Sure, under comic book rules, she’s supposed to be among the best spies and killers in the world. However, how effective would Natasha Romanoff be in the field of espionage?
In light of the upcoming release of the prequel film Black Widow, which delves into Natasha’s past, we spoke with former CIA agent Jason Hanson about the former Red Room trainee turned Avenger. Hanson is now a best-selling author of books that promote and teach spy skills to help regular people succeed in life.
Hanson evaluates Black Widow’s prowess as an ace snoop using data from the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films. She’d make a better secret agent than us, to give away the ending.
FEARLESSNESS: The straightforward reply to the query asked in the article’s title is “Yes,” says Hanson. “Because the worlds of intelligence and espionage are populated by a variety of people.
Some adhere strictly to the letter of the law, are very dry-cut, and never break the law. Those who are a little more out there are the next group.
You need the kind of folks who are willing to take chances and are a little crazier. She is brave, so that’s why she would be good. Risk-taking doesn’t scare her off. She isn’t hesitant to put herself in really risky circumstances.
She is ruthless in addition. Additionally, you must have those heartless, merciless individuals. Given her love for both the Hulk and Hawkeye, as well as the fact that she was willing to devote her life to Vormir for Barton and the greater good, it might be unfair to label her as heartless.
Nevertheless, she doesn’t hesitate. We understand it, though. She doesn’t stop to think about the viewpoint of her adversaries, whether they might have family members or are simply having a bad day.
Romanoff is aware that if you hesitate or display vulnerability, you will likely die or at the very least have your security seriously jeopardized.
CONFIDENCE IN MAINTAINING A LOW PROFILE: She possesses the necessary lack of fear. What additional skills does Romanoff possess that enable her to be a successful intelligence agent? Beauty?
Her attractiveness would undoubtedly work against her and hinder her ability to fit in. Let’s face it, most of the Avengers are attractive, and they are all a far cry from being covert. We questioned Hanson on the merits of being gorgeous.
He begins by stating that maintaining a low profile is essential, but that appearances can be advantageous and that there is another aspect of her that works against her.
Real espionage requires a lot of labor, according to Hanson. “A lot of mundane behind-the-scenes [work]; it involves scouting cities and seeking for meeting places.
Therefore, it would be evident that she shouldn’t be fighting 15 guys at once or doing other crazy things in real life because you don’t want to attract attention to herself.
Poor me. To be fair though, this is probably more post-spy Natasha, when she has joined the highly prominent Avengers in a non-secret capacity. But she could dress up like a normal person,” Hanson says about her distinctive appearance and superhero garb.
Natasha has changed her appearance in the MCU, including her hair color and cut, demonstrating her versatility in changing how she dresses. Because men everywhere are dummies, it helps that she is gorgeous.
Therefore, they will get caught in honey traps with attractive ladies. Therefore, I wouldn’t say that [beautiful women] are a terrible thing because many governments, like the Cubans and the Russians, still employ them to entice Americans, Britons, and other nationalities.
Therefore, a beautiful woman is still highly useful in the spy business. Even if we would object to women being used for their appearance on TV, it appears that espionage agents have no such reservations.
CONTROL OF WEAPONS: As abilities, a successful spy has to be trained in, Hanson lists evasive driving, shooting, or handling weapons, and fighting: “That way, if something does go wrong, you know how to handle yourself; in the real world, those are always the last resort options, and you hope you never have to use any of those.”
Has he?
Hanson claims that he had to pull his gun on several occasions. Thank goodness I never needed it. I hope I never have to, as I’ve never had to shoot anyone. On the other hand, I was appreciative of my training.
To ensure that I am capable of using my gun if necessary. I once came dangerously close to being carjacked, but owing to the evasive driving instruction, I was able to stop it. I was therefore grateful for what I had learned.
Hanson continues, “Natasha has no issue battling five guys at once, despite some debate among fans about Romanoff’s skill for weapon handling as seen in the preceding flicks. And the choreography they use to make those sequences thrilling is excellent.
So, if it comes down to it, I’d say she’s quite skilled with a weapon and wouldn’t hesitate to take care of business. She is a lethal threat and assassin in the most recent films from Marvel, therefore she is adept with their weaponry.
PERSONALITY QUALITIES: A spy needs to be able to fight and escape dangerous circumstances, but the charm is the most essential quality—and it needs to be present in abundance.
You must be able to communicate effectively, interact with people on a social level, and woo your target into submission, according to Hanson. So much more so than fighting capabilities, it’s about persuading abilities.
The movies look cool and are exciting because of their combat abilities. It doesn’t matter if you’re speaking to a terrorist or a billionaire, you need to be able to charm the living daylights out of them, therefore you need to be suave and something like James Bond.
Intended pun? Absolutely. Going out into the city to persuade someone to give you a ride, to give you their ATM PIN, or to persuade someone to go home with you are all examples of real-life training scenarios. Some people have it naturally from birth, but most people do not. You must therefore develop the ability to enchant everyone and anyone.
Hanson claims that Black Widow fails in this area. She lacks the necessary charm, restraint, and capacity to engage in conversation with others before brandishing a weapon.
But in The Avengers, as seen in the video above, she does use this ability to influence Loki. It would undoubtedly be simple for Romanoff to hone her appeal.
THE SCIENCE OF SUBTLETY: In the real spy world, subtlety is very helpful, as is avoiding drawing attention to yourself. So don’t always look for a battle, advises Hanson.
If you’re going to break into a building, for example, in the movies when they storm into a place they just smash through 30 guys and they grab anything they need to.
In the real spy world, breaking into a building is something you want to do while keeping your presence hidden from view. You don’t want to leave any evidence that you were ever in that building when you were attempting to grab the object you were attempting to grab.
That being the case, the actual world differs from the movies. In the spy world, employing a weapon or engaging in combat indicates a problem, he continues.
You should therefore be able to enter a room, take care of business there, and then leave, essentially disappearing into thin air where no one will ever know you were there, in the actual world.
WHAT IT WOULD COST TO KIT HER OUT: A Natasha Romanoff-style spy’s expense of training and equipment is a topic of discussion.
I am aware that the US government invests thousands of dollars in persons in addition to paying for training and top-secret security clearance.
The cost would be in the six digits, but I’m not sure what it would be exactly. What tools would she need for her actual spy kit, then?
According to Hanson, “It all depends on where she is at.” You know, if you’re in a typical city, you won’t have firearms and all this gear on you because you need to blend in.
You can’t have a tonne of gear on you if you’re stopped by the police in a European country on a typical city street. Rifles, pistols, and other forms of firearms are unavoidably present in battle zones like Iraq or Afghanistan.
Thus, the training—such as surveillance detection and situational awareness—is ultimately more crucial than carrying 50 pounds of equipment. She will require an AR-15 because she is a war.
She will require a weapon, possibly a Glock. She will require her communication equipment, such as radios, etc.
TRADESPARENTS SKILLS: Hanson believes Natasha Romanoff would make a great mercenary if she were alive in a different period and looking to leave the spy game.
We then speculated that she would apply her transferrable skills to something a little more leisurely, like gardening or something like that.
She might be a hired gun. In the private sector, the position would be rewarding, argues Hanson. “Her skill set is one that private contractors would like to have.
She might be employed by large organizations to work in security to help with issues they are having abroad. She still struggles to interact well with others, though.
I, therefore, observe her engaged in some type of private contractor employment. This is essentially what she does as an Avengers member, but it’s comforting to know she could make a decent job in the real world if she so desired.
