Natalia Alianovna "Natasha Romanoff" Romanova (Russian: Наталья Альяновна "Наташа Романоф" Романова), colloquial: Black Widow (Russian: Чёрная Вдова; transliterated Chyornaya Vdova) 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 debuted in Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964). The character was introduced as a Russian spy, an antagonist of the superhero Iron Man. 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. The character has appeared in numerous forms of media, such as animated television series, video games, and films; with Scarlett Johansson portraying the character in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films such as Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and the upcoming Black Widow (2021).