Despite being trained as a lone wolf assassin, Black Widow has long excelled in team and partner situations. As writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee turn up the heat on her on January 18 in BLACK WIDOW #10, these might be some of the people she could turn to for some aid and support.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
It turns out Cap and Black Widow have been allies for even longer than their Avengers history would suggest. All the way back in World War II, Rogers intervened to stop Romanova’s kidnapping by the Hand. Then, she teamed up with him, a certain angry Canadian, and her surrogate father to repel the ninjas on the streets of Soviet Russia.

Since then, Widow and Cap obviously share an extensive history of team-ups, both within and outside the rank of the Avengers.

WOLVERINE
The angry Canadian mentioned above. He may not have a clear memory of the incident in question thanks to Weapon X’s tinkering, but he stood with Natasha and Steve to fight those Hand ninjas some 70 years ago. Since then, her relationship to the mutant has been less smooth than hers with the Captain. She protected him from Hydra assassins, they have teamed up against the Hand again, she has manipulated him into partaking in a secret invasion of Latveria, and fought against him when he had been brainwashed by those ninjas that facilitated their first team-up back in the 40’s.

THE WINTER SOLDIER
While under the direction of the Soviet Union, a brain washed Bucky Barnes fell in love with a deadly Red Room assassin. Their tyrannical government and time tore them apart, only for them to reunite in modern times, now both free of Russian control. They fell into romance once again but it proved even more short-lived as Bucky found himself forced to erase all memory of their love from her mind to save her life. They have teamed up since, but it seems she remains still unaware of their complicated past.

CRIMSON DYNAMO
Romanov has a fairly extensive history with the Crimson Dynamos, most prominently with the second Dynamo, Boris Turgenov, with whom she had teamed up with for some time before coming to the U.S. on a mission to abduct or kill the first Dynamo, Anton Vanko, who had become an ally of Iron Man’s. Turgenov ended up killed during that mission and since most encounters between Widow and a Dynamo trend towards antagonistic.

CAROL DANVERS
Not yet a costumed hero, Danvers teamed up with Romanov–and Nick Fury–to see a newly altered by Weapon X Logan avoid death by at the hand of Hydra assassins. The next time they met, they opposed one another as Danvers (still in military service only) and the Thing tried to steal Soviet secrets and Widow opposed them. In modern day, of course, the two have teamed up many times and enjoy a professional relationship.

NICK FURY
One of the biggest opponents of her career as a Russian spy became one of her biggest allies and a mentor figure in her post-Soviet career. They share not only a career path–professional spy–but similar understanding of the grays that fill the real world, grays that most super heroes struggle to acknowledge, nevermind wrestle with.

IRON MAN
Beginning as just a mission objective, the relationship between Iron Man and Black Widow has blossomed into a deep and complex friendship. Although briefly romantic, what has most defined their connection has been their mutual dedication to attempting to assert order where none often can be found. This led Widow to join with Stark during CIVIL WAR and to stick with him even after the death of Cap. He, in turn, has helped her overcome her implanted Soviet programming (the Oktober Protocol) overlooked her past while encouraging others to do the same.

HAWKEYE
After initially failing to seduce and destroy Stark, Black Widow turned to similarly heading towards being a hero but not there yet Clint Barton. At first, his idealism drove her away from the Soviet Union and they began a romance, all without stopping their criminal activities. In time, he would assist her in making her break from Russian intelligence permanent and ask her to marry him. She ultimately refused, but the two have remained friends and allies since, now largely on the right side of the law.

DAREDEVIL
Arguably, with the possible exception of Winter Soldier, her deepest, most committed romantic relationship happened with the Man Without Fear. The two fought side by side and lived together in San Francisco until, alas, their relationship unraveled and DD headed back to the East Coast. The two still boast a long history of flirtatious friendship and getting each other’s back no matter what.

DARKSTAR
Choosing to stay on the West Coast, Black Widow quickly helped begin and lead the super hero team known as the Champions. Soon after, as an act of paying it forward, Widow helped aid the Russian super hero Darkstar in defecting to the United States. Joining the Champions at the same time, Darkstar and Widow served side by side as teammates. From time to time, they would team up again, usually to oppose Russian overreach. Any change in their relationship brought on by Darkstar’s murder and resurrection via techno organic virus has yet to be revealed.

RED WIDOW
Saved by Black Widow as a child, Red Widow grew up not just admiring her one-time savior but doing her all to follow in Natasha’s footsteps. Besides her drive, Ava Orlova brings the ability to transmit electricity through objects to her mission. As of now, the two have only met the day Romanov rescued Orlova from the Russian mafia, but a team-up does seem inevitable, does it not?

