Little Women, with the latter causing her to receive a bit of awards buzz. At San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, it was confirmed Pugh would be ing Marvel's Cinematic Universe for the massive franchise's first Phase Four film, Black Widow.
In the comics, Yelena went through the same Black Widow training program as Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Yelena was initially Natasha's biggest competitor, having earned higher marks in the Red Room program and filling her spot when Natasha left the organization behind. Later, when Natasha died, Yelena officially took on the mantle of Black Widow. Following the release of Avengers: Endgame.
During a conversation with Black Widow title from Natasha to Yelena. Pugh said, "No, I actually will say when we were making it, it wasn’t anything like that at all. And I am saying it very honestly, it certainly didn’t feel like a ing of the torch kind of film when we were making it." Pugh then went on to say she hopes they did the story justice because she knows many fans have been eagerly anticipating a solo Black Widow film for years.
The MCU has already seen a few original Avengers ing the torch on to newer players. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) ed his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) trusted Peter Parker (Tom Holland) with some of his fancy tech, and all reports indicate Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) will be training Kate Bishop to take on his bow and arrow. Many hoped Natasha would continue to appear in the MCU after Avengers: Endgame, but her death squashed those hopes.
It's worth noting that Pugh's comments don't completely mean Yelena will not become the new Black Widow at some point in the future. Since Black Widow is a prequel, and Natasha will still be in the role for several years following it, there's a chance the film didn't cover Yelena's transition from Russian assassin to potential Avenger. There's still room in the future to turn Yelena into Black Widow as long as Pugh remains in the MCU. With her star still on the rise, there's a good chance the powers that be at Marvel will want to keep her around, and having someone familiar with the character eventually filling Natasha's role would be a nice way to honor her memory. Yelena could be that person, it just might not happen in Black Widow.
Source: UPROXX
