yara blackwell is the second child of second-generation russian immigrants. born in new york city, she learned from an early age that she would need to pave her own way in life. her parents raised their children in a way that taught them that nothing would ever be handed to them. when she began to see evidence of her friends being doted upon and spoiled by their parents, it planted seeds of resentment in her heart. those seeds only grew as she got older and began to see that her parents were unique. while she could appreciate having to earn things, she thought her parents too strict. once, she questioned her parents, asking them why stay in america if you're going to hold onto the ways of your parents? she was grounded for a month for disrespecting her elders.
her childhood wasn't all bad, though. she had friends and her brother, whom she admired more than anyone else in her life. for the longest time, wherever her brother went, she went as well. if he was ever annoyed by her presence, he didn't let on, but looking back, yara knows he was just saving her from having to be at home with their parents for longer than necessary. his friends were her friends – at least in her eyes. the more time she spent with them, the more she wanted to be like them.
it eventually became apparent that she was too outgoing and not book smart enough to completely emulate them, but she developed a passion for some of the things they enjoyed. math and science were not her strong suits; it was a miracle she even passed the classes in high school. her fortes were on the other end of the spectrum. yara was charismatic and had a way with words. she was an exceptional writer and an even better actress. her parents' message to earn her own way in life mixed with that led her to pursue more deviant avenues to achieve her goals. she was something of a rebellious teenager, sweettalking older men for money and even going as far as to shoplift (and somehow never get caught).
when it came time to go to college, she wanted to get as far away from her parents' influence as possible. she found herself in one of the few schools that would accept her: san diego state university. it took her some time to settle on a major, but it turned out that her ability to convince people to do things made her a great fit for marketing or sales of some kind. she wasn't the best student, but she prevailed despite preferring to party instead of study. in 2003, she graduated from college. despite the fact neither of her parents nor any of their other family had done so, the fact that her brother had done so five years before meant they didn't care as much when yara followed in his footsteps. neither of them bothered to attend her graduation, so she didn't bother to fly back home.
though her brother begged her to overlook their parents, she refused and instead chose to remain in california. convinced her time at university had been a waste of time, she didn't immediately dive into the job market and instead began a pattern of working various odd jobs. anything from cleaning houses to babysitting, she would do it for the right price. her brother was eventually able to convince her to move with him to boston but couldn't nudge her to look for a job in her field. she continued her pattern, moving among coffee shops, restaurants, and bars, until she found the right fit. when she isn't bartending, she's playing bodyguard for a friend's more illicit company.
she hasn't spoken to her parents in over a decade, still holding onto a grudge for the way they treated her. their only communication is through her brother, who visits them a few times a year (but they'll never visit him), but it's never anything more than when are you settling down and having children? with each year that goes by, she regrets her decision less and less.
Born circa 1928, Natalia "Natasha" Romanova was apparently orphaned as a child when she was trapped in a burning building during an early attack on Stalingrad by enemy forces. Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov, a Soviet soldier, found Natasha in the inferno and rescued her. Although Ivan kept a close eye on Natasha as she grew, by the late 1930s she had attracted the attention of Soviet intelligence, which began her training. In 1941, she was almost brainwashed into serving the ninja clan the Hand, but was saved by Ivan, Logan (James Howlett, later Wolverine) and Captain America. Following World War II, Natasha was recruited to become part of the Black Widow Program, a team of elite female sleeper agents. Among the Widow’s instructors was the Winter Soldier, formerly Captain America’s sidekick Bucky (James Barnes); Natasha studied as a ballerina to cover for her true occupation. The Soviet state eventually arranged for Natasha to marry Alexi Shostakov, a champion test pilot. After a few years of a happy marriage, the KGB faked Shostakov’s death in a rocket test; grief for Shostakov drove Natasha’s resolve deeper and she continued her education with the Red Room Academy, finally being appointed the title of the Black Widow.