#52 (April 1964), the debut of Black Widow. Cover art by and The Black Widow's first appearances were as a recurring, non-costumed, - antagonist in the feature ', beginning in #52 (April 1964). Five issues later, she recruits the besotted costumed archer and later superhero to her cause. Her government later supplies her with her first Black Widow costume and high-tech weaponry, but she eventually defects to the United States after appearing, temporarily brainwashed against the U.S., in the superhero-team series #29 (July 1966). The Widow later becomes a recurring ally of the team before officially becoming its sixteenth member many years later. The Black Widow was visually updated in 1970: #86 (July 1970) reintroduced her with shoulder-length red hair (instead of her former short black hair), a skintight black costume, and wristbands which fired spider threads.