Black Widow Costumes for Women

Natalia Romanova, more commonly known as the first Black Widow, is one of the leading fictional ladies of the Marvel universe.

Her sleek black skin-tight outfit is a particularly popular choice of Halloween wear this year—a popularity that can be no doubt attributed, at least to a considerable extent, to award-winning Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson.

And her portrayal of everyone’s favorite red-haired Russian spy in box office hits Iron Man 2 and The Avengers

There have been a number of Black Widow agents in the Marvel comics since Natalia Romanova, but none of them have come to be known as well as the original.

With Scarlett Johansson’s stellar portrayal of her in both films, the original femme fatale has gained a loyal following.

Ladies looking to capture the “as deadly as she is sexy” look of Black Widow for this year’s Halloween will find themselves in luck.

Black Widow’s outfit isn’t as unrealistic or complex as some of the more unorthodox superhero costume concoctions in the Marvel comics.

The main component of the outfit is a simple, shiny black jumpsuit that can be accentuated by low slung belts, military-like accessories, Black Widow’s signature armband, weaponry, etc.

Sounds easy enough, right? Not.

Before you decide to don the Black Widow costume this Halloween, you should probably read up on the original character to “get in character”, so to speak.

That, by no means, is easy because Black Widow has one of the best backstories in the Marvel comics.

Natalia, or Natasha, as she is more commonly known, was born in Stalingrad and taken in by a Soviet soldier named Ivan Petrovitch after her parents perished in a fire.

As a member of the elite team of female sleeper agents, the Black Widow Program, she was trained in sniping, martial arts, and spying.

However, after being briefly brainwashed to fight the Avengers and due to reasons related to her romantic love interest, Hawkeye, she cuts off all ties with her former Russian superiors.

She then defected to the U.S., where she thereafter pursued a solo vigilante career.

Known for resorting to extreme measures to get the job done, Natasha Romanova is one of the greatest spies the KGB has produced to date.

The Outfit

Obviously, when it comes to dressing up as an authentic Black Widow, character backstory matters, and ladies who are willing to make the effort can do so at their leisure because the Black Widow costume is startlingly simple.

Black Widow’s signature black jumpsuit leaves nothing to the imagination, but don’t let this fool you: the suit is made of special material that wards off extreme temperatures and small-arms fire.

However, for a hot Halloween look, a plain black cotton number will do.

Attach a S.H.I.E.L.D. patch to the upper arms and choose between one of two belts: a belt made of a series of gold disks (containing portable weapons) with an hourglass in the central disk or two belts made of black webbing.

For shoes, try on black boots with heels (4″ at most; stiletto heels are not recommended).

For her signature bracelets “Widow Makers”, the formidable armaments that induce fatal electric discharges, you might have to do it the hard way and make them from scratch with plastic if you can’t find them online.

The bracelets are the one component of the costume that you can modify to your heart’s desire—keep them simple but shiny or make them as detailed as possible. Either way, both look good.

Make sure to put a holster strap around your thigh and equip yourself with a black toy pistol for a more authentic look.

Black Widow is an expert weapon master, and thus, you want to try to look like an expert weapon master.

The Hair

Black Widow’s hair has slight curls and is naturally red, so you might need to dye your hair if you’re not a natural redhead and create some curls with a curling iron.

The curls can be done in any style you choose; like the bracelets, the curls provide an opportunity to add your own distinctive flair to an otherwise simplistic costume.

Be creative and experiment with them!

Makeup

Put on some light makeup to enhance your looks (red lipstick, though not light, goes well with Black Widow’s image), and you should be good to go.

The Black Widow outfit, with its simple, streamlined construction, is no hassle, and with only minimal effort, you can spend this year’s Halloween looking like Natalia Romanova, a Marvel leading lady who is as deadly as she is sexy.

photo by greyloch via Wikipedia Commons