There have been few additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that make me as happy as Florence Pugh as Yelena does. (This is a lie. I love 99% of the MCU, but you get what I mean.) And now, there’s a rumor that we’re going to see even more of her outside of her introduction in Black Widow.
According to The Direct, Yelena Belova is heading to the Disney+ Hawkeye series. We’re taking the unconfirmed report with a big grain of salt at this point, but I’m already excited at the prospect of it. While, right now, we would have known Yelena’s fate after Black Widow if this year hadn’t gone so wildly awry, we still haven’t seen the movie (and won’t, for that matter, until 2021), but this news goes right along with a theory I have about Yelena and Natasha.
I’ve talked about it before, BUT in the comics, there is a storyline where Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova switch faces—meaning the Natasha we saw sacrifice herself in Endgame could have, in fact, been Yelena. (Yes, there is the argument that Red Skull should have known and yadda yadda, but more far-fetched things have happened.)
So, the fact that Yelena is rumored to join Hawkeye? It feels even more like Yelena and Natasha did face swap. Or maybe Yelena goes looking for her sister and discovers Clint Barton and the past that he and Natasha shared in Budapest. There are so many connections between Clint and Natasha that it makes sense that Yelena would be involved in Hawkeye even if my theory isn’t correct, but I hope that it is.
We already know that Black Widow “hands the baton,” in some regard, from Scarlett Johansson to Florence Pugh, and so, to me, having her appear in Hawkeye is a logical next step—especially since Natasha, for all intents and purposes, is dead in the MCU (even if Yelena doesn’t know it yet). And if the report doesn’t turn out to be true, I do think that there could be some connection between Yelena and Kate Bishop (who is co-leading the series with Clint Barton).
Whatever Black Widow holds for both Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova is unknown, but I wouldn’t hate Yelena taking on the title of Black Widow and getting to see more of Florence Pugh in the MCU. We’re in unknown territory when it comes to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I’m excited to see where it’s headed. That does mean that we’re going to get new characters taking on the mantles left behind as the earlier generations move on, and who better to take on the legacy of Natasha Romanoff than her sister?
If Yelena doesn’t end up in Hawkeye, I do hope she gets her own property or is confirmed to be in more upcoming projects because I’m extremely interested in what Black Widow has coming for us and the future of the MCU.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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