Following the original’s death, the MCU is now home to three replacement Black Widows, and one convincing theory suggests that Marvel has introduced one to justify killing yet another. Natasha Romanoff boasts one of the most tragic deaths in the MCU, sacrificing herself on Vormir to attain the Soul Stone after fighting with Clint Barton for the morbid honor. Like most other mainline MCU heroes who have either died or stepped back, this has left a gulf that another character has soon stepped in to fill.

Like Iron Man with Spider-Man and Steve Rogers with Sam Wilson, Black Widow’s successor is ostensibly her adoptive sister, Yelena Belova. Then again, with no Avengers ᴀssembling since Avengers: Endgame, it’s hard to say whether this is Marvel’s true intention, especially as the bleak outlook for Thunderbolts* throws into question whether Yelena Belova has a future in the MCU whatsoever. Yelena was introduced in Natasha Romanoff’s prequel movie, Black Widow, where it was revealed that there are several potential replacements for Natasha – and Marvel may have just spotlighted another.

Captain America: Brave New World’s Introduction Of A New Black Widow Brought About Considerable Surprise

Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Comic Book Origins Were Substantially Altered

Captain America: Brave New World debuted Shira Haas’s Ruth Bat-Seraph, a character whose live-action origins are substantially altered compared to the comics. In Marvel Comics, Bat-Seraph is otherwise known as Sabra, a mutant who boasts a pretty standard array of superpowers, from super-strength to enhanced durability. These commonly held superpowers mostly lend themselves to Bat-Seraph’s hand-to-hand expertise, which has allowed her to hold her own against even the Hulk during her comic book career (which is perhaps indicative of why she was introduced in what was arguably a sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk).

Although the MCU has now been drip-feeding mutants into its narratives after Disney acquired Fox, Captain America: Brave New World opted out of these origins and instead made Bat-Seraph a former Black Widow. While the movie’s introduction of adamantium heralds the in-earnest arrival of mutants to the MCU, this ties Ruth Bat-Seraph directly to the Black Widow narrative and a shared history with Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff. She also isn’t the only former Black Widow to appear on the side of the good guys in 2025, however.

The MCU Introducing A New Black Widow Makes More Sense If Thunderbolts* Hero Death Theory Is Indeed True

Fans Theorize That Antonia Dreykov Will Be Killed Off In Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* will be the next MCU movie to release in 2025 and centers around a ragtag team of misfits comprising former villains and down-and-out antiheroes. Among their ranks, at least if the marketing is anything to go by, is Taskmaster, another former Black Widow and daughter of the reprehensible MCU villain Dreykov. After being freed from Dreykov’s mind control, Taskmaster was last seen taking off to rebuild the life tainted by her service to her father and the villainous acts he forced her to commit as his foremost Black Widow. This has culminated in her appearance in the Thunderbolts* trailer.

The thing is, Taskmaster doesn’t appear for much of it. The fact that she seemingly shares just one scene with the other members of the Thunderbolts – where they have been lured into a trap – has generated a convincing theory that she will not survive the ordeal. With that in mind, spotlighting Ruth Bat-Seraph in Captain America: Brave New World suggests that she, as another former Black Widow (and quite a powerful one, at that), will fill the void that Taskmaster is about to leave with her death.

Why Taskmaster Dying In Thunderbolts* Seems So Likely

It’s Hard To Ignore All The Evidence

Evidence of Taskmaster’s impending doom is constantly mounting. Eagle-eyed viewers were quick to spot the fact that Taskmaster is only seen in one sequence of the original Thunderbolts* trailer, but as subsequent trailers have revealed more sH๏τs in the movie (including the terrifying archvillain of Thunderbolts*, the Void), Taskmaster’s continued absence is becoming ever more conspicuous. While it would be great to see Antonia Dreykov’s redemption arc fully depicted on the big screen, I’m sorry to say that her early demise actually makes a lot of sense.

A concern about Thunderbolts* is that few, if any, of the тιтular antiheroes will survive. It behooves Marvel Studios, therefore, to establish the stakes by killing off one of its main stars early in the process, with the tussle between the Thunderbolts in the trailer seemingly taking place in the movie’s first act. Furthermore, Taskmaster is perhaps the most expendable of the Thunderbolts* cast, with her debut in Black Widow failing to strike the same chord as many MCU villains often do. Whether the same fate will befall the movie’s other Black Widow, however, remains to be seen.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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