Natasha Romanoff made her first appearance in 1964 as the Black Widow of the modern mainstream Marvel Comics. If she is, without a doubt, the most famous Black Widow, she is not the only Marvel character to have taken on the codename. Yelena Belova also used it.
And before Natasha and Yelena was Claire Voyant. The Black Widow of the Golden Age is also considered the first Marvel’s superheroine. She was created by writer George Kapitan and artist Harry Sahle in the pages of Mystic Comics #4 (August 1940) published by Timely Comics, which will later become Marvel Comics.
She was not a spy, but a small-time medium who was given by Satan the ability to kill with a single touch. Like all Black Widow, Claire Voyant was a mysterious and deadly woman…
The First Black Widow, her Timely Origin Story
Meet Madame Claire Voyant, a medium who communicates with the dead through supernatural means. One evening, as she was working for a family named Wagler, Claire attracted the attention of Satan who pushed Claire to curse her clients. Soon enough, their car crashed, leaving only James, the son of the family, alive, who swears vengeance on Claire. Killed by her client, Voyant is resurrected by Satan who gives her powers to serve him as the Black Widow.
Claire’s first mission on Earth is to avenge her own death, killing James Wagler and leaving his dead body with the mark of the Black Widow burned into his forehead. Following this act, Claire is appointed by Satan as his personal agent, charged to eliminate evil and corrupted men, allowing him to collect more valuable souls.
With the rise of nazism and World War II, Claire had a lot of souls to collect. She joined the Allies to perform her job. She became a member of The Twelve, a group of superhumans who were captured and put in cryonic-suspended animation by the nazis to study them to create a true master race.
But is this really Claire’s origins story? During World War II, the military commissioned Timely Comics to write the fictionalized versions of the super-heroes exploits to boost morale. Black Widow’s origin told in the pages of Mystic Comics was maybe simply an embellished version of her story for the public.
When the time came for Claire to tell her own story to the Phantom Reporter, her story was a little bit different…
Claire Voyant’s Second Origin
After 60 years in cryonic-suspended animation, the Twelve were found by accident and were reintroduce to the new world. Claire was part of them, and having been cryogenic all this year didn’t put an end to her deal with Satan. She get back to collecting souls and her activities led Dick Jones, The Phantom Reporter and one of the Twelve to confront her about her activities. This is when Claire gives her version of her past…
In 1928, her sister Debbie was murdered by her boyfriend, a certain mobster named Lester Maddox. On her sister’s grave, Claire sweared to avenger her. She was approched by the Demon who offered her powers to enact her revenge in exchange for her to become his ageless servant.
Claire agreed and was transformed into the Black Widow. With her new powers, she tracked down her sister’s murderer and killed him. She then proceeded to be the demon’s killer, murdering the darkest souls and working among the costumed heroes during the war.
This is Claire’s version and to this day, there is no way to know which version is the real one.
Powers and Personality: The Style of Claire Voyant
When it came to doing her duties for the demon, Claire Voyant showed no sign of mercy or regret. She had no qualms about sending their souls to Hell. She is presented as a ruthless woman in her Golden Age appearances, but not in modern times when she is shown crying after killing.
Claire Voyant was always a woman capable of great compassion, especially towards people she considered victims or innocent. She has used her powers to protect and heal.
Before working for Satan, Claire already possessed some psychic powers to communicate with the dead. After being granted powers, she can kill with a simple touch, but also heal others. She possesses superhuman strength, can generate fire, and teleport between Hell and the mortal world.
As the first Marvel costumed superheroine, it has to be said that Voyant didn’t have one costume, but wears several costumes during her Golden Age’s time. She is obviously a woman with a sense of fashion, also changing her hair colors.
Claire Voyant (Black Widow) Reading Order
Claire appeared in a few stories during the Golden Age era:
- Mystic Comics #4, collected in Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades
- Mystic Comics #5
- Mystic Comics #7
- U.S.A. Comics #5
- All Select Comics #1 (last Golden Age appearance)
Claire reappeared more than 50 years after her last appearance for a flashback cameo. She finally will have a bigger role to play in The Twelve limited series by J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston, centered on our 12 obscure superheroes from the Timely Comics era.
- Marvels #1, first appearance in more than 50 years and a flashback cameo collected in Marvels 25th Anniversary
- Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #9, brief flashback collected in Spider-Man By Mark Millar: Ultimate Collection
- Twelve #1-12 and Twelve: Spearhead #1, collected in The Twelve: Complete Series
- Incredible Hercules #137, a flashback collected in Incredible Hercules: The Complete Collection Vol. 2
- Marvel #3, in the story “Honeymoon in Hell” collected in Marvel
Last Updated on February 23, 2024.