Black widow may refer to:

Spiders

* Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''

Latrodectus ''Latrodectus'' is a broadly distributed genus of spiders with several species that are commonly known as the true widows. This group is composed of those often loosely called black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders. Howeve ...

American species

* ''

Latrodectus apicalis ''Latrodectus apicalis'', known as the Galapagos black widow, is endemic to the Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands ( Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the P ...

'', the Galapagos black widow * ''

Latrodectus curacaviensis ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'' is a species of black widow spider, that belongs to the genus ''Latrodectus''. It is known as the South American black widow, Brazilian black widow or Araña del trigo. Description Like many black widow species, f ...

'', the South American black widow * ''

Latrodectus hesperus ''Latrodectus hesperus'', the western black widow spider or western widow, is a venomous spider species found in western regions of North America. The female's body is 14–16 mm (1/2 in) in length and is black, often with an hourglass-sha ...

'', the western black widow * ''

Latrodectus mactans ''Latrodectus mactans'', known as southern black widow or simply black widow, and the shoe-button spider, is a venomous species of spider in the genus ''Latrodectus''. The females are well known for their distinctive black and red coloring and f ...

'', the southern black widow * ''

Latrodectus variolus ''Latrodectus variolus'', the northern black widow spider or northern widow, is a venomous species of spider in the genus ''Latrodectus'' of the family Theridiidae. The population is closely related to the southern black widow, ''Latrodectus mact ...

'', the northern black widow

Eurasian species

* ''

Latrodectus tredecimguttatus ''Latrodectus tredecimguttatus'', also known as the Mediterranean black widow, or the European black widow, is a species in the genus ''Latrodectus'' of the widow spiders. It is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region, ranging from ...

'', the Mediterranean black widow or European black widow

Oceanian species

* '' Latrodectus hasseltii'', the redback spider or Australian black widow

People

Murderers

Black Widows of Liverpool Catherine Flannagan (1829 – 3 March 1884) and Margaret Higgins (1843 – 3 March 1884) were Irish sisters who were convicted of poisoning and murdering one person in Liverpool, England, and suspected of four more deaths. The women collected ...

, two women hanged for murder in 1884 *

Belle Gunness Belle Gunness, born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størset (November 11, 1859 – possibly April 28, 1908), nicknamed "Hell's Belle", was a Norwegian-American serial killer who was active in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908. Gunness is thought ...

, 25-40 victims spanning from 1884 to 1908 * Vera Renczi (1903-1960), murdered 35 men, including her husband and her son * Betty Neumar (1931–2011), dubbed "Black Widow" or "Black Widow Granny", accused of murdering one of her husbands *

Blanche Taylor Moore Blanche Kiser Taylor Moore (born February 17, 1933) is an American convicted murderer and possible serial killer from Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance County, North Carolina. Moore is awaiting execution in North Carolina for her boyfrien ...

(born 1933), convicted murderer *

Griselda Blanco Griselda Blanco Restrepo (February 15, 1943 – September 3, 2012), known as ''the Black Widow'', was a Colombian drug lord of the Medellín Cartel, and in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld, during the 1970s through the e ...

(1943–2012), Colombian drug trafficker, known for her ordering or committing the murders of three ex-husbands * Catherine Nevin (1950-2018), responsible for the 1996 murder of Tom Nevin in Jack White's Inn *

Stacey Castor Stacey Ruth Castor (née Daniels, formerly Wallace; July 24, 1967 – June 11, 2016) was an American convicted murderer from Weedsport, New York. In 2009, she was found guilty of intentionally poisoning her then-husband David Castor with antifre ...

(1967–2016), convicted murderer *

Lynn Turner (murderer) Julia Lynn Turner (July 16, 1968 – August 30, 2010), originally Julia Lynn Womack, was an American convicted murderer. In 1995, her husband, Glenn Turner, died after allegedly being sick with the flu. In 2001, the death of what had been des ...

