Anderson Cooper vs. Black Widow?! CNN Anchor's Comic Book Debut Revealed

Welcome to the Marvel universe, Coops

By Chris Harnick Aug 21, 2014 3:12 PMTags
Anderson Cooper, Black WidowFacebook/Marvel

Anderson Cooper has a bold new role: comic book character. The CNN anchor will be depicted as himself in an upcoming issue of Black Widow. Cooper appears in Black Widow No. 12 and reports on the character, setting up a new story for the deadly redheaded spy.

"Anderson and his show and his journalism will be the catalyst for a major event in Black Widow's journey right now," series writer Nathan Edmondson told Marvel.com. "And as a result of the way in which he exposes her and some of her actions, we're going to see some pretty significant things change in her world. We will more importantly see a fundamental change within her as she has to face a world that is now increasingly aware of her."

Edmondson said he first crossed paths with Cooper while working in Washington, DC, and said he was thrilled with the idea of becoming a comic book character. "Fortunately, it was all nice and easy and everybody involved was excited about the idea," he said.

In Black Widow, Cooper will investigate the actions of the title character, aka Natasha Romanova, who has served on both sides of the law.

"It's Anderson doing what he does best: looking for the truth and reporting on events," the writer told Marvel.com. "We imagine that in Black Widow's world, as would be the case with many other Avengers, things she does can't be ignored by the media and all it takes is somebody who knows how to ask the right questions to make her world very uncomfortable for her but in a way that is perhaps not unjust."

Don't expect Cooper to be the villain here—he's just doing his job.

Phil Noto provides the landmark cover art and interiors for the issue due out in November. Fans of Orphan Black will want to check out Noto's site for some stunning artwork featuring TV's favorite clones.

Scarlett Johansson plays the character in the Marvel cinematic universe. Black Widow burst onto the scene in 1964, created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck. The character will appear on the big screen again in Avengers: Age of Ultron.