Black Widow is a character.
Black Widow ( Чёрная вдова , transliterated Chyornaya Vdova ) ( Natalia Alianovna `` Natasha '' Romanova , Russian : Наталья Альяновна '' Наташа '' Романова , also known as Natasha Romanoff ) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee , scripter Don Rico , and artist Don Heck , the character first appeared in Tales of Suspense No. 52 ( April 1964 ) . She later defected to the United States , becoming an agent of the fictional spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. , and a member of the superhero team the Avengers . Scarlett Johansson portrayed the character in the films Iron Man 2 ( 2010 ) , The Avengers ( 2012 ) , Captain America : The Winter Soldier ( 2014 ) , Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) and Captain America : Civil War ( 2016 ) as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise .