Boomstick: Like Black Widow, the covert enemy-turned-ally of the Avengers.
Wiz: And Widowmaker, the deadly but unwilling adversary of Overwatch.
After a five-man free-for-all in its prior outing, season six gets itself back to more traditional fare with the third episode: a clash between spider-themed femme fatales; assassins of clandestine institutes who walk the line between good and evil. Brainwashing and programming from two nations are put to the test, experience against technology, for Black Widow and Widowmaker, two of their worlds' most feared and infamous spies, now meet in a different field, one known best as a death battle.
To start the episode is to start studying the mysteries behind its first combatant; the Soviet assassin known as Black Widow. Born as Natalia Romanova, or Natasha Romanoff for Western convenience, there is no objective proof as to how she was inducted into the world of espionage. Some accounts paint her as the surrogate daughter of Russian soldier Ivan Petrovitch, who gifted her with such a thorough knowledge of martial arts that the order of Japanese cultists known as the Hand sought her out to fulfill their own agenda. Others suggest that Petrovitch admitted the orphaned Natasha to the Soviet's Black Widow Ops program with the intent to mold her into the ultimate covert operative and that while there, she underwent a brutal regiment of combat training and mental conditioning to ensure a gradual improvement over the other initiates. Whatever her origins may be, Romanoff would go on to become the premiere spy for the KGB, where her training in combat and surveillance were put to good use. Overseas, however, her skill was pit against more formidable adversaries; Natasha was assigned to undermine the United States' arms manufacturer Stark Industries, but was instead introduced to its CEO Tony Stark, better known as the armored superhero Iron Man. This would turn out to become the first in a long line of conflicts she would face with the myriad heroes that inhabited America. Natasha's allegiances to the Soviet Union weakened with both time and repeated meetings with the reformed villain Hawkeye; when her motherland attempted to have her assassinated, it would be Tony and his allies in the collaborative team known as The Avengers who saved her. Out of gratitude for their actions, Natasha joined their ranks and the Black Widow now became a force for good.
As the first and inarguably most successful product of Soviet workings, Natasha is rife with expertise and augmentations to better hone her physique. During her training to become an assassin, she was trained in a number of martial arts, ranging from karate to muay thai to aikido, and has shown enough skill to take down a hundred armed guards in a short time. The years spent perfecting these crafts also saw her implemented with an approximation of the super soldier serum that gave the United States its fabled hero Captain America; the version that runs through Natasha's veins is less potent, but still puts her leagues above the average human. First and foremost, the serum amplifies her immune system tremendously; her aging process has decelerated to a crawl, and in alongside a heightened resistance to disease and toxins, any injuries she may sustain heal at a faster rate. The extent to which her muscular system has been improved is to a likewise tremendous degree, in that it has become durable enough to regularly withstand falls from multi-story heights and point-blank grenade blasts. Indeed, Romanoff is a marvelous assassin, but even a product of genetic engineering such as her needs her gadgets and weapons to provide an extra edge. A spy like Natasha is adept at a number of firearms and bladed weapons, but more of a calling card would be the wide array of devices she stores on her forearm gauntlets; despite the name, they more resemble elongated bracelets which house various paraphernalia. A sampling of such a selection includes miniature explosives, tear gas pellets, a retractable grappling hook cable, and the Widow's Bite, a compact taser that delivers high-frequency electrostatic energy blasts.
Decades have passed between Natasha's transformation into a covert operative and the present day, but time has done nothing to dull her skill. Even in a world of gods and aliens and other enhanced humans, Natasha has several feats that prove her capacity as a hero; her reflexes are such that she can evade a hail of gatling gun fire and her strength exceeds even that of Olympic-level athletes, as shown by how her kicks have a bone-crushing force of over 600 pounds. Ultimately, though, the fact that the serum has put her on a level beyond ordinary humans is also a reminder that the Black Widow is a human herself, one with limits that could never be overcome; even the fact that her agility puts her at bullet-dodging capabilities is due to the fact that they can still cause fatal damage should they make contact. What sees her through these circumstances and helps her match her faults are her intense survival instincts and a burning desire to bring an end to the Soviet programs that birthed her. Even on the road to becoming a paragon of righteousness, Natasha still depends on her origins to pose a threat, but now proves she may use her enhancements for good, turning that who was once a threat to global security into a capable protector of it.
