Why Yelena Is Still Called Black Widow In Phase 4

Yelena Belova is still tagged as a "Black Widow" in the MCU Phase 5, despite Natasha's death and the dissolution of the Red Room. Here's why.

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Hawkeye episode 4.

Despite escaping from the Red Room years ago, Yelena Belova is still referred to as a Black Widow in Hawkeye — here’s why. Introduced in the film Black Widow, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) adopted sister, who was also trained in the Red Room. As children, Natasha and Yelena were part of an undercover assignment, where they unknowingly posed as the children of Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), agents for Russia. Decades later, Yelena, together with her family, had managed to destroy the Red Room, yet her identity as a Widow still remained.

In Black Widow’s post-credit scene, Yelena mourns the death of her sister, Natasha, following the events of Avengers: Endgame. She gets interrupted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who tasks her with killing Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). While it is unclear how much Val knows about the sacrifice in Vormir, she surely paints Clint as “the man responsible” for Natasha’s death, fueling Yelena’s need for vengeance. Unsurprisingly, Yelena pays Clint a visit in Hawkeye episode 4. In her action-packed cameo, Yelena fights Clint while wearing an all-black outfit and night-vision goggles. Clint manages to remove the mask and reveal her identity, but she incapacitates Clint and escapes.

Although Yelena’s face was only momentarily visible, Clint already deduced her identity, calling her “a Black Widow assassin.” She may have successfully escaped from the Red Room and taken down the one-dimensional Black Widow villain Dreykov, but she came from the Red Room and its style and Black Widow program training is all over her. After all, her fighting style, equipment — particularly the trademark electroshock bracelets — and outfit are still reflective of the elite assassin group. Just like her sister Natasha, no matter how many years pass, Yelena clearly can not fully shed this part of herself in MCU Phase 4, having spent most of her life donning that identity.

While Clint may not specifically recognize Yelena as Natasha’s sister, he possibly knows that there are multiple Black Widows now operating as free agents under the command of powerful people. In fact, the mere presence of Yelena informs Clint about the severity of their situation, scaring him into cutting off all ties with the eager and skilled but naive Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Furthermore, Yelena being referred to as a Black Widow in the MCU Phase 4 might suggest that she is set to be Natasha’s successor. She may already be working for a secretive new organization under Contessa Val, perhaps alongside John Walker's US Agent from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Throughout the first half of Hawkeye, Clint has been manifesting signs of guilt over losing Natasha, and the new Black Widow–or at least, a Black Widow, as far as he knows–looming over him certainly does not help with his emotions. Evidently, Yelena’s cameo in Hawkeye episode 4 is not the last time viewers will see her interact with the archer duo, since a confrontation is guaranteed as she pursues her goal. Hopefully, the record will be set straight, and both Clint Barton and Yelena Belova can receive closure from Natasha’s death in the MCU as Phase 4 continues.

NEXT: Hawkeye Episode 4 Asks 5 Questions About Yelena & Clint's Future

Marvel’s Hawkeye airs every Wednesday on Disney+.