It’s hard to believe, but Fantastic Four: First Steps is the only title left among upcoming Marvel movies before we get our first Avengers movie since Endgame, Avengers: Doomsday. And while I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you told me before seeing it, Thunderbolts* is my favorite MCU movie in years, and I have to say a lot of that is thanks to Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova. Never mind the actress already being some of my favorites in movies like Dune: Part 2 or Midsommar, her character is quickly rising in the ranks in the current superhero lineup. And when I rewatched her first appearance in Black Widow, it only made me appreciate her more.
I remember digging Black Widow when it came out, but I’ll be honest, I’ve kind of forgotten about it since I saw it. Of course, there’s the fact that it probably came out at the wrong time, given the COVID-19 pandemic was still heavily affecting theaters and Disney was experimenting with its Disney+ service, perhaps to the detriment of the movie’s performance. But, I need to talk about how seeing Thunderbolts* reminded me to go back to the 2021 release and deepen my love for Yelena Belova further. SPOILERS are ahead for Thunderbolts* and Black Widow.
As Soon As I Watched Thunderbolts* I Wanted To Revisit Black Widow Right Away
There’s a lot to love about Thunderbolts* in my opinion, but the biggest highlight of the movie for me is the relationship between Yelena and her “dad,” the Red Guardian. My favorite scene was definitely in the third act of the movie when Yelena gets honest with him about how she’s been feeling really alone and having a lot of regrets about her life. In response, Red Guardian tells Yelena that when he looks at her, he “doesn’t see” her mistakes. Instead, he remembers who she was as a kid, and how she wanted to be the goalie on her childhood soccer team in order to be the “person everyone relies on when they make a mistake.”
Without that scene in the movie, I just don’t think Thunderbolts* would be as good as it is. It had me thinking back to when Yelena and Red Guardian’s relationship was established in Black Widow. I remember the two actors being just as funny and grounded in the 2021 movie, and yet I hadn’t placed the movie high in my mind to realize this going into seeing Thunderbolts*. So I made it my mission to revisit Black Widow after seeing the latest Marvel movies.
I’m Happy I Did, Because It Made Me More Emotional About Yelena Belova Becoming An Avenger
When it comes to Marvel movies in order, I had actually forgotten that the movie takes place in 2016 in the MCU timeline, two years prior to the events in Infinity War and the events of Thunderbolts* takes place a little over a decade after Black Widow (with the five-year gap of the snap in between to think about). And after seeing Black Widow again, I think the movie does a good job of establishing an older Yelena who has dealt with a lot more life and loss, and having the context of her upbringing with the Red Guardian and Melina really helped me understand her better. It was so much fun to see how the character was introduced in the movie, because Pugh very much stays true to who Yelena is between them. Oh, and it slipped my mind how quotable Yelena was in Black Widow to the point of actually stealing the thunder off of Scarlett Johansson’s MCU sendoff.
But the one thing that really caught me off guard is how much Yelena clearly looks up to Natasha Romanoff throughout the movie, even if she’s always taking shots at her Avengers position and "posing". While I read it more as MCU banter the first time I saw it, this time I noticed how much that relationship really gives sister energy, and while Natasha kind of brushes Yelena off (as big sisters often do), Natasha means a lot to her. I realized getting to do a mission with her and reunite with their “parents” is kind of the best thing for Yelena, because she's spent a lot of time alone. Throughout the movie, you see how, while Natasha has kind of lost her respect for her parental figures, Yelena is still attached to them. As she says in one memorable line: "It was real to me."
It made me extra sad about the death of Natasha in Endgame, and how in Thunderbolts*, Yelena feels like she wants to make a difference like her sister did, but she’s having problems making the transition (inwardly and outwardly). So, when I finished Black Widow, knowing that her second MCU movie ends with her becoming a new Avenger, I found it especially poignant. She still clearly feels the loss of Natasha, now she’s going to get the chance to serve with the Avengers and be the person she has always looked up to: her sister! I’m not crying, you are.
It Also Made Wish Natasha Romanoff Made A Cameo, But Oh Well, I Guess
While the Thunderbolts* director has suggested the movie isn’t a Black Widow sequel, I would argue the new Marvel film wouldn’t have worked for me as well as it did if it weren’t for the 2021 movie. If I hadn’t seen the scene where Yelena and Red Guardian sing “American Pie” together, I wouldn’t have bought into their continued father-daughter dynamic as much, and there’s a kind of twisted found family element in the Kate Shortland film that spiritually carries over into Thunderbolts*, I think.
The only thing that really bummed me out after seeing Black Widow is how the movie perfectly served Thunderbolts* the chance to feature Scarlett Johansson one more time through the shame rooms created by Sentry. I think it would have been really beautiful if she had shown up for a moment and allowed Yelena to get some closure or something. But, I also understand that Johansson is hesitant to return to the MCU after her long stint, and I was kind of into the fact that Thunderbolts* wasn’t packed full of cameos.
Because while Yelena Belova kind of sees herself as not as good as Natasha, the fact is she’s being given way more to do in the MCU already than her sister was. Sure, it was different times, but I’ve always felt so conflicted about how Black Widow was handled as a character. She’s very much in the center of things going into Doomsday, and I love that for her, but now I’m never getting out of my mind how the character will be constantly missing her sister as she becomes a hero in her own right.
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