We descend to the depths of Hell to talk Satan's Ambassador, the
ORIGINAL Black Widow, CLAIRE VOYANT!
Issue 170 - Claire Voyant
Intro
Mention Quantumania recap episode
Background (2:15)
Claire Voyant, the original Black Widow, created by George
Kapitan & Harry Sahle in Mystic Comics #4 (August
1940)
Not only is she the first Black Widow, decades before Natasha
Romanoff, but she is the first costumed female superheroine in
comic books
Claire Voyant is a spirit who can communicate with the
dead
She is possessed by Satan to curse a family she is working
with, but the husband survives the spell and kills her
When she arrives in Hell, she is resurrected by Satan and sent
back to Earth with the ability to kill evildoers with a single
touch, so he can harvest their souls
She also has the ability to fly and generate fire, she is
superhumanly strong, and she has various psychic abilities
Only makes five appearances between 1940-1943
Brought back in The Twelve by J. Michael Straczynski,
alongside 11 other obscure Timely Comics characters
Retconned history has her become the Black Widow in 1928 after
her sister was murdered by her husband – as she stands over the
grave, she wishes for the power to avenge her death, and Satan
answers
She and the other characters are knocked unconscious and put in
suspended animation during WWII – awoken in 2008, she resumes
serving Satan, while falling in love with the Phantom Reporter,
Dick Jones
Issues (8:24)
Deal with Devil
Distances herself from people because of her abilities
Seems to have less difficulty adapting to modern culture, but
only because she seeks out specific subgroups (goths) (19:54)
DOC: I just want to let you know this is a judgment-free zone,
and you can feel free to speak your mind. This is a safe
space.
CLAIRE: I appreciate your intention, Doctor, but unfortunately
for me there is no such thing as a safe space.
DOC: Oh, I am constantly updating various defenses and
technology to help protect-
CLAIRE: What I mean is there is nowhere I can go where my dark
master cannot find me. No hole I can hide in to avoid him or his
call.
DOC: Oh, I see. And which dark master is that?
CLAIRE: He goes by many names, but I believe you’d recognize
the name Satan?
DOC: Just so we’re clear, your master is… the literal
Devil?
CLAIRE: Lucifer, Shaitan, the Fallen Angel, Beelzebub… again,
many names.
DOC: I see. And you serve him because…
CLAIRE: I sold my soul in exchange for the ability to avenge my
sister’s killer. As decisions go, it was not my finest moment, but
I am beholden nonetheless.
DOC: OK. Is he in here with us now…?
CLAIRE: Are you an agent of evil?
DOC: Certainly hope not.
CLAIRE: Then you have nothing to fear.
DOC: So says YOU.
CLAIRE: If you like, I can enter your mind and assuage your
fears in another way.
DOC: Thanks, but I don’t care for anyone poking around
upstairs. Plus it’d violate patient-client confidentiality in ways
I don’t even want to imagine. So let’s just stick to chatting, and
I’ll do my best to ignore the presence of the literal devil.
CLAIRE: So that’s your solution? Pay no mind to the evil that
surrounds us at all times?
DOC: I never said that. Trust me, every day I go to work I’m
confronted with the evils humanity is capable of. But one of the
benefits of this job is the ability to do something about it, and
to help people address some of their… less beneficial
tendencies.
CLAIRE: Interesting outlook. Do you fancy yourself a
superhero?
DOC: Goodness no. I simply try my best to be a net positive for
good in the world.
CLAIRE: Do you have any powers?
DOC: I think that’s enough questions about me for now. Let’s
refocus the discussion a bit. Do you struggle with having to serve
the Devil?
CLAIRE: *hesitates* No.
DOC: Forgive me for not believing you entirely.
CLAIRE: It’s just… I was frozen in time for sixty years. When I
awoke, I thought maybe… I would be free of my burden. But it seems
that I will have to do this forever.
DOC: And, at the risk of sounding cliché, how does that make
you feel?
CLAIRE: It’s… complicated. I can rid the world of evil. I’ve
avenged my sister’s killer, and so many others who would do harm to
the innocent. I have powers most would only dream of. My looks will
never fade nor tarnish. And still…
DOC: You question whether it was worth it.
CLAIRE: Every day.
DOC: What do you dream about?
CLAIRE: I don’t sleep. At least… not in the way normal people
do. It’s more of a recharge after using my abilities.
DOC: On one hand, I’m tempted to go down the rabbit hole of how
your lack of full sleep cycles can destroy you as a functioning
person, but you’re probably immortal so…um…I won’t. Forget the
literal. What are your wishes? What’s your next goal?
CLAIRE: I don’t think I have any. There’s not much room for
that sort of thing. The next soul, I guess.
DOC: And how do you build your life around that?
CLAIRE: I kill them. *awkward pause* Is there supposed to be
something else?
DOC: *exasperated* ANYTHING else. Does your boss have a quota
or something?
CLAIRE: He keeps track, but I don’t…not really, I had a gap of
decades.
DOC: Then there are no excuses. You’re the ultimate freelance
worker. Cater your time to your whims. Relationships, hobbies, I
don’t care. Experiment.
CLAIRE: You can sit there with a straight face and tell a
psychic succubus to get a life?
DOC: *gulp* Well, I…um…
CLAIRE: As if I could randomly find meaning in unimportant
human things anymore. What, you’re going to try and be a
matchmaker, too? Tinder takes on a whole new meaning around
me.
DOC: I don’t know about any of that, but is there anyone you’re
the least interested in?
CLAIRE: No… maybe. It’s complicated.
DOC: You don’t want that person to get hurt in the end.
CLAIRE: *pause* So it’s not so complicated. Stop shutting down
everything I say!
DOC: I’m not shutting anything down. You put barriers up the
moment you sacrificed everything so long ago. That was a temporary
view you decided to make permanent for whatever your reason, and
I’m sure it was good at that point. You’re beyond that now, but
you're still trying to make everything in the world fit inside some
tiny dark space in your mind. I can flip it around so your powerful
mind can master what the world can offer.
CLAIRE: So you’ll turn me into the greatest supervillain ever…
I think my boss already has that title.
DOC: OF COURSE NOT! I’m saying…think Goth Influencer, or
Demonic Consultant. You have so much to offer to society besides
knocking off the next pedophile or mass murderer or
whoever.
CLAIRE: But what if I don’t want that attention? I don’t
necessarily want to be publicly known as an agent of Satan. The
internal pressure is bad enough.
DOC: Then be in the background; just don’t bury your talent
because it’s based in darkness instead of light. I don’t have all
of the answers, but I refuse to let you wither away like a soulless
husk. Plus if I’m honest, you scare me. The patients I’ve had who
didn’t try something new, just…well, it wasn’t good.
CLAIRE: This whole time, I’ve been studying your mind. Your
soul, even. I can’t find a bit of insincerity in anything you say.
I find your view to be naive…but I can work with that.
DOC: Thanks…? So does this mean you’re not going to send me to
your boss?
CLAIRE: You’re safe. For the time being, anyway. Thank you
Doctor, I look forward to a future discussion.
DOC: Excellent. You can talk to my assistant and schedule your
next session.
CLAIRE: I think I’ll just come find you if and when that moment
arrives. Shall we shake on it?
DOC: Y’know what, let’s just wave and call it a day.
Saving the world doesn't necessarily mean you go home happy. How's the mental health of your favorite superhero? A comic aficionado and a board-certified psychiatrist look at the various neuroses of your favorite heroes and villains and provide options for treatment.