergei sends his henchman to teacher her a lesson. She leads him back to the alley and retries the gun from its hiding place. The big man approaches and she fires twice, missing him both times. He approaches to take the gun away from her and she fires again, hitting him in the chest. She drops the gun and runs away. She is caught and returned to the Red Room because she shows promise to be the best of the Black Widows….

Today: Looking at the Dubai skyline, the Prophet tells Natasha he and his organization represent the future as caretakers of the present. He receives messages from the future, telling him what he must do to avoid disaster in the future. He invites Natasha to join his group where, unrestrained by politics or temporal issues, she could be good….

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Characters
Good (or All)
BLACKWIDOW  
Black Widow
(Natasha Romanoff)


> Black Widow (2014 series) comic book info and issue index



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Main/1st Story Full Credits

Phil Noto
Phil Noto
Phil Noto
Phil Noto (Cover Penciler)
Phil Noto (Cover Inker)
Phil Noto (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Clayton Cowles.
Editor: Ellie Pyle. Editor-in-chief: Axel Alonso.



Review / Commentaries


reviewer
Black Widow (2014 series) #16 Review by (November 11, 2025)

Review: The main story is a flashback to Natasha’s youth where she kills a man, revealing her potential to be the best of the Black Widows. This is the background to the latest development in the current storyline, a brief intro to what seems to be a science-fiction story of agents carrying out commands from a future agency. This would be new territory for the Black Widow so we’ll have to see where it goes.

Comments: Part five of six parts. First appearance of Natasha’s childhood friend Marina, who returns in issues #19-20.





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