From the Black Widow, the analysis shifts over to her impending competition, one Amélie Lacroix, née Guillard. Amélie lived a charmed life for a while, being more renowned as a Parisian ballerina than for any sort of heroism. That would change, however, with her marriage to Gérard Lacroix, a high-ranking member of the peacekeeping organization christened Overwatch. Specifically, Gérard spearheaded Overwatch's operations against the Talon terrorist group, who employed countless assassination attempts against him in order to maintain their infrastructure. As Lacroix was able to escape every one of these encounters none the worse for wear, Talon was forced to utilize an alternative approach if they were to eliminate him; they found the key to this approach shortly after Amélie was wed to Gérard. Talon forces were sent to kidnap Amélie, and to Gérard's relief, he was able to call upon the aid of Overwatch to bring her to safety; the fact that Gérard was found murdered in his sleep a few weeks after belies the macabre truth. To assassinate Gérard, the terrorists kidnapped Amélie and subjected her to intense mental indoctrination and reconditioning, part of their ploy to create the ultimate assassin. With her husband's passing, the brainwashed Amélie returned to Talon's base of operations to finalize her transformation into their personal weapon. Amélie Lacroix would live on, but not as the loving ballerina of yesteryear, only the dispassionate killer Talon would address solely as Widowmaker.
Having the resources of an international terrorist cell at their disposal means Talon had no shortage of resources with which to reshape Lacroix in their image. An immense amount of biological and physical modifications went into their reconstruction of Amélie, such as lowering her heart rate; while this gives Widowmaker her signature blue skin, more vitally, it reduces the vibrations caused by blood flow, ensuring a consistent aim even at long distances. Although the flexibility developed by her tenure as a ballerina keeping her lithe and agile, the head assassin of Talon would be much less without weapon kit befitting a sniper of her position. The centerpiece of Widowmaker's arsenal is the Widow's Kiss, a fully-automatic carbine that can shift between the properties of a sub-machine gun and a sniper rifle; in the latter form, the rounds fired by the Widow's Kiss are of a greater intensity, and Widowmaker can also use the rifle's scope to keep a closer eye on her targets while simultaneously increasing the already high-lethality of its bullets. The Talon sniper also comes equipped with a grappling hook that can propel her distances of up to 65 feet in any direction, a necessity to traverse uneven terrain or get into position for a decisive shot, while to keep herself position defensible or as a surprise attack, Widowmaker also has venom mines that detonate when an enemy party comes into a close enough proximity, filling the surrounding air with a toxic mist. Her recon visor is a complex multi-monitor computer that constantly provides Widowmaker information on her surroundings and provide access to her ultimate trick; shifting her vision to infrared to detect nearby heat signatures.
Although a tragedy was formed in Amélie's recreation into Widowmaker, the Talon sniper has crafted several more in her wake. Being one of the central members of the terrorist organization means that Widowmaker provides her services in several of their machinations, such as single-handedly arranging the assassination of the religious leader Tekharta Mondatta; in doing so, she has established a proficiency in agility and accuracy, taking Tekharta's life with a shot fired in midair. A great many Overwatch agents have similarly been incapacitated or outright met their end courtesy of the Widow's Kiss, including fellow sniper and Overwatch founder Ana Amari. The augmentations provided by Talon, meanwhile, have proven capable of withstanding a punch from the enormous gauntlet wielded by Talon's commander Akande "Doomfist" Ogundimu. The gauntlet, as contemporary lore claims, possesses enough force behind its punches to level a skyscraper, and, assuming this statement is more than mere hyperbole, means it can compress at least of two tons of force when in use; by extension, Widowmaker can survive a similar pressure. Talon has crafted a literal cold-blooded killer, though a part of Amélie lives on in the remorse she feels for her late husband. If this has any bearing on who Widowmaker is now, however, then how little it comes through is good reason to dread the sniper and agent she has since become.
The two combatants have been given their due, each studied from every angle, and the time has come to let the blood flow. One advertisement for the ExpressVPN data encryption service later, and now, it's time for a death battle!
King's Row, England. Winter snow flutters down from the skies above this London neighborhood. On the paved asphalt, a black widow spider hitches a ride on a two-vehicle motorcade navigating the streets. After a brief turn, both car and motorbike come to a halt beside the curb. The motorbike's driver props the kickstand before drawing a sniper rifle resting beside the fuel tank; waiting for her client to exit the car is the fabled soviet assassin known best as the Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff escorts her personnel to safety, but that safety never comes, as another sniper sets their sights on him. On the rooftops towering above the pair, the Talon assassin Widowmaker takes her shot, downing Romanoff's client with a single bullet. Any surprise that the Soviet spy may have is immediately stifled as Natasha takes cover behind the car. Natasha eyes the glint of light reflecting off the Widow's Kiss and rolls out the way of an incoming bullet; using the momentum to kick a bottle into the air, the glass distraction gives Romanoff enough time to set up the rifle. The two assassins aim their rifles at one another, and fire their next bullets with such precision...
FIGHT!
