Marvel Studios just officially revealed a new design for Black Widow, and the fresh look accompanies the super spy’s on-screen return in 2026. Natasha Romanoff ranks among the most recognizable Avengers in Marvel’s catalog, with Scarlett Johansson playing her in live action from Iron Man 2 through to the character’s 2021 solo movie. In recent years, the hero’s story shifted to animation, where a new actress inherited the role.
Black Widow’s comeback arrived in X-Men ’97, with the spy making her debut in the animated series during the post-credits scene of Season 2, Episode 4, which premiered on Disney+ on Wednesday. Lake Bell voices Natasha once again after playing her in Marvel’s What If...?, and the character wears a look unlike anything from her previous animated or live-action appearances.
The scene follows Wolverine to a rooftop in Paris, where Captain America and Black Widow approach him. The two Avengers recall a mission the trio shared roughly 50 years earlier, and Cap then hands Logan a file stamped "Weapon X," the covert program that bonded adamantium to his skeleton. Both heroes caution him against chasing his past alone, but Logan assures them he already recruited backup.
As for Natasha herself, the new design swaps her usual black gear for a gunmetal gray bodysuit with a tall, popped collar. Gold trim runs down the sides of the suit, layered gold gauntlets wrap around her wrists, and a black spider emblem rests on her chest. Her red hair appears in a short, swept-back cut, a sharp contrast to the longer styles from most of her MCU outings.
Longtime comic readers will recognize Natasha’s gray suit right away. The design pulls directly from artist Jim Lee’s work in Uncanny X-Men #268, the 1990 issue he created with writer Chris Claremont that famously united Wolverine, Captain America, and Black Widow.
Lee drew Natasha in that same high-collared gray suit, and the issue’s celebrated cover even features the three heroes together, much like the new post-credits scene.
The look also breaks from every previous screen version of the character. Bell’s Black Widow wore dark tactical gear inspired by the movies throughout What If...?, while Johansson introduced the hero in a black jumpsuit in Iron Man 2.
By reaching back to Lee’s artwork instead, X-Men ’97 gives Natasha a design drawn from the comics rather than the MCU, which suits a series that leans heavily on ’90s Marvel history at every turn.
Black Widow’s Role in Wolverine’s Weapon X Mission
Black Widow’s cameo directly sets up the next episode, Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs, which streams next Wednesday. The title reworks Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape, a beloved installment of the original animated series that dug into the false memories the program planted in Logan’s mind. If any Marvel hero belongs in a story about lies, it is Natasha. The Red Room trained her to deceive for a living, and the comics repeatedly rewrote her own memories, so she understands a manufactured past better than anyone Logan knows.
Her shared history with Wolverine offers another thread worth pulling. In Uncanny X-Men #268, Captain America and Logan protected a young Natasha from the villainous Hand in 1941 Madripoor, decades before she became an Avenger. The post-credits scene nods to that past when the trio mentions working together 50 years ago, and the show could adapt those flashbacks outright if Natasha returns in a bigger capacity.
Nothing confirms Black Widow appears beyond this one scene, so the cameo may stay a quick treat for fans. Still, her presence alongside the Weapon X file suggests the spy world will play a part in Wolverine’s hunt for answers, and Bell’s return gives Marvel an easy way to keep Natasha in play as the season continues.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
