Boris (Partner of Ninotchka) (Earth-616)

Boris
Name	Unrevealed
Current Alias	Boris
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Partner of Ninotchka; K.G.B.
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Russia
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	Russian
Occupation	Spy, Government Agent
Base of Operations	London, United Kingdom; Kamillabad, Halwan; Red Room, Moscow, Russia; Bolshoi Theatre
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Jo Duffy, Kerry Gammill, Ricardo Villamonte
First	Power Man and Iron Fist #77 (October, 1981)
First	Power Man and Iron Fist #77 (October, 1981)

History

Early Life

Boris was a mercenary who teamed up with Ninotchka, a former K.G.B. trainee of the Red Room. Operating as "Boris and Ninotchka," they offered their services to anyone who could afford it. They were hired by the Russian government to make sure famous Russian ballerina Elyena Sorodin would not defect to the West. She was in love with an American dancer called Peter Penkowsky, so Boris and Ninotchka tried to put a stop to it. The duo's attack lead to a fight between the mercenaries and Power Man, Iron Fist, and Daredevil.

Heroes for Hire

Once again hired by the Russian government who had a vested interest in benefiting from the socio-political tensions between the neighboring countries of Halwan and Murtakesh, Boris and Ninotchka were sent to Halwan to prepare for the arrival of the Russian diplomat Stolveski. They soon befriended both the Halwan royal palace guard and princess Azir.

Aware that Abe Brown, the former Black Tiger, had acquired the services of the Heroes for Hire, Ninotchka shadowed Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and their associate Jeryn Hogarth as they travelled to Halwan in order to exonerate Brown. She watched how Hogarth was taken into custody as soon as their plane landed in Halwan, before returning to Boris at the royal palace. When Iron Fist and Power Man made their way to the palace, surprising Ninotchka, Boris came storming in. The groups battled but with neither side gaining an advantage.

Black Widow

Boris and Ninotchka were hired by a man called "Sumi" to help him take down the Natasha Romanoff. Eager to prove herself against one of her fellow Red Room trainees, Ninotchka accepted and the duo traveled to London where they waited for the Widow to arrive. Moments after "Sumi" firebombed the Widow's location, he confronted her along with Boris and Ninotchka, who called her "pretty Natasha" before asking if the Widow remembered her back from their days at the Moscow ballet. Trying to anger her, the Widow told Ninotchka that she always talked more than she danced. Unmoved, Ninotchka shot back that Natasha had forgotten her abilities and that Natasha couldn't touch her. In response, the Widow told her she didn't have to. Proving her point, Natasha hit Ninotchka's partner Boris on the head with a piece of pipe, effectively knocking him out. Ninotchka battled on, eventually killing Ned, the man Widow had come to London with whom to rendezvous for intel. She then tried to take out Romanova by hitting her neural pressure points. However, she got briefly distracted when the raging fires threatened to claim Boris, giving the Black Widow a prime opportunity to take her down.

See Also

• 4 appearance(s) of Boris (Partner of Ninotchka) (Earth-616)
• 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Boris (Partner of Ninotchka) (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Boris (Partner of Ninotchka) (Earth-616)
• 2 image(s) of Boris (Partner of Ninotchka) (Earth-616)