"Introducing the strangest, most terrifying character in action picture magazines — the Black Widow. You've heard of the black widow spider — that evil creature whose bite spells doom. Now start the adventures of another black widow — a human tool of Satan whose very touch means death."

-- The introduction to Black Widow in Mystic Comics #4

History

Claire Voyant was a medium, skilled at communicating with the deceased. During a séance she was possessed by Satan. Unhappy, the family she was conducting the séance for decided to leave. Satan, acting through Claire, then put a curse on them, which resulted in the death of the entire family save for one - James Wagler. Seeking revenge on Claire for cursing his family, James found her apartment and confronted her, accusing her of being responsible for the deaths of his mother and sister and shooting her. As Claire Voyant was dying, she vowed to come back for revenge.

Now in Hell, Claire was revived by Satan and transformed into a demoness. Granted with a variety of new powers, Claire was sent back to Earth to get revenge on her murderer. Finding him alone, she placed her hand on his forehead and, in a flash of fire and brimstone, he died, the symbol of the black widow branded onto his corpse. She returned to Satan who then rechristens her the Black Widow and tasks her with expediting the process of sending the souls of evil men to on Earth to Hell.

The Black Widow remained active throughout the 1940s, killing corrupt arms manufacturers, criminals, and an evil faith healer. At some point, she even assisted the Invaders against the Nazis.

Powers and Abilities

Prior to her transformation into the Black Widow, Claire Voyant possessed undefined psychic powers that allowed her to communicate with the spirits of the deceased.

After Satan transformed Claire into the Black Widow, she became highly resistant to injury, and bullets appeared to have no effect on her. Satan gave her the gift of immortality, essentially rendering her ageless. Her strength and endurance were increased and she gained the ability to fly, become invisible, alter her appearance and mentally plant suggestions into the minds of others. She was able to regenerate, as well as mystically heal others. She can independently transport herself to and from Hell.

Her signature was her most fearsome ability - the power to slay the living by touching their bare flesh. After she touched them, her victims died instantaneously and their souls were sent directly to Hell. The corpse of her victim was left with a black widow branded into the flesh.