One of the most happy seeming cut scenes from Black Widow looks as though it would have made the opening of Thunderbolts* even sadder than it already was through what it suggests about one of the movie’s main characters. Thunderbolts* succeeds as a superhero movie in part because it isn’t afraid to delve into darker and more real-feeling subject matter alongside its often larger-than-life story. Connecting Yelena and the other MCU characters’ traumas and feelings of emptiness to The Void ends up being the emotional heart of the film, and makes the group overcoming the villain all the more impactful.

As such, Thunderbolts* ends up being a mᴀssively character-driven MCU movie, that takes time to not only delve into what has happened with its main cast in the years since we saw most of them, but also give an insight into their inner turmoil and provide deeper characterizations than what came before. Interestingly, the way the story of Thunderbolts* does this with one focal character in the movie suggests their story would have been even sadder had a prior deleted scene ended up being in the final cut of Black Widow, and thus a canon part of the MCU timeline.

David Harbor Has Explained One Major Black Widow Scene That Didn’t Make It Into The Final Movie

Black Widow Has Several Deleted Scenes

In an April 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Red Guardian actor David Harbour explained that one Black Widow scene didn’t make it into the final film despite having some major implications for both Alexei and former Red Room operative Melina Vostokoff, who is also a focal character in the 2021 MCU movie. After alluding to the fact that the Black Widow movie cut a scene of Alexei and Melina kissing following the destruction of the Red Room – suggesting the pair would be able to have a genuine romantic relationship after their staged mother and father spy roles – Harbour stated:

“Yeah, there was a beautiful scene with me and Rachel after the crash. I touch her face and everything. It was one of my favorite moments from that movie… it was cut. You can’t focus on those two when Natasha is fighting Taskmaster at the end of the film. ‘Let’s go to the two supporting characters and see how they worked out!'”

While Harbour’s reflection on why the scene was cut does make sense, his comments about considering it one of his favorite moments from the movie underline how erasing it does diminish the overall impact of the pair’s story. This isn’t strictly a bad thing, as it allows the movie to focus on their bonds with their respective adoptive children of sorts – which works since the film’s primary focus is on Natasha and Yelena – but this being a prequel that released after Natasha’s death does mean that questions like what happened with Alexei and Melina does become all the more pressing.

The Deleted Black Widow Scene Would’ve Made Red Guardian’s Thunderbolts* Story Look Even More Tragic

Red Guardians’ Prior Romance Tease Would Make His Thunderbolts* Opening Feel More Complicated

Thunderbolts* returns to Alexei’s story with the distinct implication that, much like Yelena, he’s been feeling isolated and without purpose. When Yelena visits Alexei, he and his house are in a disheveled state, and he quickly turns to solemnly reminiscing about his glory days, even telling Yelena he’ll take on her role as one of Valentina’s espionage agents when she tells him she’s thinking about quitting. All in all, the movie communicates over the course of its run that the Red Guardian has been struggling with his current life, explaining why he’s so sold on the idea of the Thunderbolts.

This is sad without any other added context – but the Black Widow deleted scene would’ve added an extra layer of tragedy to things by also implying that whatever hopes of a blossoming relationship could be glimpsed in this prior moment either never came to fruition, or ended with Alexei and Melina parting ways later down the line. Given Alexei and Yelena address the fact they haven’t really been in each other’s lives since Natasha’s death, Thunderbolts* could have been the ideal place to explicitly address this relationship, reinforcing exactly why Red Guardian dives into the chance to join the group.

Thunderbolts* Makes The Chances Of Melina Returning In The MCU Seem Way Higher Than Before

Yelena & Alexei’s Focal MCU Stories Raise The Chances Of Melina Returning In The Franchise

Ultimately, the Black Widow deleted scene not being in the final cut of the movie means the MCU has less of an imperative reason to address where Melina is and what the character’s relationship to Alexei and Yelena is like following the fallout of both the 2021 movie itself and Natasha’s subsequent death later in the timeline in Avengers: Endgame. However, Yelena and Alexei coming into the spotlight thanks to Thunderbolts* making them part of the New Avengers suggests the potential for Melina’s return could be more rife than ever, due to her ties to both of their MCU stories.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  
  
  
  

  
  

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