Thunderbolts* recently saw Yelena Belova return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with her story following a very similar pattern to her big sister and predecessor, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff was a member of the original Avengers team, who, despite having no superpowers, was a super-spy capable of extraordinary feats of espionage, coercion, and combat. Nat was in some ways the heart of the Avengers team, and it is fitting that her younger sister, Yelena Belova, should take on that mantle among her new team.
Thunderbolts* was initially seen as being a ragtag group of mercenaries and assassins that add up to B-list heroes. However, as the film cleverly reveals, this is actually a story about the formation of The New Avengers. Along the way, the team has a lot to learn, and their becoming a team is cemented through intense events such as the impending destruction of New York. And while these similarities between the two Avengers teams are striking, it's even more interesting when exploring the overlap in the stories of Yelena and Natasha on their way to becoming Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Natasha & Yelena Have A Lot In Common Despite Not Being Blood Relatives
They Both Have Similar Upbringings Even After Splitting Up
The thing is, while Natasha and Yelena are portrayed as being sisters in the MCU, this relationship originally began as a facade. The entire family, which consisted of young Yelena, Nathasha, and Alexei and Melina, was a cover for the adults to infiltrate and spy on US secrets. But Yelena was just three when these rouse began, and her whole childhood was lived under the false idea that this was her genuine family. Despite this, Yelena formed a real bond with Natasha, which she expected would continue after they returned home to Russia.
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However, they continued to have similar upbringings, despite their separation, with both girls going through intensive training in the Red Room program. Like Natasha, Yelena was an adept spy, and a fast learner, who became an exemplary student. And while this was not a path that either girl chose for themselves, they took to it with extreme skill and speed. And after their time spent serving this corrupt institute was over, both would begin working for secretive US government agencies to take part in missions that put their incredible and unique skill sets to good use.
Natasha Found Her Purpose With The Avengers & Clint Barton
The Original Black Widow Found A Home After Leaving The Red Room
Natasha was able to land on her feet working for SHIELD, an organization that, while concerned with espionage, secrecy and shady spy dealings, was much less oppressive than her previous line of work in the Red Room. Here, she was able to continue to refine her talents, and form some connections, but it was not until later, when she was assigned to work on the Avengers Initiative, and go on to become a part of that team, that she would find a home for herself. And thus, Natasha was able to leave her tragic past behind her, and move forward towards a brighter future with her friends.
However, there were some connections that proved more close than others. For instance, Clint Barton was another agent who she met in the line of duty. Originally, the pair faced off against each other when Clint was working for SHIELD and Nat was on an assignment, but it was Clint that helped her to find a way to get away from her previous employers and the good guys. Then, together, they were able to the Avengers, despite not having become traditional superheroes or gods in the same way the other of the team were positioned as such.
Yelena Recovered Her Light With The New Avengers & Bob Reynolds
Yelena Belova Struggled To See Light Through The Darkness Before The Void
On a similar note, Yelena grew up under the watchful eye of the Red Room, where she was employed as an assassin, though she never had the option to leave for herself. When she was eventually freed from the grasp of the organization, it was due to her sister, Nat, returning and helping to shut down the Red Room once and for all. At that point, Yelena was recruited to work as an agent for the director of the CIA in a strictly secretive capacity, handling the dirty work that couldn't be legitimately handled by the front-facing government agency.
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Then, when Yelena met Bob while on an assignment that was meant to be her last, she found herself drawn together with a team. This was a big change from her history of working alone, and it was a challenge at first, but as noted by her father, Alexei, ing with others led to Yelena getting her light back. Having become tired and disillusioned with her life as a gun for hire, Yelena yearned for more, and Bob played a key role in that. It was thanks to her close bond with Bob, and their shared baggage that Yelena was able to find her new purpose and family in the MCU.
Both Black Widows Rushed Towards Death To Save Their Friends
Sacrifice Was A Big Part Of The Journey For The Black Widows
And most decisively, both of these women, who took on the name of Black Widow's while in the Red Room, only to repurpose that identity to become heroes, would eventually find themselves staring into the depths of a void that could prove to be their ends. For Natasha, this was when she and Clint were sent to Vormir to retrieve the Soul Stone in order to undo Thanos' snap. In exchange for the stone, a sacrifice needed to be made of something most precious to the intended recipient of the stone. Both Clint and Natasha rushed to sacrifice themselves for each other, but Nat ultimately won that dual.
Both will be ed as Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU well beyond the events of Thunderbolts*.
Yelena, years later, would find herself developing a bond with Bob Reynolds through their shared pain. While Bob's manifested into a terrible creature known as the Void, Yelena recognized that Bob must be somewhere inside the darkness. Having already been prepared to step into the unknown, Yelena chose to fearlessly step into the unknown, being consumed by the Void. While she did survive, there was no guarantee, and in this way, Yelena Belova's story beautifully resembles that of her older sister, Natasha Romanoff. Now, both will be ed as Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU well beyond the events of Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
- May 2, 2025
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Jake Schreier
- Writers
- Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
- Producers
- Kevin Feige
Cast
Yelena Belova
Bucky Barnes
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
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