Black Widow (Claire Voyant) is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Claire Voyant is a medium who is murdered and becomes "

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

's ambassador" on Earth, killing evildoers in order to deliver their souls to her master. She first appears in ''

Mystic Comics ''Mystic Comics'' is the name of three comic book series published by the company that eventually became Marvel Comics. The first two series were superhero anthologies published by Marvel's 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during what fans an ...

'' #4 (

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d Aug. 1940), published by Marvel predecessor

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

. Created by writer

George Kapitan George Kapitan (July 23, 1919 – November 27, 1996)George Kapitan
at the

Harry Sahle Harry Frank Sahle (April 18, 1912 – September 22, 1950) was an American comic book artist who drew for such publishers as Archie Comics—helping create the defined look of Archie Comics' breakout character, Archie Andrews—Quality Comics and t ...

, she is unrelated to Marvel's later

superspy A superspy is a glamorous, important spy, especially seen in spy fiction Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intr ...

character called Black Widow.

Publication history

The Black Widow makes five appearances during the period fans and historians call the

Golden Age of comic books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

, all five written by

George Kapitan George Kapitan (July 23, 1919 – November 27, 1996)George Kapitan
at the

Stan Drake ("Lewis & Sykes", 5 pages). ''

USA Comics ''U.S.A. Comics'' was an American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics' 1930–1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. A superhero anthology running 17 issues cover-dated ...

'' #5 (Summer 1942) is penciled by

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during t ...

and inked by George Klein ("Murder Unlimited", 5 pages). Her final Golden Age appearance in ''All Select Comics'' #1 (Fall 1943) has art tentatively attributed to Drake ("Blood Money", 5 pages); this story is reprinted in 1974, along with the rest of the issue, by publisher Alan L. Light's company Flashback as ''Special Edition Reprints'' #14. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "The Black Widow can kill with a touch and has other, Satan-derived, plot device powers. The wrongdoers she goes after are ordinary humans, although one group of them call themselves Murder, Unlimited and another is the Cult of the Black Widow Spiders." Her next appearance occurs 51 years later, in a flashback cameo in one panel of issue #1 (Jan. 1994) of the

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

Marvels ''Marvels'' is a four-issue miniseries comic book written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin. It was published by Marvel Comics in 1994. Set in the 1939 to 1974 time period, the series examines the Marvel Univ ...

'' ("A Time of Marvels", written by

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers, Thunderbolts (comics ...

with art by

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

), and again eleven years later (Feb. 2005), also in brief flashback, in ''

Marvel Knights Spider-Man ''The Sensational Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) is a comic book series starring Spider-Man and published monthly by Marvel Comics for 41 issues between 2004 and 2007. It was originally published under the Marvel Knights imprint (as ''Marvel Knights Spide ...

'' #9 ("The Last Stand", written by

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...

with art by

Terry Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albrit ...

and

Rachel Dodson Rachel Dodson is an American comic book inker, who often works with her husband, Terry Dodson. Her work includes '' Marvel Knights: Spider-Man'', '' Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do'' and '' Avenging Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics and '' ...

).The Black Widow
at International Hero. The Black Widow returns, finally in full-length stories, albeit as part of an ensemble cast, beginning in 2008 in '' The Twelve'' (written by

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ( ...

with art by

Chris Weston Chris Weston (born 1969) is a British comics artist who has worked both in the US and UK comics industries. Biography Weston was born in January 1969 in Rinteln, Germany, and lived in various countries as a child. His career began when he was ...

). The character appears in all 12 issues of ''The Twelve'', in addition to a one-shot titled ''The Twelve: Spearhead.''

Fictional character biography

In 1940, Claire Voyant is a

spirit medium Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spir ...

who communicates with the dead through supernatural means. While serving a family named the Waglers, she is possessed by Satan to put a curse on them. James, a member of that family, survives a subsequent car crash provoked by the spell and, upon returning to Claire's quarters, guns her down. Voyant's soul goes to Hell, where Satan dresses her in her Black Widow costume. He also gives her the power to kill with a single touch of her fingers to the head (which leaves a branded "Black Widow mark") and other mystical tricks. Satan (who, daringly for the time, is discreetly depicted as nude but for his cape) sends her back to Earth to avenge her death. After killing her murderer, she returns to Satan who, no longer content to wait for evil souls to die a natural death and perhaps repent their sins in the interim, charges her with bringing those souls to him. "On the upper world are mortal creatures whose hearts are blackened with wickedness and corruption. You, the Black Widow, will bring their evil souls to me!" She later kills corrupt arms manufacturers, crime boss Garvey Lang, members of a syndicate called Murder Unlimited and the villain Ogor, while also healing Ogor's victim. In ''Marvels'', she is shown in flashback as part of a group of Timely's Golden Age characters aiding the Invaders against the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

