Black Widow (Чёрная вдова, 'Chjornaja vdova') (Natalia Romanova, also known as Natasha Romanoff) is a fictional character – a secret agent in the Marvel Comics Universe. She was created by writers Stan Lee and Don Rico and artist Don Heck, and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #52 (April 1964). The Black Widow's first appearances were as a recurring, non-costumed, Soviet-spy antagonist in the Tales of Suspense feature Iron Man, recruiting a besotted Hawkeye to her cause. Her government later supplied her with her first Black Widow costume and high-tech weaponry, but she eventually defected to the United States after appearing, temporarily brainwashed against the U.S., in the superhero-team series The Avengers #29 (July 1966). The Widow later became a recurring ally of the team before officially becoming its sixteenth member.