Despite being trained as a lone wolf assassin, Black Widow has long excelled in team and partner situations. As writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee turn up the heat on her on January 18 in BLACK WIDOW #10, these might be some of the people she could turn to for some aid and support.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
It turns out Cap and Black Widow have been allies for even longer than their Avengers history would suggest. All the way back in World War II, Rogers intervened to stop Romanova’s kidnapping by the Hand. Then, she teamed up with him, a certain angry Canadian, and her surrogate father to repel the ninjas on the streets of Soviet Russia.

Since then, Widow and Cap obviously share an extensive history of team-ups, both within and outside the rank of the Avengers.

WOLVERINE
The angry Canadian mentioned above. He may not have a clear memory of the incident in question thanks to Weapon X’s tinkering, but he stood with Natasha and Steve to fight those Hand ninjas some 70 years ago. Since then, her relationship to the mutant has been less smooth than hers with the Captain. She protected him from Hydra assassins, they have teamed up against the Hand again, she has manipulated him into partaking in a secret invasion of Latveria, and fought against him when he had been brainwashed by those ninjas that facilitated their first team-up back in the 40’s.

THE WINTER SOLDIER
While under the direction of the Soviet Union, a brain washed Bucky Barnes fell in love with a deadly Red Room assassin. Their tyrannical government and time tore them apart, only for them to reunite in modern times, now both free of Russian control. They fell into romance once again but it proved even more short-lived as Bucky found himself forced to erase all memory of their love from her mind to save her life. They have teamed up since, but it seems she remains still unaware of their complicated past.

CRIMSON DYNAMO
Romanov has a fairly extensive history with the Crimson Dynamos, most prominently with the second Dynamo, Boris Turgenov, with whom she had teamed up with for some time before coming to the U.S. on a mission to abduct or kill the first Dynamo, Anton Vanko, who had become an ally of Iron Man’s. Turgenov ended up killed during that mission and since most encounters between Widow and a Dynamo trend towards antagonistic.

CAROL DANVERS
Not yet a costumed hero, Danvers teamed up with Romanov–and Nick Fury–to see a newly altered by Weapon X Logan avoid death by at the hand of Hydra assassins. The next time they met, they opposed one another as Danvers (still in military service only) and the Thing tried to steal Soviet secrets and Widow opposed them. In modern day, of course, the two have teamed up many times and enjoy a professional relationship.

NICK FURY
One of the biggest opponents of her career as a Russian spy became one of her biggest allies and a mentor figure in her post-Soviet career. They share not only a career path–professional spy–but similar understanding of the grays that fill the real world, grays that most super heroes struggle to acknowledge, nevermind wrestle with.

IRON MAN
Beginning as just a mission objective, the relationship between Iron Man and Black Widow has blossomed into a deep and complex friendship. Although briefly romantic, what has most defined their connection has been their mutual dedication to attempting to assert order where none often can be found. This led Widow to join with Stark during CIVIL WAR and to stick with him even after the death of Cap. He, in turn, has helped her overcome her implanted Soviet programming (the Oktober Protocol) overlooked her past while encouraging others to do the same.

HAWKEYE
After initially failing to seduce and destroy Stark, Black Widow turned to similarly heading towards being a hero but not there yet Clint Barton. At first, his idealism drove her away from the Soviet Union and they began a romance, all without stopping their criminal activities. In time, he would assist her in making her break from Russian intelligence permanent and ask her to marry him. She ultimately refused, but the two have remained friends and allies since, now largely on the right side of the law.

DAREDEVIL
Arguably, with the possible exception of Winter Soldier, her deepest, most committed romantic relationship happened with the Man Without Fear. The two fought side by side and lived together in San Francisco until, alas, their relationship unraveled and DD headed back to the East Coast. The two still boast a long history of flirtatious friendship and getting each other’s back no matter what.

DARKSTAR
Choosing to stay on the West Coast, Black Widow quickly helped begin and lead the super hero team known as the Champions. Soon after, as an act of paying it forward, Widow helped aid the Russian super hero Darkstar in defecting to the United States. Joining the Champions at the same time, Darkstar and Widow served side by side as teammates. From time to time, they would team up again, usually to oppose Russian overreach. Any change in their relationship brought on by Darkstar’s murder and resurrection via techno organic virus has yet to be revealed.

RED WIDOW
Saved by Black Widow as a child, Red Widow grew up not just admiring her one-time savior but doing her all to follow in Natasha’s footsteps. Besides her drive, Ava Orlova brings the ability to transmit electricity through objects to her mission. As of now, the two have only met the day Romanov rescued Orlova from the Russian mafia, but a team-up does seem inevitable, does it not?

Congratulations. You’re a super hero now. You have the name, the look, and the mission. And of course, you will soon find yourself knee-deep in enemies as well. What follows is a dossier of those criminals whom Iron Man frequently tangles and how to take them down should you ever encounter them – or any like them.

