Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #4! Wolverine and Black Widow are two Marvel characters who are the best there is at what they do, though it always seemed like they operated separately, with almost no overlapping storylines to speak of. Wolverine is a member of the X-Men, and Black Widow is a classic Avenger. Sure, Wolverine served in the Avengers, but that hardly means he was close with Black Widow during that time. However, as it turns out, these two expert killers actually have one of Marvel’s strongest friendships – something that’s recently been brought to light with Black Widow’s nickname for Wolverine (and his for her).

In a preview for Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #4 by Chris Claremont and Edgar Salazar, Wolverine and Captain America are searching for Black Widow, who was taken by the Hand along with the crime boss (and ally) Tyger, who had in her possession a powerful artifact. That artifact is what brought the Avengers to Madripoor in the first place, and Logan was there following the scent of the Hand. While the artifact is important, nothing is more pressing than saving Natasha, as the Hand is once again trying to turn her into their personal Master Assassin.

While searching for Black Widow, Wolverine starts thinking about the last time his path crossed with Natasha in Madripoor, back when Black Widow was still a Soviet spy. She and Logan were operating on opposite sides of the proverbial chess board at the time, but when Natasha was double-crossed by her own agency and sold to the Hand, Wolverine knew he had to save her. When he did, Black Widow greeted him as an old friend, calling him by a nickname she came up with for him as a child: Little Uncle.

Wolverine Is About to Save Black Widow From the Hand for the Third Time

Logan and Natasha met in Uncanny X-Men #268 by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee

This preview shows Wolverine and Captain America on their way to save Black Widow from the Hand in the ‘present day’, while also revealing that Logan rescued her solo just a few years prior. Those are the latest two instances of Wolverine saving (or attempting to save) Black Widow from the Hand, which is all-new information for Marvel Comics fans. However, the first time is a story that’s well-noted, as it’s the first time Logan and Natasha met, and it’s when Romanoff came up with the aforementioned ‘Little Uncle’ nickname.

In Uncanny X-Men #268, Wolverine and Captain America (who also met for the first time in this issue) had an impromptu team-up in 1941 in Madripoor, under circumstances very similar to the ones playing out currently in Madripoor Knights. Captain America was following the trail of Nazi officer Baron von Strucker while assisting a Russian man named Ivan in locating a kidnapped child, while Logan was working to eradicate the Hand from ‘his territory’. They soon discovered that their enemies were working together, so Wolverine and Captain America decided to do the same.

In the end, Rogers and Logan uncover a plot that saw von Strucker selling the child in question, Natasha Romanoff, to the Hand, as the ninja clan wanted to turn her into their Master Assassin – and they quickly unravel it. Natasha was saved, and after an instance where Logan shielded her from a barrage of bullets with his own body, she had him to thank most of all. It’s at that point Natasha started calling Wolverine ‘Little Uncle’, and when he developed a nickname for her in return: Tsarina, or Princess.

The Significance of Wolverine & Black Widow’s Friendship Makes This New Mission All the More Pressing

Madripoor Knights makes it clear that Black Widow is done being kidnapped by the Hand, only to have someone come and save her. She’s making a stand in this storyline, meaning she’s not going to simply escape the ninja cult, Black Widow’s going to finish them off once and for all. Unfortunately, that also means she may not make it out of there alive.

In the past, Black Widow knew she couldn’t fight the Hand, even with Wolverine’s (or Daredevil’s) help. She could hurt them, but not eradicate them, and Natasha always knew when to retreat. But now, Black Widow is on a warpath against the entity that has tormented her for her entire life – and this time, Wolverine might not be able to save her.

Wolverine and Black Widow’s friendship may be one that goes back decades, but it’s rooted in this one ongoing conflict with the Hand, meaning it could very well end where it all began. Black Widow’s determination to destroy the Hand is admirable, but it might get her killed. And while Natasha would rather die than keep running from this sinister cult her whole life, it would crush Wolverine if he was unable to save her, and that’s because of how significant and long-lasting their friendship has been.

MCU Fans Were Robbed of Seeing Wolverine & Black Widow’s Friendship

Wolverine and Black Widow’s history stretches back decades in Marvel Comics lore, as they consider one another family. Plus, the two have never been in a tighter spot together than they’re in right now, meaning Marvel hasn’t forgotten their special (albeit somewhat obscure) relationship. But, while Marvel Comics fans are getting to see these two old friends back together again in real-time, the same cannot be said for fans of the MCU.

Wolverine is making his MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, but unfortunately, he’s coming in a bit too late to have a significant connection with Black Widow in any regard. Not only is MCU’s Wolverine not connected to Black Widow’s past at all, but he can’t even form a relationship with her in the present day, because Black Widow died in Avengers: Endgame – and there are no plans to resurrect her.

Barring a total universal-reset, there’s simply no way Wolverine and Black Widow will ever have any kind of connection in the MCU, let alone one that even begins to match how much they mean to each other in the comics. ‘Little Uncle’ and ‘Princess’ aren’t just nicknames, they indicate that Logan and Natasha are family, which is what makes their ongoing storyline so stressful, and why it’s so heartbreaking that they’ll never know that connection in the MCU.

While it’s nothing too new, this preview does shine a light on Black Widow and Wolverine’s long-standing friendship, and it does so by bringing back Natasha’s heartwarming nickname for this beloved member of her found family.

Wolverine: Madripoor Knights #4 by Marvel Comics is available May 15, 2024.