The Black Widow TV Series That Marvel Almost Made In The 1970s

Comic book adaptations are all the rage these days, with even formerly C-list heroes and villains getting the big-screen treatment. Of course, these types of stories have always had a place in the pop culture lexicon, with serials manifesting in the 1940s centered on Batman, Superman, and DC's Captain Marvel. It would take a while before the likes of Black Widow would get the live-action treatment, but somewhere in the multiverse, there's a reality where Angie Bowie was successful in giving the character a TV show in the 1970s. 

Long before David Hayter's canceled "Black Widow" movie was even a possibility, David Bowie's wife had grand plans for the superheroine. She wanted to use the prospective series as a star vehicle for herself, and she even enlisted Ben Carruthers, known for his work on "The Dirty Dozen," to play Daredevil. Nothing was ever filmed for the series, but the two actors did take some promotional photos in costume, which were actually made by Natasha Kornikoff, the costume designer for David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust phase. It's another one of the great superhero adaptation what-ifs, but at least there are photos online to get a sense of how campy this would've been.

Angie Bowie's attempt to get a "Black Widow" TV series off the ground was confirmed by Bowie herself. The Daredevil fanzine Man Without Fear reached out to her, and she confirmed the possibility in an email: "I received permission from Stan Lee to have the rights to Daredevil and Black Widow for a year. We were unable to place the series." Despite other superheroes getting TV shows around the same time, like Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk, it seems as though networks were simply afraid of the potential cost. Bowie later wrote, "Unfortunately at that time it was considered too difficult and expensive to film, special effects etc."

All that's left to prove of Bowie's plans are a couple of photos of her in the Black Widow outfit. One consists of just her in a classic superhero pose, while the other shows her and Ben Carruthers dressed as Daredevil with their arms stretched out. Carruthers' Daredevil look is a far cry from what Charlie Cox would sport in the "Daredevil" Netflix series, with just a couple of tiny horns to get the devil motif across. 

With her inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe being played by Scarlett Johansson, who got her own solo movie in 2021, the character is certainly more popular these days. But it's interesting to speculate how Black Widow's reputation in the zeitgeist would've changed had Angie Bowie had the chance to see a show come to fruition.