Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova continues her captivating Marvel Cinematic Universe arc in Thunderbolts*, confirming that she’s the perfect successor to Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Pugh made her debut as Natasha’s adopted younger sister in 2021’s Black Widow, in which the two reconnected with their makeshift family during the Avengers’ hiatus after Captain America: Civil War. Yelena returned in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, clashing with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in her pursuit to avenge Natasha’s death. Yelena’s position as the lead character of Thunderbolts* sees her delve into her past trauma and present loneliness while bonding with an unlikely new coalition of anti-heroes comprised of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Bob Reynolds/the Sentry (Lewis Pullman).
The former Red Room operative seamlessly follows in the footsteps of Johansson’s Black Widow, the femme fatale assassin who became the only woman among the six original Avengers and later sacrificed herself during the team’s final effort to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Endgame. Upon the introduction of Pugh’s Yelena in Black Widow, it was immediately clear that she could carry on the legacy of Johansson’s hero, however, her success would largely depend on the MCU’s use and writing of Yelena going forward — given that the franchise’s failure with Black Widow had nothing to do with Johansson’s performance and everything to do with Natasha’s limited development and halfhearted ending. After Thunderbolts*, it’s certain that Yelena has the kind of compelling character arc that Natasha deserved, but never got.
[RELATED: Thunderbolts* Shock Ending Changed The MCU In 3 Major Ways]
From Black Widow to Thunderbolts*, the MCU Succeeds With Yelena (Where it Failed With Natasha)
From Black Widow’s first appearance in 2010’s Iron Man 2 onward, the MCU primarily treated the character as an eye-candy sidekick with minimal character depth. Natasha’s backstory as a trained killer for General Dreykov’s (Ray Winstone) hardly factored into her MCU role, and the franchise consistently opted for endless objectification of her over taking her story in an interesting direction. Put into a box and denied a solo movie for years, Johansson still established Black Widow as a fan-favorite MCU character by virtue of her charisma and action-star power. But, not even Johansson’s outstanding portrayal of Natasha could soften the blow of the MCU’s egregious handling of the character. In a completely unnecessary Iron Man 2 scene, Black Widow changes her clothes in the back of Happy Hogan’s (Jon Favreau) car while he watches in the rearview mirror, and at one point amid her bizarre Avengers: Age of Ultron romance with Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha laments her inability to have children due to the Red Room program and labels herself as a monster. Finally, Black Widow’s sacrificial fall from Vormir at the midpoint of Avengers: Endgame served as an underwhelming farewell to a great character with unfulfilled potential. Black Widow finally gave Natasha the humanity she desperately needed, but it was too little too late to correct the mistakes of her MCU tenure.
With Pugh’s Yelena, the MCU delivers the superb character development it should have afforded Natasha. Although a supporting character in Black Widow, Yelena instantly takes on a compelling storyline. Determined to destroy the Red Room and free her fellow Widows from Dreykov’s chemical mind control while experiencing the aftermath of her own liberation, Yelena represents an intricate portrait of trauma and resilience as she reunites with Natasha and their adoptive parents. A balance of comedic and poignant moments does wonders for Yelena’s characterization in her first MCU project, propelling her toward Hawkeye, in which she hilariously banters with Kate and heart-wrenchingly learns the truth about Clint’s involvement in Natasha’s death. Thunderbolts* offers a thorough examination of Yelena’s struggle to find her purpose after vanishing in Thanos’ Snap, losing her sister, and later leading a solitary life as a gun for hire. Yelena’s bond with her fellow anti-heroes, particularly Bob, rekindles the light inside of her, as she now has a family on which she can rely for support.
Ultimately, the writing of Yelena as a human before a hero separates the quality of her MCU arc from Black Widow’s, and this time, the franchise gives a first-rate actor the chance to perform as a three-dimensional persona. Pugh has shaped Yelena into an absolute force of a character thanks to her emotional depth and perfect comedic timing in the role. Even though she has featured in only three MCU projects, Pugh elevates all of them, and the scripts provide enough space to properly flesh out Yelena as an individual. A triple threat of fiery action, delightful humor, and heartfelt emotion, Pugh pulls off the remarkable feat of making audiences laugh during one scene and bringing tears to their eyes in the next. Johansson undoubtedly would have thrived under similar circumstances, which makes the MCU’s misuse of Black Widow all the more disappointing.
Yelena’s Arc Is a Breath of Fresh Air for the MCU
Thunderbolts* emphasizes that superheroes need to be human first, and Yelena’s MCU arc beautifully illustrates this idea. Her status as a formidable killer makes for some riveting combat sequences, but Yelena always feels like a living, breathing person with her own baggage, flaws, desires, and fears. The movie’s mental health-focused narrative grants Yelena and the morally-gray Thunderbolts an opportunity to reflect on their pasts and build toward a future in which they can both help others and be helped.
More often than not, the personal side of MCU heroes takes a back seat to the action and heroics, and attempts at genuine emotion are ruined by unnecessary jokes or poorly-handled character development. Even rarer is the case of a fully fleshed-out female hero, as Black Widow and too many others never reached a point when they weren’t merely a piece in someone else’s story. Until time travel is possible, the MCU cannot totally redeem its failure of Black Widow, but the franchise’s improved handling of Yelena stands out as one of its biggest triumphs in the post-Endgame era.
Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.
The post Thunderbolts* Cements Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova as the Better Black Widow appeared first on ComicBook.com.
