inkvoices: (avengers:natasha)
inkvoices ([personal profile] inkvoices) wrote in [community profile] be_compromised 2012-06-05 07:56 pm (UTC)

From my understanding Natasha Romanoff and Natalia Romanova are just two of Black Widow's many aliases in the comics with 'Natasha' being a kind of nickname version of 'Natalia' in Russia or an Americanised/Anglicised 'Natalia' depending on your source. 'Romanova' would be her correct surname since she's female. I've read that she gets 'Romanoff' and 'Romanov' as a surname because Americans don't understand Russian or that she choses the male form of her name for various reasons. The film verse seems to be going with Romanoff, guess we get to play with that.

Historically the Romanov family was the last ruling family of Russia, executed by the Bolsheviks and from whence came the story/myth of 'Anastasia', the missing princess. Again, many interpretations of this are knocking around: that she is Anastasia, that she's a member of that family taken and turned into a weapon because it amused the one that took her or made a political point, that they gave her that family name for ditto reasons, that she chose that name for ditto reasons, and so on.

Marvel wiki lists Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova as her real name and her aliases as Natasha Romanoff, Nadine Roman, "Nat," Tsarina, Oktober, Laura Matthers, Nancy Rushman, Black Pearl, Natalia Shostakova, Natuska, Czarina, others; impersonated Yelena Belova.

In untangling this in my head, I think the whole mess speaks to her having no real identity or name, the whole constantly being remade thing. RED by waldorph has some interesting name thoughts and - damn, i've read too much fanfic, remind me where this is from if you remember - I loved the fic where Clint's nickname for her is Gnat. The film verse seems to have it as Romanoff, so since I'm really playing in the film verse i've been sticking with that. I don't have clear headcanon yet, but at the moment I'm going with her chosing 'Romanoff', because I have reclaiming on the brain.

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