Black Widow

Black Widow
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship V
Other Events	BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
Team Information
Team	Team Black Widow
Team Members	Herrick Henzel (Captain) Sue Henzel Braeton Henzel Jarrett Henzel Kyle Henzel
From	Newport, NY
Robot Statistics
Weapons	Drum spinner Flamethrower
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Not to be confused with the two middleweights or lightweight robot of the same name.

Black Widow was a heavyweight robot built by Team Black Widow which exclusively fought in BattleBots World Championship V.

Built by the New York based Henzel family, Black Widow was a large, dome shaped robot designed to resemble the spider of the same name. For weaponry, it was armed with a spinning drum on the front of a wedge, as well as a flamethrower coming from its rear legs. It had a red hourglass painted on the top, and eight legs made from pipes sticking out of the sides, acting as spider legs. These legs were not intended for walking, but according to Diana Tarlson, Black Widow's legs were connected to a mechanism which moved them independently to imitate walking as the drive wheels moved. The robot was also able to emit silly string from its rear, further showcasing its arachnid theme.

Black Widow won its only Fight Night battle against fellow newcomers Rampage, which went unaired during the main season but was briefly highlighted. Despite not losing in the main season, Black Widow was not selected for the Top 32. The team also fought in a special exhibition against Mammoth staged for the Josh Gates Tonight show.

It returned for the Icewave bracket of BattleBots: Bounty Hunters, but lost in the first round to established competitors in Skorpios.

Neither the Henzel family nor Black Widow would return to BattleBots after the 2020 competition.

The Henzel family entering the BattleBox with Black Widow.

Black Widow and Skorpios ahead of their BattleBots: Bounty Hunters fight.

Robot History

World Championship V
Black Widow vs. Mammoth (Exhibition) Black Widow fought an exhibition match against Mammoth, aired on the show Josh Gates Tonight prior to the season's premiere. Josh Gates himself joined Black Widow's opponents and operated Mammoth's weaponry. Mammoth hangs back as Black Widow fires its secret weapon. In what was shown of this battle, Mammoth initially held back while Black Widow used its silly string before bringing the drum into play, though this had no effect on Mammoth. Mammoth swats against Black Widow's drum. Mammoth swung its trunk into the drum of Black Widow, causing sparks to fly as its teeth made contact with its opponent's spinning weapon. It weathered the shots from Black Widow well while knocking off parts of the spider-themed bot's leg extensions. Black Widow was driven back into the blue square; the trunk of Mammoth was able to lift it momentarily as Black Widow stopped moving less than thirty seconds into this battle. "Looks like Black Widow's drive might be out..." — Pete Abrahamson commentating in the absence of Chris and Kenny Mammoth watches on as Black Widow is hit by the pulverizer. After the exchanges, Black Widow broke down and Mammoth proceeded to lift and move Black Widow to the newly-shaped pulverizer as it dented the top of the spider-themed machine. Black Widow was counted out in the corner of the BattleBox by referee David Sanfilippo as Mammoth and Josh Gates won by knockout. However, this loss did not contribute to Black Widow's Fight Night campaign.
Black Widow vs. Rampage For its first and only competitive fight in the 2020 season, Black Widow faced fellow newcomers Rampage. This fight went untelevised during the main season, only being shown in full as part of Basement Tapes. Rampage gets under Black Widow’s wedge. The fight started slow, with Black Widow losing parts of its cosmetic legs in the initial impact. Black Widow threatened to attack with its flame and through Rampage's weapon was spinning, it struggled to get underneath its opponent with its fixed L-bracket wedgelets. Rampage then drove into the side of the box and for a few moments, was not moving. The cumbersome Black Widow could not capitalize on this however, allowing Rampage to escape. Black Widow turned to face its opponent and used its wedge to kill Rampage's weapon, starting to get a hold of the fight. Rampage attempted to push Black Widow in the closing moments, but the fight went to the judges, who unanimously scored the fight in favour of Black Widow.
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters
Black Widow vs. Skorpios Black Widow also took part in BattleBots: Bounty Hunters to determine which bot would earn the right to fight Icewave. In the first round of its bracket, Black Widow was pitted against Skorpios. Black Widow gets hit by the scorpion's tail. Black Widow was off to a relatively decent start as they managed to get under Skorpios and cause minor damage. The tide quickly turned, however, as Black Widow suffered multiple attacks from Skorpios, losing parts of its legs and nearly being flipped over near the screws. Black Widow recovered, but found itself being dominated by the veteran team as its top panel became dented. Time ran out and the judges awarded Skorpios a unanimous decision to advance in the bracket.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 1

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 2

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship V	Rampage (Untelevised Undercard Match)	Mammoth (Untelevised Exhibition Match)
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters	None	Skorpios

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"From Newport, New York, their opponent is about to say "Help me!"... it's BLACK WIDOW!"

"From Newport, New York, it's got legs and it knows how to use them. BLACK WIDOW!"

Trivia

• Black Widow finished the main competition as the only team to remain technically unbeaten, as its losses came in an exhibition fight which was not canon to either robot's record, and a BattleBots: Bounty Hunters post-season tournament.
  • Not even eventual champions End Game could boast this statistic, having lost to Bloodsport prior to the tournament bracket.
• Ahead of the 2020 season, Team Black Widow listed fellow rookie competitor Rusty as their favorite robot.
• Black Widow was one of two arachnid-themed robots billed to compete in World Championship V, however Gloomweaver was forced to drop out with filming being rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Black Widow was also the name given to a 220lb robot built by Hal Rucker of DUCK!, though this version never competed in BattleBots.
  • The name is also shared with a 441lb, twelve-legged walker from the UK series of Robot Wars, as well as a Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors competitor.