The Twelve

In ''The Twelve'', Claire Voyant is

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

ned as becoming the Black Widow in 1928 after her sister is murdered. Standing over her sister's grave, she wishes for the power to avenge herself against the killer, and Satan responds. Revived in the present day, along with 11 other heroes, after being in

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she recommences serving as an "instrument of vengeance" for an initially unidentified entity (though never actually referred to as Satan, the Black Widow's master is identified as "the devil" in later issues) and going on missions for that party.

Personality

A recurrent character trait of the Black Widow in her Golden Age appearances is that she shows no hesitation or mercy when it comes to killing her victims, and no apparent remorse over depriving them of their lives and sending their souls to Hell for eternal torment. Whether this ruthless aspect of her personality is original to Claire Voyant or a result of her resurrection by Satan as the Black Widow is unclear. (In her appearances in ''The Twelve'' she is much less a willing killer, and is shown crying after killing.) In Golden Age appearances she does possess great compassion for those she perceives as innocent victims of evil, and a willingness to use her powers to protect and even heal them. This is shown most clearly in her fifth and last Golden Age appearance, in ''All Select Comics'' #1, when she is sent by Satan to harvest the soul of Ogor, a charlatan

faith healer Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

who has been stealing money from those who come to him for cures. After confronting Ogor and causing his death – though he dies of fright and heart failure rather than the Black Widow’s signature death touch, the result is the same and his blackened soul goes instantly to Hell – she then takes the time, and uses her powers, to regenerate the amputated leg of a young boy named Pepito, whom Ogor had promised to heal.

Costume

During her five brief appearances in the Golden Age, the Black Widow wears four distinctly different costumes, with different designs and different color schemes, and has three different hair colors. Appearing only in ''Mystic Comics'' #4, her first costume consists of a purple bodysuit with spider design on the belly, a green-and-blue striped cape, and red boots with yellow flame designs around the tops. For her second appearance in ''Mystic Comics'' #5, the red boots with yellow flame trim survive; however, the bodysuit becomes plain black with no spider design, and the color of her cape changes to solid red. In ''Mystic Comics'' #7 the color scheme and basic layout of the costume remain the same; however, the bodysuit acquires dark blue highlights, and the red cape now has flame designs around its hem. Both the "flames" and the cape itself are the same shade of red. Though highly similar to the costume in ''Mystic Comics'' #5, it is different in its particulars. The cape is held in place with a circular, gold-colored pin inset with a death’s head skull. Her hair remains blond for all three ''Mystic Comics'' appearances. In ''USA Comics'' #5, the costume changes radically. The outfit's colors are now red, white and blue. The costume itself consists of a bright red bodysuit, a cape (colored either white or blue depending on the panel in question) with upturned Peter Pan collar, and white buccaneer boots. Her hair is now pure white. For her final Golden Age appearance, in ''All Select Comics'' #1, the costume morphs into a blue bodysuit that, unlike any of her previous outfits, covers her legs as well as torso and arms, and a yellow cape. The boots with flame trim return, however both the boots and "flames" are yellow. The Black Widow is now a redhead. Throughout the majority of ''The Twelve'' she wears a fifth outfit, a minor redesign of the first, consisting of a dark purple bodysuit with, in a lighter shade of purple, a spider design on the belly. Her boots are the same dark purple as the bodysuit, with no "flames"; the cape is light purple, and likewise has no flame trim. In issue #12, the finale, she wears a sixth costume, which is gray, covers her entire body except head and hands, and features a fine spiderweb pattern over much of its surface.

