In a shock twist, the New Avengers have a brand new leader – a hero made iconic by their appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this well-deserved promotion comes with a dark caveat: one that will redefine the team moving forward.
Black Widow Is the New Avengers’ Official Leader
But Is She Also Their Biggest Betrayer?
Marvel’s New Avengers volume 5 has assembled a new version of the team nicknamed ‘Earth’s Deadliest Heroes.’ And as they finally achieve success in their first mission, Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier officially hands over leadership of the team to Natasha Romanova’s Black Widow – something that Namor, Carnage, Clea Strange and Laura Kinney’s Wolverine instantly celebrate.
This move makes Black Widow one of the few heroes to lead both the Avengers and New Avengers, standing alongside Captain America, Iron Man and Captain Marvel. However, there’s a dark twist in the tale. Hours after declaring Black Widow the team’s leader, Winter Soldier receives a file seemingly showing her betraying the team. New Avengers #5 comes from Sam Humphries, Tiago Palma, Fabi Marques, Matt Milla and Joe Sabino.
Is Black Widow Hero or Traitor?
And How Many Versions of Black Widow Are There?
The New Avengers came together due to the creation of a team of clones known as the Killuminati. These evil clones of Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Namor, Black Bolt and Professor X were created by the evil scientist known as the Jackal – formed using rare resources from a mysterious benefactor. As the evil Iron Man reveals he’s still alive, he provides Bucky with a video showing Black Widow ordering the creation of the clones.
This reveal begs many questions. Is Black Widow betraying the team, or are there two versions of Natasha in the Marvel Universe? If the latter, is the New Avengers’ leader the original or a clone? And who is the evil Black Widow working for, as she references a “Master” of her own?
These questions are complicated by the fact that – in 2018 – Marvel revealed that the Red Room had been cloning Natasha for an indeterminate amount of time, with the current Black Widow being a clone of the original (who died in the Secret Empire event.) That means that this Black Widow could even be the original Black Widow, somehow returned to life. It’s a mystery the series will continue to explore in upcoming issues.
What This Twist Means for Black Widow and the New Avengers
Black Widow is a respected super-spy and experienced Avenger, so it’s no surprise that the team were so elated to have her in charge. However, the reveal of her potential betrayal makes her the worst leader the team could have right now.
This reveal breaks the trust between Bucky and Natasha, while promising to put the team at odds as they attempt to reveal the traitor in their midst. The next issue will launch right into the drama, with the summary for New Avengers #6 reading:
WHO IS THE TRAITOR? A catastrophic piece of intel reveals that the mastermind behind the creation of the Killuminati is a member of the NEW AVENGERS! As the team musters to stop Iron Apex from creating more Illuminati doubles, paranoia threatens to tear them apart. Can this unstable team hope to survive a traitor in their midst?
Our Take on Black Widow Becoming the New Avengers’ Leader
It’s an odd choice for Marvel to choose a dead MCU hero as the leader of the New Avengers. The comic’s release was clearly meant to coincide with the release of MCU’s Thunderbolts*, with the same bait-and-switch titling of originally being solicited as a Thunderbolts series. Fans had therefore expected that Bucky Barnes would remain the team leader, given his prominence in the movie and the MCU as a whole.
Apparently, Marvel had different plans, making Black Widow the leader of the New Avengers only to instantly throw them into disarray. It’s a dramatic turn guaranteed to leave New Avengers fans wanting to know more, turning Black Widow’s leadership into a grenade that’s already threatening to blow the team apart.
New Avengers #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.