Thunderbolts* Puts A Dark Spin On Black Widow’s Iconic Iron Man 2 Scene

One of Black Widow’s most iconic MCU scenes is recreated in the opening of Thunderbolts* with a new dark twist. Despite being an unpowered human, Natasha Romanoff managed to make her way onto the original Avengers roster. Due to her previous experiences as a Red Room-trained ᴀssᴀssin and a SHIELD agent, she could hold her own among the Avengers with her combat skills alone. She went on to have an almost decade-long MCU legacy as Black Widow, which famously came to an end after she sacrificed herself in Avengers: Endgame.

Natasha’s Endgame death may have been an unexpected twist, but her impact has managed to live on thanks to the introduction of Yelena Belova. With Black Widow being released after Endgame, fans went into it already knowing Natasha’s fate. It made it much easier to watch the film through the lens of Yelena preparing to eventually take over the MCU’s Black Widow mantle. It’s a shame that Natasha and Yelena couldn’t share more time on-screen, but Yelena has made it her mission to ensure that no one in the MCU forgets her sister’s heroics anytime soon.

Black Widow’s Iconic Hallway Scene In Iron Man 2 Remains A Great MCU Moment

The Hallway Scene Showed Off Black Widow In Action

Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in Hammer's building in Iron Man.

Scarlett Johansson first debuted as Natasha Romanoff in 2010’s Iron Man 2. Originally hired under the alias Natalie Rushman to be Tony Stark’s ᴀssistant, Fury reveals that she is actually

a planted SHIELD agent. The audience gets their first taste of Natasha in action with her iconic hallway scene. After Tony’s rival, Justin Hammer, is arrested for breaking Ivan Vanko out of prison, Natasha and Happy Hogan infiltrate Hammer Industries. Natasha is able to single-handedly take down a hallway of Hammer’s employees with her impressive hand-to-hand combat.

The audience became privy to Natasha’s true idenтιтy as a SHIELD agent a little earlier in the film, but the hallway scene is the first time that she fully suits up in her eventual Black Widow outfit. At this point in the movie, the character’s background is still largely a mystery except for the fact that she’s a trained agent. Letting the fight choreography do the talking in what was arguably Black Widow’s official MCU debut moment showed off a lot about her character, cementing it as one of the franchise’s most memorable entrances.

Thunderbolts* Puts A Dark Spin On The Iron Man 2 Scene With Yelena

Yelena Has A Hallway Scene Of Her Own

14 years later, Natasha’s sister ended up recreating her iconic Iron Man 2 scene. The opening action sequence in Thunderbolts* features Yelena easily taking down a hallway full of guards, similar to how Natasha had back in 2011. However, Yelena’s version has a much darker tone to it. The Thunderbolts* scene is overlaid with Yelena’s commentary about how she is unhappy with her life, and the imagery during the action scene represents her growing depression. Yelena and the guards’ shadows can be seen on the hallway floor, paralleling Void’s eventual attack on New York.

Although both sisters’ hallway scenes served different purposes in their respective films, they accomplished the same job of showing off their abilities.

Thunderbolts* is not the MCU’s introduction to Yelena as she’s already appeared in two other projects previously, but it is an introduction to the character at her absolute lowest. She’s in an emotionally vulnerable place, grieving her sister while trying to find her purpose in life, yet Yelena is still able to clear a hallway with ease. Despite not being in her best shape, her combat skills are on par with Natasha’s. Although both sisters’ hallway scenes served different purposes in their respective films, they accomplished the same job of showing off their abilities.

How Yelena Is Carrying On The Black Widow Legacy In The MCU

Yelena Is Ensuring That Black Widow Stays A Hero

Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova in the wreckage of the Red Room in Black Widow

Despite Thunderbolts* depressing opening, it ends on a much more optimistic note. Yelena has found her calling as a hero along with a new group of allies that she can rely on. A running theme between her conversations with Alexei in the film is Natasha’s impact on the world and how Yelena wants to carry it forward. With how the character is set up by the end of the film, she is definitely primed to carry on the Black Widow legacy in the most deserving way possible.

Yelena is now helping to lead the New Avengers, who are still finding their footing, but every member has good intentions. They may currently be ʙuттing heads with Sam Wilson’s Avengers, but the groups are expected to come together in the upcoming fight against Doctor Doom. It’s clear that Yelena will never try to outright replace her sister as Black Widow, considering how her grief motivates everything she does. However, Thunderbolts* proves why she will be a worthy Black Widow successor who will carry on Natasha’s MCU legacy.