... that the two rounds merely graze one another as their flights continue otherwise unopposed. This slight disturbance in their trajectories, however, is enough to throw them off course; Lacroix watches a nearby pigeon get beheaded while Romanoff swerves herself away from the shattering glass of her scope. The battle seems to be over before it begins as Natasha drops onto the road. Widowmaker prepares to report her mission's success to Talon, but the second the lavender sniper's gaze wanders off, Natasha plays her card. A shrill noise fills the urban air as Black Widow makes a retreat aboard the motorbike, much to Amélie's slight disgust. Still, this setback fails to perturb her as she runs across the rooftop, firing in the Avenger's general direction. With both speed and grace does Natasha drive around the bullets before unsheathing a pistol and returning fire. Widowmaker launches her grappling hook towards a nearby building to keep up the chase. The echoing sound of gunfire continues as Lacroix shifts the Widow's Kiss into sub-machine gun form as she sprints alongside the skyscraper wall. A brief surge of bullets later, and Widowmaker leaps from the building to fire a last bullet from midair.
The round follows its path towards the front tire of a sedan in Natasha's way. As it drifts into the taxi next to it, both vehicles collide in a spectacular explosion, one which Black Widow drives past. Her trail leads her to a floating vehicle heading a park nestled deep within downtown. The Soviet assassin figures out Widowmaker's game plan; indeed, as the Frenchwoman vaults closer to ground level, she calls Talon to arrange her escape. What began as a clash of snipers becomes a race to the dropship, and Natasha reaches the destination as soon as it descends next to a neighboring Ferris wheel. A small charge is the tool of choice for the Red Room graduate, slipping it from her waist onto the bike. As she vaults backwards from a second explosion, the Black Widow's gauntlets fire a cable that slingshots her around the dropship and safely onto the Ferris wheel. Safe proves to be a relative term, as the Talon aircraft finally gives in to the damage inflicted upon it and bursts with enough force to destroy the bearings holding the attraction up. The wheel begins a slow march forward, unopposed and directly towards Widowmaker. The French sniper wastes no time in setting up her visor's infra-sight, carefully scanning each of its passing cars for any sign of life. Amélie finds her foe, but once again plays into her hands; her next sniper's bullet is met with Natasha leaping off the wheel, leaving Widowmaker with nothing but an amusement ride heading towards her. However, Natasha's gambit yields no fruit as Amélie backs away from the ride, which finally comes to a halt upon crashing into the skyscraper.
Widowmaker surveys the wreckage on the ground below, too preoccupied with her search to hear the clacking sound behind her. It is only with the humming of Natasha's electrified baton that Lacroix realizes her foe's true position; the Black Widow closes the distance, but runs straight into the path of a venom mine. Romanoff barely escapes the cloud of poisonous gas before dropping in front of an arrogant Widowmaker. The French assassin taunts her vulnerable prey, only for Natasha to prove that even at this stage in the fight, she still has her own share of surprises. Widowmaker's dropped guard is the opening the Soviet needs to launch her own Widow's Bite at the Talon agent, wracking her with thousands of volts. In this instant, Natasha shifts the match back into her favor with a diving tackle that sends the pair tumbling off the rooftop. Amélie recovers and launches her grappling hook once more so as to reroute the pair indoors; upon collision, glass is scattered about the room as both spies regain their footing. The Widow's Kiss unleashes a hail of bullets which the Avenger nimbly darts around. Only once the barrage dies down is it made clear that Natasha's only injury is a mere gash on her cheek from the shattered window. The now-bloodlusted Natasha charges at Widowmaker, batting the rifle out the sniper's hands and knocking her in the stomach with a knee strike. Too disoriented to retaliate, Amélie is caught with a sweeping kick to the back of her skull, and her grappling hook hits nothing but air. Black Widow grips onto the cable as it retracts and yanks Widowmaker into the air; Lacroix comes to her senses well enough to balance herself out the midair spin.
The French assassin is forced onto the defensive, her wide kicking only enough to buy a few seconds from the wrath of the Black Widow. Alternate hooks pummel Widowmaker before launching her into a still-intact window; said window loses that position as Amélie is launched into it. In desperation, the Talon assassin grabs a fragment of broken glass and stabs Romanoff in the thigh. With another thrust into the gut, blood spews from the wound as Widowmaker rips the glass out and continues her assault; unfortunately for her, Natasha has already recovered and disarms Lacroix of the glass shard in short order. Widowmaker is then hammered with a rapid flurry of blows that culminate in a twirling leap which gives Romanoff enough leverage to wrap her own grappling wire around Amélie's neck. The Frenchwoman topples onto the floor in agony, but her resolve is steadfast even in the face of strangulation and Natasha's ever-tightening hold. The Widow's Kiss remains just out of her reach, yet Widowmaker continues to show defiance even in the face of this grim situation she finds herself in; Natasha, meanwhile, remains stoic as she props herself up on the prone form of Widowmaker. In a final twirling backflip, the Soviet agent prematurely silences Widowmaker's scream as the Talon sniper's head is sheared clean off. Amélie's severed cranium continues tumbling away from the three-point landing of the Black Widow, who only has a final farewell to offer her bested foe before leaving the scene.
