The issue kicks off with the Black Widow making a dramatic entrance to reacquaint herself with Hawkeye. She explains that the Leader had one final mission for him before his fall from grace: to finish what she started—to succeed where she failed—in bringing down Iron Man.

But under what logic would they try the same person and expect different results? Easy: by giving her a new suit and upgraded technology to get the job done. With her new boots and a suction-cup-based grappling system, the Black Widow transitions from femme fatale to full-fledged assassin in this outing.

Hawkeye, meanwhile, is driven less by any real desire to take down Iron Man and more by his loyalty—and love—for Natasha. Interestingly, his sense of nationalism nearly gets in the way of collaborating with the Russian agent… almost.

Characters & Development

Much like Namor in my most recent Daredevil review, this issue puts its antagonist front and center. We see Black Widow and Hawkeye not only reconnect but also move forward with their plan. While Iron Man might come out victorious in the end, it’s love that truly wins the day for Natasha and Hawkeye.

Not so much for Pepper and Happy, though. The love triangle between Pepper, Happy, and Tony remains as tense as ever, despite the so-called “engagement” Tony engineers with an unknown and unreal person—as a ploy to set Pepper and Happy free to pursue each other.

Originality & Continuity

This issue does an excellent job picking up the threads of past stories and weaving them into what we know will eventually come. It’s particularly exciting to see how this story sets the stage for Black Widow’s eventual evolution from antagonist to protagonist in her own right.

Artwork

The Black Widow redesign is fascinating, both artistically and thematically. It draws her closer to her namesake, a spider, and by extension to Spider-Man himself. From wall-climbing to grappling, her new abilities add a fresh dimension to her character. Unfortunately, these enhancements are mostly relegated to her introduction—they don’t come into play during the climactic showdown with Iron Man, which feels like a missed opportunity.