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The Black Widow title, carried by Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johanson) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), has supposedly ended at the end of Phase 4. While Natasha's legacy will live on forever in the MCU's history, it extends beyond Phase 4. Marvel fans are now curious about who will replace their beloved agent Romanoff in this continuously evolving universe.
The scene is set for another hero to assume leadership following the brave sacrifice of Natasha in Avengers: Endgame.
While there is no concrete evidence from Marvel's officials about the future of this legendary character, there are glimpses of hope in returning the character with Yelena (Florence Pugh). The possibility of Florence Pugh's character becoming the Black Widow can be traced back to the original comic series.
The path to emerge as the new Black Widow
The 2021 movie, Black Widow, introduced Yelena Belova to the MCU. Her character, riddled with childhood trauma, is a complex one, just like Natasha's. She is also a highly skilled soldier - an assassin.
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However, the movie debut of this character is quite different from the comics. Her Red Room training and connection to the Black Widow Ops make her the prime candidate to emerge as the new Black Widow.
People seem to love Pugh's characterization of Yelena in the movie. Combining this with her fan following makes her the perfect actor to replace Scarlett Johanson and carry her legacy forward if there's any possibility of the character's return.
MCU's flexibility with its characters
MCU's president, Kevin Feige, has always been flexible with ideas for more creative surprises for the audience. While his initial plans were not to make Yelena the successor of Romanoff, considering the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such twists are always possible.
Maybe in the upcoming phases, viewers will see Yelena take on the responsibility of agent Romanoff, because when traced back to the original comics, she did become the successor of Natasha.
Yelena's portrayal in Hawkeye
The Disney+Hotstar series, Hawkeye, reintroduced the idea of Yelena as the new Black Widow.
Since in the show, she believes Clint Barton is to blame for Natasha's passing, she takes on the job of assassinating Hawkeye. However, she learns the truth about Agent Romanoff's sacrifice later in the series. That may serve as inspiration for her to become the next Black Widow.
Her friendship with Kate Bishops showcases her as more than just a killer and shows her heroic potential to become a strong character like Nat. She can be a perfect choice for the new-age independent hero rather than an Avenger because of her transformation from an assassin to a hero who fights for justice.
In the series, she showed her resistance to glorifying superheroes and a strong sense of morality that makes her the ideal candidate.
In the post-credit scene of the Black Widow movie, the presence of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine can indicate an epic confrontation. It might occur between Allegra and Yelena in the newly formed archer duo and can happen in the next installment of the Hawkeye series.
There, she can make her own identity or become the successor to Natasha's legacy and become the new Black Widow. In the Super Avenger series, she was known as Super Adoptoid, and then again reverted to her old identity with the new code name White Widow.
Will Natasha's legacy be continued?
Black Widow has always been globally famous, whether as a member of the Avengers or an independent superhero.
With the presence of Yelena, fans can still hope to see Florence Pugh fit the shoes of the legendary member of the Avengers. Her portrayal of Yelena has been praised across the fandom, indicating that if she took the role, she is capable of carrying the weight of the character.
However, as per the current scenario, she might appear as Yelena Belova in the upcoming projects of the MCU, most notably the Thunderbolts movie.
