Black Widow Recovers One of Doctor Strange's Strongest MCU Weapons
Black Widow is undeniably one of the top spies in the Marvel Universe. Despite her lack of superpowers, Natasha never backs down from a fight - even if her opponent is wielding one of Doctor Strange’s most powerful artifacts.
Black Widow: Widow’s Sting #1 by Ralph Macchio and Simone Buonfantino is a new comic from Marvel that pits Natasha against Silvermane, an infamous Maggia crime boss with a cybernetic body. Black Widow is sent to investigate because the previous SHIELD agent assigned to the case went missing. After infiltrating Silvermane’s party under the guise of a guest, Natasha quickly realizes this case will be more than she bargained for. Once his guests are gathered at the dinner table, Silvermane reveals the true reason for this gathering is to show off his new weapon: the Wand of Watoomb.
The Wand was created centuries ago by the sorcerer Watoomb, who like Agamotto transcended his mortal form to become a mystic principality. Watoomb entrusted his wand to the Sorcerer Supreme, a position currently held by Doctor Strange. In Black Widow: Widow’s Sting, Strange evidently loaned the Wand to a museum to be put on display, which is how Silvermane acquired it. The Wand of Watoomb is an incredibly powerful magical artifact, allowing the wielder to project, absorb, and redirect energy, as well as create magic shields and open inter-dimensional portals, which Silvermane does to give his guests a glimpse of the Wand's power.
With the Wand of Watoomb in his possession, Silvermane is a major threat. “So long as I hold it,” he says, “We don’t worry about the FBI, SHIELD, AIM — nobody can touch us.” Nobody, except for Black Widow, that is. After watching Silvermane show off the Wand’s power, Natasha follows his henchman to find where it’s being stored. She manages to find it, but not before Silvermane finds her, leading to a confrontation. Fortunately, the other agent, who turns out to be Astra, is still in the building and comes to assist Natasha in taking the villain down. With Silvermane defeated, the agents secure the Wand and presumably return it to Doctor Strange, who hopefully will stop lending out his insanely powerful magical weapons to museums.
Fans may recall that the Wand of Watoomb made a brief appearance in the MCU's Doctor Strange movie, where it was wielded by Wong during the final battle against Kaecilius. This gave viewers an idea of what the Wand is capable of, which could be further showcased in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Natasha may be gone in the MCU, but with the multiverse comes infinite possibilities, so hypothetically, Black Widow could even return to give the good doctor a hand if the Wand goes missing. While it's doubtful that will happen, this comic story is worth reading to check out her adventures.