After Thunderbolts*, I’m Genuinely Horrified By How Much I Overlooked 1 Black Widow Going Through Training Four Times

Thunderbolts*

revealed some of the most terrible parts of the central character’s histories, including Yelena Belova’s time in the Red Room program. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

is a monumental, sprawling shared universe of stories with dozens of characters throughout. However, it can also take time before a character’s backstory is properly explored, especially when it comes to side-characters, or those introduced in ensemble movies.

With that in mind, there have been several characters introduced in previous films with very little detail revealed about their past, or potentially just some minor dialogue to provide exposition. This was actually the case with several members of The New Avengers as seen in the Thunderbolts* film. However, having seen some of the horrors that are in their pasts, I was reminded of one other overlooked character whose backstory is made infinitely more upsetting after seeing Yelena’s past.

Thunderbolts* Further Proves How Horrifying Black Widow Training Is In The MCU

The Red Room Is One Of The Most Brutal Programs In The MCU

Yelena Belova was taken as a young girl to become an operative for her government. However, when she was sent to America at just three years old along with an adopted family, Natasha Romanoff, Alexei Shostakov, and Melina Vostokoff, she had no reason to doubt that this was her actual family. However, when they were recalled to their home country, Yelena learned the horrifying truth as she was taken from her family and placed in the Red Room program.

This program was specially designed to turn young girls into ᴅᴇᴀᴅly ᴀssᴀssins, and Yelena excelled in her tests. However, the tests themselves involved things like putting together a firearm as quickly as possible and luring her friends into traps. In both cases, if Yelena succeeded, the others suffered, or were even killed, as a result of her actions.

Yelena’s Thunderbolts* Flashbacks Make Melina’s Black Widow Backstory Even More Brutal

Melina Vostokoff Endured More Than Most In The Red Room

While both Yelena and Natasha endured the Red Room program and became Black Widow’s, their adoptive mother, Melina Vostokoff, was also a graduate of the program. However, unlike her adoptive daughters, Melina went through the process no less than four times. Obviously, she went through it at an earlier stage, which means it could have looked a little different, but Melina was also responsible for having created the brainwashing techniques that made the Black Widow’s easier to manipulate.

That means Melina went through the program four times, without brainwashing, and succeeded each time. Before ever becoming a fully-fledged operative, Melina already had a lot of blood on her hands, and was well-versed in earning trust only to betray close friends for her own protection and gain. As much as she is responsible and accountable in her actions, it’s also incredible to think just how awful Melina’s experiences at this time must have been, numbing her from the world.

Melina’s Black Widow Backstory Means It’d Make Even More Sense For The MCU To Bring Her Back After Thunderbolts*

Yelena Is Due A Proper Family Reunion In The MCU

As part of the process, Black Widow’s are sterilized, meaning they can no longer have children. However, for Melina, one of her primary ᴀssignments put her with a false family for years. Evidently, with no way to have her own children, Melina formed a genuine bond with her two daughters, despite eventually giving them up to the Red Room program she was forced to endure. But at the end of Black Widow, Melina seemed to reconcile to some extent with her false family.

In fact, Melina and Alexei even share a kiss in the film’s final moments. Evidently, Thunderbolts* shows that the whole family struggled with Natasha’s death, and they appear to have gone their separate ways. But, considering how public Alexei and Melina have just become as they both join the lineup of The New Avengers, it’s hard to imagine Melina would not see her former family on a Wheaties box at some point. After Thunderbolts*, it would make a lot of sense to have a family reunion, including Melina, where they can all grow and heal to get past their shared suffering.