Historical significance

Introduced in ''

'' #4 (Aug. 1940), the Black Widow is comic books' first costumed, superpowered female character. While

John Giunta John Giunta (June 5, 1920 - November 6, 1970) was an illustrator of comic books from the 1940s through the 1960s. He worked on horror titles like ''Tomb of Terror'', ''Chamber of Chills'' (Harvey), ''Journey into Mystery'' and ''Weird Tales'' (Ma ...

and Malcolm Kildale's Magician from Mars, who is superpowered, debuted earlier, in ''Amazing Man Comics'' #7 (Nov. 1939), as did writer-artist

Fletcher Hanks Fletcher Hanks, Sr. (December 1, 1889 – January 22, 1976) was an American cartoonist from the Golden Age of Comic Books, who wrote and drew stories detailing the adventures of all-powerful, supernatural heroes and their elaborate punishments of ...

Fantomah Fantomah is an American comics character, best known as one of the earliest comic-book superheroines. Created by Fletcher Hanks, the character first appeared in ''Jungle Comics'' #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), published by Fiction House. Hanks is ...

, who has a dual identity as well as superpowers, in

Fiction House Fiction House was an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was founded by John B. "Jack" Kelly and John W. Glenister.Saunders, David"JACK BYRNE (1902-1972),"Field Guide to Wild American ...

's ''Jungle Comics'' #1 (Feb. 1940), neither wears a distinctive costume. While The Woman In Red also predates her, debuting in

Standard Comics Standard Comics was a comic book imprint of American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and paperback books (under the Popular Library name). Standard in t ...

' ''

Thrilling Comics ''Thrilling Comics'' is the title of a comic book series published by Standard Comics for 80 issues from 1940 to 1951. The first issue is the first appearance of the comic-book character Doc Strange, who debuted in a 37-page origin story. The "Thr ...

'' #2 (March 1940), that character has a distinctive costume but no superpowers. Russell Stamm's Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, a non-costumed character with the superpower of invisibility, debuted in a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

, rather than a comic book, on June 3, 1940.

Powers and abilities

Before her transformation into the Black Widow, Claire Voyant has undefined psychic powers enabling her to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Resurrected by Satan after her murder, the Black Widow has been granted supernatural powers allowing her to harvest the souls of evildoers for her master. She is able to teleport between Hell and the mortal world. Having already died, she is apparently immune to further attempts to kill her. In three separate Golden Age appearances, she is shot repeatedly and the bullets have no effect. She can mentally plant suggestions in the minds of others, possesses superhuman strength of an undefined nature, enhanced endurance, flight, invisibility, appearance alteration, and the ability to regenerate or heal others mystically. She also has a death touch power. When the Black Widow touches one of her victims on the forehead, there is a burst of flame, they are instantly struck dead and their soul is sent to Hell. At the same time a mark is left in the shape of a spider. In her appearances in ''The Twelve'', she exhibits the ability to fly and superhuman strength sufficient to rip human bodies to pieces. Apparently she still possesses her death touch power; however, the only time she is shown attempting its use, it fails to work on a non-human target. Satan claims he has made her immortal. Within the context of ''The Twelve'' when Claire Voyant becomes the Black Widow in 1928 she appears to be in her mid-20s. When she goes into suspended animation, 17 years later, in 1945, she apparently has not aged at all. In this case, it seems the Prince of Lies may have told the truth.

In other media

Television

* The '' Agent Carter'' television series features Dorothy "Dottie" Underwood (portrayed by

Bridget Regan Bridget Catherine Regan (born February 3, 1982) is an American actress known for portrayals such as Kahlan Amnell in the television series ''Legend of the Seeker'', Rebecca Lowe / Rachel Turner in '' White Collar'', Rose Solano in ''Jane the ...

), a 1940s precursor to Black Widow and an operative of

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

Video games

* As part of an update celebrating Marvel’s 80th anniversary, Claire Voyant was added as a playable character in '' Marvel: Contest of Champions''.

References

External links

The Black Widow (1940)
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
October 25, 2011.
Black Widow (I)
at Golden Age Hero Directory * * Claire Voyant (Earth-616) at the Marvel Database {{GoldenAge Black Widow (Marvel Comics) Golden Age superheroes Fictional characters with healing abilities Fictional cryonically preserved characters in comics Fictional murderers Fictional spiritual mediums Marvel Comics witches Fictional World War II veterans Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics female superheroes Timely Comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1940 Comics villains