Phases 4and 5 of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, two thirds of the franchise’s planned three-phaseMultiverse Saga, have not been as universally popular as their predecessors. The Disney+ series incorporated into the franchise since the beginning of Phase 4 have been met with divisive reactions from fans and critics, as have several of the franchise’s recent films, some of which have alsoperformed below expectations at the box office, ending the franchise’s long-running streak of reliable profitability. That being said, there are still plenty of aspects of the Saga which have been warmly received, chief among them being some of the new characters introduced in Phases 4 and 5.
One of the most popular of these new figures is Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, played byFlorence Pugh. The sister of Marvel’s original Widow, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena was one of several new Widows introduced in the long-delayedBlack Widowsolo film released in 2021. Pugh reprized the role in theHawkeyeDisney+ series released later that year and is set to do so again in the 2025 filmThunderbolts. Her performances have been enthusiastically praised by fans and critics, and she has now become synonymous with Yelena, much like Johansson and several other MCU actors have with their roles. But, as hard as it may be for fans to believe,the part of Yelena almost went to another one of Hollywood’s most popular young actresses,Saoirse Ronan, who Pugh acted alongside inGreta Gerwig’s 2019 filmLittle Women.
Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.
Who Is Marvel’s Yelena Belova?
Black Widowrevealed that, when they were children in the mid-1990s, Natasha and Yelena were sent on an undercover mission for the immoral Russian super-spy organization known as the Red Room they had been forced into serving. Along with older Widow Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and super-soldierAlexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour)they posed as a regular American family so that Alexei could eventually steal Hydra research on mind control stored in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in Ohio. After he did so, the faux family fled to Cuba, narrowly avoiding S.H.I.E.L.D. and other American law enforcement agencies. The girls were then separated and forced into the Red Room’s horrific Widow training program, which Natasha had already endured once at an early age.
More than 20 years later, Yelena is operating as one of the Red Room’s top assassins when another Widow frees her from their chemical mind control, after which she goes rogue. She covertly sends the mind control antidote to Natasha, leading the adopted sisters to reunite. The pair also recruit Alexei and Melina and work to expose and take down the Red Room,dealing with the resentments and personal problems between them while doing so and reaffirming that they are a true family. In the film’s post-credits scene, set after Natasha’s death inAvengers: Endgame,Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)tricks Yelena into believing that Natasha’s friend and fellow AvengerClint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)was responsible for her death. This leads Yelena to attempt to assassinate Clint inHawkeyebefore he tells her that Natasha sacrificed herself to obtain the Soul Stone and that he attempted to stop her from doing so, after which Yelena makes an uneasy peace with him.
During a recent appearance onThe Town podcast, Deadline reporterJustin Krollstated he had heard that Ronan passed on the role of Yelena, suggesting that it was offered to her before Pugh. According to him, she turned down the part simply because, “she was not interested,” which isn’t especially surprising. Although Ronan starred in the action filmHannaearly in her career,she is mostly known for taking more dramatic roles, often in indie films. That said, Yelena is not the only major franchise character she has been linked to. Ronan has beenrumored to be in considerationfor other superhero roles, including that of the MCU’s Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, which ultimately went toElizabeth Olsen. And back in 2013,the actress herself confirmedthat she, like many other young actors at the time, auditioned for a role inStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
‘Little Women’ Was a Major Success for Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan
Little Womenis an adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name byLouisa May Alcott. Ronan starred as protagonist Josephine “Jo” March, withPugh playing her younger sister Amy.The film devotes significant time to contrasting the two women’s approaches to their aspirations, family obligations, and personal relationships, specifically with family friend Theodore “Laurie” Laurence (Timothée Chalamet). The film received widespread critical acclaim and an assortment of accolades, with Ronan and Pugh being nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Coincidentally, their co-starEmma Watson, who played eldest sister Margaret “Meg” March,was alsoreported to be in considerationfor the role of Yelena before it went to Pugh.
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Pugh Made the Role of Yelena Her Own
Given their talent and experience, there is little reason to doubt that either Ronan or Watson would have delivered strong performances, but Pugh’s dynamic work as Yelena quickly became iconic, and it is now hard to imagine anyone else playing the role. And it is certain that if a different actress had done so, significant details about the character would be different, asPugh has made her own creative contributions to Yelena’s personality and depiction, which have resulted insome of the character’s most iconic scenes. A running joke inBlack Widowbegins when Yelena asks Natasha about the crouched, spider-like stance she often assumes at points during combat, eventually surmising that “it is a fighting pose,” leading her to tease Natasha, calling her “a total poser.” In a later scene when Natasha lands in a similar stance after rappelling down from a helicopter that Yelena is flying the latter chuckles and says, “Such a poser,” to herself. And finally, after dropping out of an air vent while sneaking through the Red Room’s headquarters, Yelena herself lands in the pose before scrunching her body in discomfort, saying, “Ugh, that was disgusting.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pugh explained that when she began working with the film’s stunt team, they told her they assumed Yelena was going to have her own signature pose, given that Johansson used Natasha’s in most of her Marvel films going back toher debut inIron Man 2.Pugh was not enthusiastic about the idea, and said she found the pose “ridiculous.” After the stunt workers confirmed that the pose is impractical and would likely lead anyone who actually attempted to use it after landing from a jump, as the character does, to injure themselves, Pugh began playfully poking fun at Johansson for it. As she describes, screenwriterEric Pearsononce observed her doing so and was so amused that he said, “‘Yep that’s going in the script!’”These moments were some of the most popular scenes in the film and helpedBlack Widowmaintain Marvel’s trend of employing self-deprecating humordespite otherwise being one of the franchise’s darkest entries.
Pugh also had some input on Yelena’s portrayal inHawkeye.Arguably the most popular element of that series was the development of an unexpected friendship between Yelena and Kate Bishop(Hailee Steinfeld), the archery prodigy who becomes Clint’s protégé and superhero partner. Yelena and Kate first meet during a fight involving Clint andMaya Lopez (Alaqua Cox). Later, Yelena surprises Kate in her apartment, where they bond over macaroni and cheese. Despite Yelena’s lighthearted mood, the conversation takes a dark turn when she reveals her intention to kill Clint, reassuring Kate that she doesn’t want to harm her. The lengthy initial dialogue scene between the two was praised for effectively blending surprising humor with serious drama and Pugh’s own creative contributions were instrumental in making the scene as good as it is. The directing team known asBert and Bertie, who directed Pugh’s first two episodes on the series,explained to Buzzfeedthat Pugh suggested the object Kate throw be the hot sauce bottle and then incorporated it further into the scene, with Yelena gleefully drowning her macaroni in hot sauce. As they describe, Pugh also inspired the portion of dialogue where Yelena mocks Kate for only having one plastic fork in her apartment, which in turn led to Steinfeld’s improvised reply “I’m one person.” Pugh also had suggestions for Yelena’s wardrobe for a later scene.
These personal touches and the unique chemistry she shares with her co-stars, especially Johansson and Steinfeld, have intrinsically linked Pugh to Yelena, and cannot be replicated by any other actors, even ones as talented as Ronan and Watson, so ultimately it seemsYelena’s is one of many cases in which the perfect actor was selected for a Marvel role, even though they were not the only candidate, or even necessarily the first one considered. Still, both Ronan and Watson would be welcome additions to the MCU if they ever choose to pursue any future roles with the franchise and manyLittle Womenfans likely hope to see one or both of them act opposite Pugh again, whether in a Marvel project or something unrelated.
Black Widowis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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