(1968–2010), convicted murderer * Black Widow Murders, murders committed in 1999/2005 by two elderly women in Los Angeles * Áurea Vázquez-Rijos who hired a hitman for the

Murder of Adam Anhang Adam Joel Anhang Uster (March 8, 1973 – September 23, 2005) was an entrepreneur and real estate developer; he was murdered at the intersection of Calle San Justo and Calle Luna in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico in September 2005. He was leaving the Pi ...

in 2005, extradited back to Puerto Rico in 2015 and convicted in 2018 *

Melissa Ann Shepard Melissa Ann Shepard (née Russell; born May 16, 1935), also known as Melissa Ann Weeks, Melissa Ann Friedrich, Melissa Ann Shephard and Melissa Ann Stewart, sometimes given the sobriquet of Internet Black Widow, is a Canadian murderer and habitual ...

(born 1935), Canadian murderer *

Patrizia Reggiani Patrizia Reggiani (; Martinelli; born 2 December 1948) is an Italian convicted criminal and former socialite. She was convicted in a highly publicized trial of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. Early life and marriage t ...

(born 1948), ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci, convicted of arranging his murder * Chisako Kakehi (born 1946), Japanese serial killer currently awaiting execution for three murders *

Lyda Southard Lyda Southard (October 16, 1892 – February 5, 1958), also known as Lyda Anna Mae Trueblood, was an American female suspected serial killer. It was suspected that she had killed her four husbands, a brother-in-law, and her daughter by using arsen ...

(1892–1958), American serial killer of husbands and other family members using arsenic from flypaper

Athletes

Jeanette Lee Jeanette Lee (born Lee Jin-Hee, Hangul: 이진희, July 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York) is a Korean-American professional pool player. She was nicknamed the Black Widow by her friends because, in spite of her sweet demeanor, she would "eat peop ...

(pool player) (born 1971), so-called because of her fondness for wearing black *

Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas (born Lee Sun-kyung on July 26, 1967), also known by her nickname The Black Widow, and "The Leader of the Four Horsemen of the Esophagus", is a South Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined ...

(born 1967), top-ranked competitive eater

Other

Florentine Rost van Tonningen Florentine Sophie Rost van Tonningen (née Heubel; 14 November 1914 – 24 March 2007) was the wife of Meinoud Rost van Tonningen, the second leader of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) and President of the National Bank ...

(1914–2007), Dutch neo-Nazi nicknamed ''Zwarte weduwe'' (Black Widow)

Arts and entertainment

Fictional characters

Black Widow (Marvel Comics) Black Widow is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Most of these versions exist in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Claire Voyant Claire Voyant is the f ...

, the name of several distinct characters: **

Black Widow (Claire Voyant) Black Widow (Claire Voyant) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Claire Voyant is a medium who is murdered and becomes "Satan's ambassador" on Earth, killing evildoers in order to deliver their so ...

Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) Black Widow (Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanova; Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа" Романова) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plott ...

Black Widow (Yelena Belova) Black Widow (Yelena Belova; Russian: Еле́на Бело́ва) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is depicted as a spy and was the second modern-era character to use the Black Widow n ...

* In the : **

Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Natalia Alianovna Romanov (russian: Наталья Альяновна Романов), more commonly known as Natasha Romanoff (russian: Наташа Романова, link=no), is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Scarlett Johansson ...

Yelena Belova (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Black Widow (Yelena Belova; Russian: Еле́на Бело́ва) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is depicted as a spy and was the second modern-era character to use the Black Widow n ...

Melina Vostokoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Melina may refer to: *Melina (name), including a list of people with the name *"Melina", a No.1 hit song by Camilo Sesto 1975 *"Melina", a song by Tapani Kansa * Melina, Dobretići, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina * Malina (The Emperor's New Sc ...

** Dottie Underwood * The Black Widow, a ''Batman'' villain played by

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

* Black Widow, a character from the ''

Saturday Night Slam Masters ''Saturday Night Slam Masters'', known in Japan as , is a 1993 pro wrestling arcade game released for the CP System by Capcom. The game features character designs by manga artist Tetsuo Hara, famous for ''Fist of the North Star''. The game was f ...