K.O.!
In the aftermath of the fight, both hosts come to address that, despite Natasha's greater pool of experience, the fight was more than a one-sided affair as it may have come across. The Widow's Kiss and the versatility provided by its two forms proved to give Widowmaker an advantage at a distance, but was the only real ace the Talon sniper had; the venom mine, in comparison, would do little against a foe like Black Widow, whose heightened immune system would let her deal with its poison using minimal effort. Natasha has had experience in outmaneuvering snipers and forcing them into close range, where her own expertise in martial arts could be put to better use. Amélie, with her tendency to get disarmed during fights, would be thoroughly overwhelmed by the competition as a result. While their physicalities were closer, Natasha proved to be Lacroix's better still; Natasha's feats such as snapping bone in one kick or outrunning the best real-world athletes are above Widowmaker's demonstrated skill level. Even in durability, the one category they could be perceived to be similar in, a major caveat hinders Amélie's potential; the Doomfist gauntlet, despite having been shown in action while in the hands of its owner, has never displayed to have the building-leveling capabilities that are often boasted about it. Ultimately, Widowmaker had her share of advantages, but Natasha had many more to greater extents that ended proving the tipping point between the two assassins.
Wiz: The winner is Black Widow!
Black Widow vs. Widowmaker contains examples of:
- Animal Motif: Both women are themed after the black widow spider.
- Assassin Outclassin': More or less the theme of the episode, given both fighters are among the best in the profession in their home series. Ultimately, it's Natasha who ekes out the victory on account of having more combat experience.
- Book Ends: Widowmaker opens the fight with a French Pre-Mortem One-Liner; Natasha closes it with a Russian Bond One-Liner.
- Brick Joke: Wiz advises Boomstick to drink colloidal silver in order to develop blue skin like Widowmaker; it poisons him the second he drinks it, but he finally gets what he wanted by the end of the episode.
- Broken Win/Loss Streak: Before Black Widow's victory here, Thanos and Namor lost their respective match-ups back-to-back.
- Cartridges in Flight: The closeup of the passing bullets shows that they are full cartridges, instead of the sole projectile.
- Continuity Nod: The fight involves two projectiles from both fighters gently nudging each other mid-flight. The last time this happened was with a different Marvel sharpshooter who also one-upped his competition.
- Exact Words: It’s noted that while Doomfist was said to to be capable of destroying a skyscraper, they didn’t say he could do it with one punch. This, combined with the fact that the Widowmaker was hit by a kid wearing the gauntlet rather than the actual Doomfist, meant Widowmaker’s durability couldn’t reasonably be to scaled to him, making Natasha the tougher of the two.
- Foil: Both fighters are assassins, but their lives, how they came into the profession, and how they dealt with it couldn't be anymore different. Natasha was practically raised to become an assassin during her time in the Red Room and was one of their greatest assassins before defecting and seeking its destruction. While she did join the Avengers, there have been moments when Black Widow falls back on her old habits and opts for the simple, if brutal solution. Widowmaker, on the other hand, was brainwashed and conditioned to become Talon's hitwoman and sniper. While it's ambiguous how much of what's left of the woman Widowmaker was is still present, she's an antagonistic force against the heroes.
- Know When to Fold Them: Completing her initial assignment and facing off against an equally skilled assassin is enough for Widowmaker to try hauling ass out the area. Black Widow destroys her backup to force her to stay.
- Mythology Gag:
- In the fight, Natasha moves out the way of one of Widowmaker's bullets and barely avoids getting scope sniped, just as Widowmaker did to Ana Amari.
- She also catches Widowmaker with the kind of hurricanrana associated with her cinematic counterpart.
- Off with Her Head!: This is Widowmaker's ultimate fate, as Natasha strangles and beheads her with her grappling wire.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Black Widow succeeds in terminating Widowmaker, but fails to prevent her from assassinating a civilian she was tasked with protecting.
- Shout-Out:
- After hearing that Widowmaker's skin tone is due to her lowered heart rate, Boomstick admits he assumed she was merely a full-grown Smurfette.
- At the start of the fight, the combatants fire at each other with sniper rifles, and we get a close-up shot of their bullets glancing off one another in mid-flight.
- Sniper Duel: Briefly indulged in the beginning of the battle with the two combatants trading rifle fire before they close the distance.
- Sole Survivor: Played for morbid humor when Mama Boomstick's hot dog eating contest is brought up. Only her son lived to see the end.
- Strong and Skilled: A major factor in Black Widow's victory; not only is Black Widow physically superior or at bare minimum equal to Widowmaker, she also has far more experience as a fighter, including dealing with long-range opponents like Widowmaker.