Fin Fang Foom.
What you see is what you get: a large man-dragon. Fortunately, he no longer presents the threat he once did; however, occasional copy cats will surface. Given his size, do not engage in solo combat. Instead, employ squad tactics and hit him from multiple fronts while someone either magically or telepathically places him back into hibernation.

The Controller.
Although frequently defeated, The Controller rarely gives up on his ambitions for world domination. Because he employs upgraded and stolen Stark tech, he’ll present a tough fight. Offer him no grounds for getting into your head either: His greatest strength is controlling weaker minds.

MODOK.
Don’t let the absurdity of how MODOK appears distract you from how deadly he can be. Combining deadly psychic powers with technological advancements, he can prove quite the challenge. To defeat MODOK, focus on disabling his headband and hover chair. This will remove his ability to support his own body as well as rendering his mental attacks null and void.

Madame Masque.
In truth, Madame Masque’s interests lie less with the suit as they do the man in it: Tony Stark. To defeat her, you need to isolate her from her cronies and then movie quickly to incapacitate her. Whitney Frost possesses no superhuman powers but make no mistake: She is a deadly foe well-versed in super hero combat, and she rarely enters a fray without some form of advanced technology and a dozen clones. Take her out quickly.

Ultimo.
As a new super hero, do not engage Ultimo on your own. Capable of growing up to 100 feet, this monstrous robot often finds itself the tool of another villain, bent on creating as much destruction as possible. The most effective method of defeating Ultimo is finding that person and knocking him or her out before too much collateral damage occurs.

Crimson Dynamo.
One of Iron Man’s oldest foes. In reality, the Crimson Dynamo’s abilities shift from one pilot and suit to the next making this opponent unpredictable. Studying the technology of your opponents before you come into contact with often proves the best means of preventing failure on the battlefield, and doing so with the Dynamo program would serve you well.

The Family Hammer.
A river of bad blood flows between Stark Enterprises and Hammer Industries. Secure your armor plans at all costs as they will continually seek to steal your tech and turn it against you. Pay particular attention to Sasha Hammer, as she has the strengths of both her grandfather, Justin, and her infamous parentage working in her favor. And unlike her parents, she has many years before her to lead the family business.

The Family Stane.
First it was the late Obadiah and now Ezekiel “Zeke” Stane who stand off against Tony Stark and Iron Man. No matter how close you find yourself to be – or not be – to Mr. Stark, understand they won’t care who you are or how you really feel. When you put yourself in the armor, you put yourself in their crosshairs. Like the Hammers, this family will rarely miss a chance to take a shot at Iron Man – or any one of his close associates.

Mandarin.
The oldest of Iron Man’s foes, the Mandarin proves time and time again to be one of his most deadly…though thought deceased, his rings are not. Although the rings are now in custody, we recently discovered they became sentient and will seek to select a fitting bearer given the opportunity. Each ring possesses certain weaknesses, so be sure to review the files of Iron Man’s recent battles with Mandarin-One through Mandarin-Ten for additional information.

Thanos.
Do not engage under any circumstances. If encountered, break contact and call in any and all available Avengers forces. See the file for Deceased: War Machine, James Rhodes.

End Transmission.

GWENPOOL fans know that things don’t always work out as planned for our budding antihero. So the upcoming GWENPOOL #10, which will see Gwen leading an army all her own, could certainly have its fair share of misadventures. We caught up with writer Christopher Hastings about what we can expect.

Dudes in Costume
“First off, we’ll see a bunch of buff, bad dudes in the Gwenpool uniform, kicking alien butt with their quads out. I thought it would be really funny to stick a bunch of muscley guys in Gwen’s costume, but after seeing how Gurihiru drew it…it kind of works for them? They look good!”

Fun with the M.O.D.O.K Base
“Gwen has full control of the M.O.D.O.K. mobile base, and other than seeing it perched in various places across the city, we haven’t seen it go into battle yet. Gwen finds the button that unleashes the weapons. Lotta explosions.”

Personal Growth? Whaaat?
“Gwen leads this army and giant mech thing into a relatively untouched-by-super-heroes part of Brooklyn. We challenge Gwen’s assumptions about who counts as a “real person” and who doesn’t in the Marvel Universe. She might actually learn some empathy for the other normal people in this world…or she might just step on their house with the M.O.D.O.K. base.”

Big Decisions For Gwen
“As we’ve set up, the cops have started to figured out Gwen’s deal now. If she launches a full-scale invasion into Bay Ridge, she’ll find them right on top of her. Does she pit this army against the police? Doing that might set her into full-blown super villain origin…”

Scary Stuff for C-Listers
“To fully admit to the rules Gwen believes about this world…we made up Mega Tony and Terrible Eye for this book. And we consider Batroc a C-lister. So they can get killed. Not good news for them, since Gwen will have to fight off an army of alien arms dealers for real for the first time. Gwen’s the hero of her own book, but the others don’t have that advantage. Might not go great.”