Warning: Spoilers for The New Avengers #1!Black Widow and Marvel's greatest romance. They were most prominent during the 2000s, and in 2025, Marvel has revived the relationship.

The New Avengers #1 by Sam Humphries and Ton Lima officially confirms that Black Widow and Bucky Barnes are officially back together. Before the issue releases on June 11, readers can enjoy a preview below of the s to come, as well as cover art by Stephen Segovia.

The s showcase Bucky and Natasha getting rather romantic to say the least, as they it to having missed each other. There seems to be more of a steaminess to their affair that could evolve into something more.

Black Widow and Bucky Barnes are Back Together

The New Avengers #1 by Sam Humphries and Ton Lima

Even though the MCU neglected to touch on it, Black Widow and Bucky Barnes have a deep-rooted history. The lore between Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff's dates all the way back to the Cold War and back to his initial time when he was still brainwashed as The Winter Soldier, during which he helped train future Black Widows in The Red Room. He meets Natasha through training and, together, they begin a secret romance. When they reconnect in the present, they have both broken away from the Soviet Union at this point and rebranded themselves as Avengers.

However, rekindling their romance has proven easier said than done as they can't seem to make their love last permanently. Nonetheless, The New Avengers #1 brings them both back together as both teammates and lovers. Their playful reunion in this first issue is framed as a new status quo for them. The two waste no time at all meeting up and enjoying each other's company. Considering that Black Widow quickly shifts their time in bed together into talking about a mission, it may be loose to call this a romance.

Black Widow and Bucky Barnes Could Slowly Become Something More

They Have Time to Make This Romance Permanent This Time

It might be safer to call Black Widow and Bucky Barnes' latest evolution of their relationship more of a friends with benefits situation, if nothing else. These two have known each other for several years, so they'll always share a connection. It seems like they want to keep things platonic, but that doesn't mean they still can't have fun without catching feelings. That being said, there's so much history between them that it's hard not to imagine something stronger developing in time. There's at least a chance Marvel will make Black Widow and Bucky Barnes last for good this time.

The New Avengers #1 will be available from Marvel on June 11.