'' series of games by Capcom

Film and television

* ''The Black Widow'' (serial), a 1947 movie serial starring Bruce Edwards * ''The Black Widow'' (1951 film), a British film starring Christine Norden * ''Black Widow'' (1954 film), starring Ginger Rogers and Gene Tierney * ''Black Widow'' (1987 film), featuring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell * ''Black Widow'' (2003 film), a film directed by Brad Turner * ''The Black Widow'' (2005 film), DVD release title of film by Giada Colagrande, produced as ''Before It Had a Name'' * ''Black Widow'' (2005 film), a Canadian film starring Sarah Slean * "The Black Widow", an episode of ''Boston Legal'' * ''Black Widow'' (2007 film), with Elizabeth Berkley and Alicia Coppola * ''Black Widow'' (2010 film), starring Jack Scalia and Jennifer O'Dell * ''Black Widows'' (2016 TV series), Scandinavian TV serial * Black Widows (Indian TV series), a 2020 web series * ''Black Widow'' (2021 film), a film starring Scarlett Johansson based on the Marvel Comics character * '' Black Widow: A Land Bleeds'', a 2017 Indian film

Literature

* ''The Black Widow'' (Silva novel), 2016 novel by Daniel Silva * ''Black Widow: A Novel'', a 1981 novel by

Christina Crawford Christina Crawford is an American author and actress, best known for her 1978 memoir and exposé, '' Mommie Dearest'', which described her abusive relationship with her adoptive mother, film star Joan Crawford. Early life and education Christ ...

Gaming

* ''Black Widow'' (video game), a 1982 Atari arcade game * Black Widow Games, a computer games developer

Music

* ''Black Widow'' (opera), by Thomas Pasatieri *

Black Widow (band) Black Widow were a rock band that formed in Leicester, England, in September 1969. The band were mostly known for their early use of Satanic and occult imagery in their music and stage act. History The band originally formed in 1966 as Pes ...

, a British rock band * ''Black Widow'' (Black Widow album), 1971 * ''Black Widow'' (Lalo Schifrin album), 1976 * ''Black Widow'' (In This Moment album), 2014 * ''The Black Widow'' (album) *

Black Widow Records Black Widow Records is an Italian record label founded in Genoa in 1990 and taking its name from the British progressive rock band Black Widow. It was originally a rarities shop focusing on collectable records and reissues. After a few years t ...

, an Italian label

Songs

* "Black Widow" (Iggy Azalea song), 2014 * "Black Widow" (Pristin song), 2017 * "Black Widow", by Black Tide on the album ''

Light from Above ''Light from Above'' is the debut album from Black Tide. The album was released on March 18, 2008 and was produced by Johnny K. Each member of Black Tide was under 20 years of age during the recording of this album, making it very notable in the ...

'' * "Black Widow", by Mötley Crüe on the compilation '' Red, White & Crüe'' * "Black Widow", by Children of Bodom on the album '' Hatebreeder'' * "Black Widow", by U.D.O. on the album ''

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...

'' * "Black Widow", by Dolores O'Riordan on the album '' Are You Listening?'' * "Black Widow", by Donovan Leitch on the album ''

Slow Down World ''Slow Down World'' is the thirteenth studio album (fifteenth overall) by British singer/songwriter Donovan, released in the US ( Epic PE 33945) in May 1976 and the UK (Epic SEPC 86011) on 4 June 1976. Background Over his past few album release ...

'' * "Black Widow", by In This Moment on the album '' Black Widow'' * "Black Widow", by Lita Ford on the album '' Dangerous Curves'' * "Black Widow", by Michelle Shocked on the album ''

Short Sharp Shocked ''Short Sharp Shocked'' is the second album by Michelle Shocked. Originally released in 1988, it was remastered and reissued in 2003 as a two-CD set by Shocked's own label, Mighty Sound. The title is a play on the phrase short, sharp shock. The r ...

