Black Widow #5 (2021)

In a flashback to a day at the San Francisco zoo, Natasha remembers a bright day with James and Stevie. In the present, Natasha is unresponsive before Yelena slaps her out of it. As the group clear the room, Natasha takes a rubber ducky from the rubble as a momento, reflecting on the life she could have had. When Clint voices concern, she reassures him of her conviction. As Weeping Lion has no line of sight to snipe while Viper moves her forces into position, Snapdragon and Alexi move in for direct assault. Once Arcade cuts the power, Snapdragon and Alexi are hit by an explosive arrow of Clint's before he counters Weeping Lion through his sniper scope. After Natasha shoots Snapdragon, Alexi shields her from a shot by Viper, explaining he joined them to protect her as best he could. She allows him to leave as Clint and Yelena kill the ensuing Hydra troops, killing them all in an explosive blaze before regrouping to another location. When Yelena takes her leave, Clint brings up feeling miffed that Natasha's life as Natalie didn't have a "Clint" in there. She appreciates the sentiment and thanks him for his efforts. Alone, she goes to rest at another safe house and is later met by Bucky. They reveal he followed her plan to fake James and Stevie's deaths with a hologram and relocate them to a new location to live out their lives in peace, free of her. Although thankful, Natasha can still see Bucky has hopes for the two of them getting together again someday but thinks Stevie and James are a wall. Natasha notes that her James shared Bucky's first name, likely due to her own feelings for him, but right now can only feel sorrow and blame - for herself, Viper's group and Bucky for taking them away. With the emptiness in her, Bucky lets her mourn, being a shoulder for her to cry on. Afterward, Natasha returns to her home to fetch Logan, the pet cat that was left behind in the chaos of the escape, taking a moment to find some peace in hoping for James and Stevie's new lives being safe. Meanwhile, the two are in an unknown location in the Pacific Northwest, with James telling Stevie that they'll live to honor Natasha's sacrifice. Weeks later, Yelena informs Natasha of Viper and Snapdragon surviving the warehouse fire, and that Weeping Lion was the cousins she killed merged into a single body. Although Yelena calls for Natasha to take revenge on Viper and her allies for what they did, Natasha would rather aim for being someone better, to honor the sacrifice of losing her happiness and be something that James and Stevie could be proud of. She invites Yelena to join her on her new path, taking a step forward to reinventing herself, needing to believe in it.