Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.Having watched Thunderbolts*, one big theory about Yelena and what her hero name will be in the MCU seems all the more likely to me now. Having been introduced to the MCU timeline in 2021 with the release of Black Widow, Yelena is one of the newer additions to the franchise and its story. However, she’s also a character who almost immediately gained an MCU fanbase, with her characterization and emotional backstory with Natasha making her immediately endearing to viewers.

After appearing in Hawkeye the same year Black Widow released, Yelena was absent from screens for several years, with plenty of theories still being discussed during this time regarding what her story could look like for the MCU – including that she could become Natasha’s successor and use the Black Widow name as a hero тιтle as Romanoff did previously. Thunderbolts* sees Belova’s return, and appears to confirm that she will be taking on a more directly heroic role, but also supports the idea that one other theory regarding Yelena’s hero name could instead become reality for the franchise going forward.

Yelena Is The MCU’s Obvious Black Widow Successor, But Her Backstory Explains Exactly Why She Wouldn’t Want The Hero Mantle

Yelena’s ᴀssociations With The Black Widow Mantle Raise Big Questions About Her Taking It On

Given that she’s essentially Natasha Romanoff’s sister – and was a Black Widow herself thanks to her equally nightmarish time in the Red Room training facility – Yelena Belova makes the most sense to be Natasha’s successor for the official Black Widow hero тιтle she used the MCU. With so much of Yelena’s arc revolving around her dissatisfaction with her past misdeeds and the grief she feels after Nat’s death in Avengers: Endgame, having her take on the mantle would serve as a metaphorical turning point for Yelena, and would match her becoming one of The New Avengers in the Thunderbolts* ending.

However, despite having been trained to be a Black Widow – and still being regarded as one by figures like Hawkeye due to her training – Yelena doesn’t seem to want to use the тιтle herself. Thunderbolts* delves into why in a way that suggests she’d never want to label herself as the new holder of the Black Widow hero тιтle despite her love for Natasha, as it seems to make a lot of sense that Yelena would wish to distance herself from the Black Widow label.

The 2021 Black Widow movie had already explored how cruel and barbaric the regimen that turned Yelena and Natasha into spies and ᴀssᴀssins from an early age truly was, but the specific experiences Yelena had – and the impact they had on her – are underlined in Thunderbolts*. The movie shows Yelena’s “first trial” for the Red Room, wherein she leads another child named Anya into the woods to be sH๏τ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, and gives a glimpse of Yelena excelling at putting a gun together quicker than her peers, leading to her being forced to watch as the other children have their hands whipped for not being first.

Given these backstory flashbacks are shown during the sequence where Yelena is being forced to relive her worst traumas and memories due to The Void’s powers, it’s pretty clear she’s still very much dealing with the insurmountable horrors of what she experienced during her Black Widow training. As such, the idea of her taking on the exact тιтle that she and Natasha obtained through experiences that still horrify Yelena as a hero тιтle seems like it may not be all that likely for the character, even if she is ostensibly still serving as Natasha’s successor in the MCU.

Thunderbolts* Makes Another Hero тιтle Seem More Possible For Yelena

Yelena Becoming The White Widow Makes More Sense After Thunderbolts*

Even prior to Thunderbolts* releasing, theories abounded about the idea that Yelena would not become the next hero to carry the Black Widow тιтle as a hero name in the MCU, despite her clear ties to the mantle. Instead, the idea was raised that Yelena might go by the comic White Widow тιтle instead, taking her down a different route that still remains loyal to the source material and to Yelena’s overarching character arc.

As it stands, this idea matches Yelena’s comic story arguably better. While she has gone by both the Black Widow and White Widow monikers in the comics, the White Widow тιтle aligns itself with Yelena starting to define herself rather than letting her past and torture in the Red Room define her – which appears to be true for Yelena’s MCU story here now also.

Similarly, with Yelena becoming part of The New Avengers, her wanting to choose a hero name for herself seems more likely in general, since she’s now a member of one of the MCU’s main hero teams. Picking the White Widow name allows Yelena to acknowledge her past and give a nod to Natasha’s own hero story and тιтle without making herself once again beholden to her past as a Black Widow in quite the same way. Indeed, the White Widow mantle could in the MCU be emblematic of Yelena wishing to be the opposite of who she was as a Black Widow, while accepting her ties to her history and training.

Thunderbolts* Also Shows That Yelena Doesn’t Need A Hero тιтle

Yelena Could Remain Without An Official Hero Name

While the White Widow theory seems pretty likely looking at the current setup of the MCU and Yelena’s comic history, Thunderbolts* also makes it clear that Yelena doesn’t seem to need a hero тιтle at this point in her story, meaning the White Widow mantle could be a far later addition to her arc if it indeed does take place as theorized. Bucky seems to be operating as a member of The New Avengers without an official hero moniker – having moved past the Winter Soldier тιтle in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier – making the need for Yelena to pick one for herself seem far less imperative.

With Yelena’s story taking the spotlight thanks to Thunderbolts* – and this set to continue given The New Avengers are part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday – the MCU has put the character’s story in a place where it could make a lot of sense to finally make her the White Widow for more than one reason. However, given how much Thunderbolts* focuses on Yelena as person versus as a superhero – and how this has resonated with audiences as a considerable part of the movie’s critical success – it doesn’t seem there’s an immediate need for this kind of story either.

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  Thunderbolts*

  
  
  
  

  
  

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