The Death Of Black Widow

Yes, as Black Widow manages to shove Miles back from the fight, Steve slams the point of his shield squarely into the side of her neck. Thanks to the X-ray details from artist Andrea Sorrentino, fans can see that the blow shatters Nat’s jaw, part of her skull, and comes to a stop buried in the vertebrae of her neck. It stops the exchange of blows as her blank face falls to the ground, in what we now know are her final moments. And just that quickly, Captain America has – unintentionally, it might seem – killed another colleague he used to call a friend.

Secret Empire #8 makes no mention of Natasha having survived, being given medical treatment, meaning fans are left to accept this as her true, honest to goodness death. Miles soon unleashes his full strength and anger on Cap, bloodying him and carrying him to the spot he should kill him… but refuses, choosing to honor Widow’s wishes for him to live on by staying his hand. Some might argue that Nat really would have wanted someone to kill Steve for having killer her, too, but fans are given a reason to hold out hope.

In his efforts to sway people to his side, Steve has apparently suggested that when Hydra has assumed total control, he will use the power of the Cosmic Cube to resurrect those who died in his takeover. Whether that’s true or another lie isn’t clear. But if that’s how Marvel suggests that this fascistCaptain America can still be the hero of the story, there is reason to doubt. We can imagine that some of Marvel’s dead will be understanding about the need to kill them… but Black Widow? Not so much.