zamatev-russian-bwcw-full.jpgZAMATEV

Real Name: Zamatev (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human;
    Russian;

Occupation: Unrevealed;
    former Russian agent

Group Membership: Unrevealed; possibly the KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti/Committee for State Security) (see comments)

Affiliations: Andre, Fyodor, Dr. Yuri Kiev, Red Guardian (Alexi Shostakov) android;
    formerly Katrinka

Enemies: Ivan Petrovich;
    formerly Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Moscovia (Moscow), Russia

First Appearance: Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990)

Powers/Abilities: Katrinka has unspecified experience in espionage and military tactics.

Height: Unrevealed (perhaps 5'9")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Apparently brown (I only saw one image that seemed to show color)
Hair: Blackzamatev-russian-bwcw-face.jpg

History: 
(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to enhance the function of Dr. Yuri Kiev's Red Guardian (Alexi Shostakov) android, Katrinka and Zamatev plotted to manipulate the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff, Alexi's former wife and apparent widow at the time) into stealing SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)'s newest Life Model Decoy master matrix chip.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) <February 3> - With Katrinka, from their limousine, Zamatev observed as the Black Widow broke up the sale of a computer disc containing secrets developed for the US Department of Defense. When the Widow was confronted by multiple armed terrorists, Katrinka expressed disappointment, but Zamatev assured Katrinka Natasha was no fool and advised her to watch and see that Natasha's was one of the motherland's greatest agents. Natasha escaped with the disc.

    Katrinka and Zamatev followed the Black Widow downtown to Senator Clair's reception. Both Ivan Petrovitch and the Widow discovered their pursuers, and Ivan began trying to lose them in traffic. Zamatev assured Katrinka that it would not bother Ivan in the least if they perished in the pursuit. Zamatev explained to Katrinka how Ivan saw himself as Natasha's guardian angel, with a familial, relationship; Zamatev further advised that they should let the pair go and intercept them later, but Katrinka insisted that they had wasted enough time observing and that they should take them now.
    Ivan soon zipped through traffic, leaving Katrinka and Zamatev's Lincoln to be struck by a taxicab when they tried to follow.zamatev-russian-bwcw-hanging.jpg

(Black Widow: The Coldest War) - Zamatev and Katrinka awaited Natasha as she exited the reception shortly before midnight, and Katrinka ordered their KGB allies Andre and Fyodor to take Natasha. After the Widow made short work of her attackers, Zamatev insisted she come with him as it was vital to state security; but whe he lunged for her, the Widow sidestepped and then shoved him over the building's edge. Natasha caught Zamatev, but warned him to quickly explain his behavior before her arm got tired.  Although advised she drop him, Zamatev achieved Natasha's attention when he pulled out a recent picture of Alexi Shostakov with the Russian premiere allegedly taken a week before in Moscow.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) - To give them a chance to explain, Natasha led Katrinka and Zamatev back to her east side Manhattan apartment.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War) <February 4, 1:06 AM> - Zamatev showed footage of Alexei working out along with a newspaper showing a date from 2 months before. He later showed Alexi's apparent survival and partial recovery, which showed him to be largely amnesiac, with the mental development of a five year old; only his memory of Natasha seemed intact, and he constantly asked for her.

    Zamatev further told Natasha that funding was becoming progressively limited, and that he feared for the project's (and, as a result, Alexis) termination unless she performed a small service for the Russian government: Stealing a memo about a pending US trade agreement. Natasha told Katrinka and Zamatev to get out.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) - After some reflection and receiving a seeming phone message from Alexi, Natasha agreed to steal the desired file from the UN.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War) - Zamatev and Katrinka watched from a limousine as Natasha approved the UN building.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War) - Having recorded the theft, Zamatev and Katrinka blackmailed Natasha into stealing a computer control chip (a large cartridge) of the master matrix for SHIELD's latest LMDs; Natasha recorded this meeting.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) <February 8> - Natasha saw the agreement through.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) - <February 9> - Katrinka accompanied Natasha and Ivan in flying to Moscow and then driving to Moscova University's Derenski Clinic. The Red Guardian android took the chip/cartridge, which Kiev then placed into the android, after which Katrinka had the android attack Natasha and Ivan.

Ultimately, the Widow managed to eject (and later destroy) the LMD master matrix chip/cartridge, causing the android to overload and apparently partially melt. 

    Nick Fury then showed up with Russian authorities (including Zamatev?); Fury noted that Katrinka and Zamatev "were busted" for their unauthorized activities based on the Widow's recordings of their meeting with Katrinka and Zamatev in her penthouse. 

(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Katrinka and Zamatev were dismissed from the KGB.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) <April 5, perhaps 3 years later (see comments)> - Zamatev, via telephone conversation, informed the Black Widow of Katrinka's fate. He also asked Natasha to return to Russia and dance.

(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS)  <April 6> - The Widow informed Fury of this communication.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and George Freeman.

    At the time this was written, the main part of the story took place in 1987, while there was an epilogue that took place in 1990, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the sliding timescale renders all of that topical, as even if we given the modern era of comics (starting with Fantastic Four I#1) 15 years, that would mean it started with 2002 as of 2017...
    Anyway, if the main story took place 8 years ago in the Marvel Universe, the first segment probably took place only 9 months before the epilogue (in line with comics coming out in 1987, as opposed to actually 3 years before the epilogue).
    At any rate, events involving the Red Guardian android would all be associated with Russia, not the USSR.
    However, it is still relevent that Fury was involved with SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) in the main story, but that the epilogue was taking place after that incarnation's dissolution.

    Andre or Fyodor specifically noted that Zamatev was not KGB (when declaring they were not limited by his orders not to kill the Widow). In the epilogue, the Widow tells Fury both Katrinka and Zamatev had been dismissed from the KGB after their arrest for the Red Guardian android fiasco.

    In reviewing this issue the 4th time in the last few months, I'm not 100% sure Zamatev accompanied Katrinka, Natasha, and Ivan to Moscow. He is never clearly shown or named; there's possibly a guy that could be him in the background in a few pictures, but those could easily be random KGB types. The most suspicious guy to be him is present when Fury shows up...and that guy has brown hair and a different hairstyle.
    If he's not there, I don't know why. And if he was there, I don't know he stopped interacting, as he was very talkative earlier on in the story.

    The Coldest War was a Marvel Graphic Novel.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and George Freeman.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Zamatev should be distinguished from: