It’s Monday, Black Widow releases this week, so it’s time to get on some character profiles!

Name: Melina Vostokova

Superhero Name: Iron Maiden

Created By: Ralph Maccio and George Perez

Played By: Rachel Weisz

Powers: Master martial artists, assassin and spy, weapons expert. She also wears the Iron Maiden suit, which enhances her strength and protects her from physical damage.

Mini Bio: Sadly for us, Milena has not had that many comic book adventures, but this is her story so far: Milena originally started as a Russian agent known as the Iron Maiden, but, she became a freelance assassin and mercenary after spending years in Natasha Romanov’s shadow.

While she lived in Natasha’s shadow, Milena still proved herself to be a skills fighter – she once very nearly overpowered Natasha during an attempted assassination, and would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for Jimmy Woo and a squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents interrupting.

As Iron Maiden, Milena has most recently been working with a female villain group called the Femizons, who have famously successfully captured Captain America, and nearly taken over A.I.M. in the past.

During the Civil War run, Milena attempted to escape to Canada with a fake ID, but was taken down by Joystick, a member of the Thunderbolts team.

First Comic Appearance: Marvel Fanfare, issue 11 (July 1983)

Most Common Team Ups: formerly KGB and the Black Widow programme, more recently the Femizons and Thunderbolts.

Comic Recommendations: Marvel Fanfare (July 1983), Civil War: Thunderbolts (2006), Invincible Iron Man (2018)