Black Widow Underestimated and Hypersexualized

P. L. Thomas, Professor of Education (Furman University, Greenville SC) is the author of How to End the Reading War and Serve the Literacy Needs of All Students (IAP, 2022). In recognition of his work, NCTE awarded Thomas the 2013 George Orwell Award.

• List of FiguresIntroduction: Black Widow Underestimated and Hypersexualized1 Introduction2 How to Unmask Superheroes in the Era of Reboots, the Multiverse, and Retcons3 Black Widow Underestimated and Hypersexualized: The Many Beginnings of Black Widow4 Chapter Overviews5 A Complete—But Not Exhaustive—Overview1 Tortured Beginnings and Solo Black Widow1 Introduction2 “Madame Natasha”: First Beginning for Black Widow as Seductress3 Black Widow 2.0: A First Reboot as Superhero4 Daredevil and Black Widow: Match Made in Hell’s Kitchen5 Black Widow: Loner among Loners6 Will the Real Black Widow Please Stand Up? Natasha v. Yelena, More than a Little Problem7 Black Widow and Daredevil: Old and New Promises2 A New Start? “He Underestimates Me”1 Introduction2 A New Start?3 “The Things They Say about Her”4 The Morgan/Sienkiewicz Contribution3 “It’s Not the Length of Life That Matters”1 Introduction2 Deadly Origin: “They Made Me Filthy”3 “But I Just Wanted to Be Free”4 Brief as a Woman’s Love?5 Black Widow’s “Shaky” Introduction to the MCU and Avengers4 Black Widow Unbound: Past, Present, Future1 Introduction2 “If You Know My Name”: Seeing Black Widow again for the First Time3 “But Ethics Isn’t a Science”: Past, Present, Future4 Black Widow Ascending in the MCU5 “A Book of Myths/in which/Our Names Do Not Appear”5 “I Reap What I Sow”1 Introduction2 Enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Again?)3 The Arc of Black Widow’s Universe4 Black Widow, Avenger6 “I Am What I Am”1 Introduction2 Black Widow, Lost and Found3 O, What a Tangled Web4 Black Widow Exits MCU?7 “I Remember Everything”1 Introduction2 “This Can’t Be It”3 “And This Is My City Now”4 “This Is Beautiful”5 Underestimating Black Widow in the MCU—Even in DeathConclusion: Honoring Women in Superhero Comics, Pop Culture, and Beyond1 Introduction2 Wonder Woman Historia: Just in Time3 Women and Children, Goddesses/Gods and Mortals4 “Born to Die”5 More Time, More Space Needed for Women Superheroes and Creators