'' * "Black Widow", by Alice Cooper on the album '' Welcome to My Nightmare'' * "Black Widow", by Jefferson Starship on the album ''Winds of Change'' * "Black Widow", by

Booty Luv Booty Luv are a British dance group formed in June 2006 by their record label, Hed Kandi. The group comprises two R&B vocalists, Cherise Roberts and Nadia Shepherd, both of whom were in the original line-up of the hip hop and R&B group Big ...

* "Black Widow", by Link Wray and His Ray Men, B-side to "Jack the Ripper" * "Black Widow", by Cage the Elephant on the album ''

Melophobia ''Melophobia'' is the third studio album by American rock band Cage the Elephant. Recorded at St. Charles in Nashville, Tennessee and produced by Jay Joyce, the album was released on October 8, 2013, through RCA Records. It is also the final albu ...

'' * "Black Widow", by Susanne Sundfør on the album ''

The Brothel ''The Brothel'' is the second studio album by Norwegian musician Susanne Sundfør, released on 15 March 2010 in Norway, through EMI Music Norway and Grönland Records. The album sees a shift from the piano driven pop from previous releases towa ...

'' * "Black Widow Pt. 2", by RZA featuring ODB on the album '' Digital Bullet'' * "Black Widows", by Grave Digger on the album ''The Last Supper''

Rides

Black Widow (ride) Black Widow is a Zamperla Giant Discovery pendulum ride at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It opened on June 8, 2012. History In late June 2011, Kennywood listed its Pitt Fall ride for sale with the ...

, an amusement ride at Kennywood * Black Widow, a roller coaster at

Six Flags New England Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western s ...

Military

Northrop P-61 Black Widow The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night figh ...

, a World War II night fighter * Black Widow II, a

Northrop YF-23 The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 is an American single-seat, twin-engine stealth fighter aircraft technology demonstrator designed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The design was a finalist in the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter ( ...

prototype fighter aircraft, nicknamed after the P-61 *

PMN mine The PMN () series of blast anti-personnel mines were designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union. They are one of the most widely used and commonly found devices during demining operations. They are sometimes nicknamed "black widow" because of ...

, nicknamed Black Widow because of their dark casing *

Soviet submarine B-39 ''B-39'' was a Project 641 () diesel-electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. The "B" (actually " Б") in her designation stands for большая (''bolshaya'', "large")—Foxtrots were the Soviet Navy's largest non-nuclear submarines. ...

, nicknamed Black Widow after having been sold off as a museum ship *

421st Fighter Squadron The 421st Fighter Squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the most decorated fighter squadrons in the ...

, nicknamed Black Widows

Other plants and animals

* Black tetra, also known as "black widow tetra", a freshwater fish * '' Stygnobrotula latebricola'', an ocean fish * ''

Geranium phaeum ''Geranium phaeum'', commonly called dusky crane's-bill, mourning widow or black widow, is a herbaceous plant species in the family Geraniaceae. It is native to southern, central, and western Europe, and is cultivated as a garden subject. It has ...

'', a herbaceous plant species

Other uses

* The

Black Widow Pulsar The Black Widow Pulsar (PSR B1957+20) is an eclipsing binary millisecond pulsar in the Milky Way. Discovered in 1988, it is located roughly away from Earth. It orbits with a brown dwarf or Super-Jupiter companion with a period of 9.2 hou ...

* Black Widow (paint mix), paint mix for projection screen *

Black Widow (Chechnya) Black Widow (russian: чёрная вдова, ''chyornaya vdova'') or shahidka (russian: шахидка—Russian feminine gender derivation from ''shahid''), is a term for Islamist Chechen female suicide bombers, willing to be a manifestati ...

, term for female suicide bombers from Chechnya or Dagestan * DHD(J), also called Black Widow, a subgroup of the militant Dimasa organization Dima Halim Daoga of Assam, India