Yelena Belova returned in the TV series Hawkeye, and her costume almost had a perfect tribute to her “sister”, Natasha Romanoff. With the Infinity Saga now over, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving forward with its Phase 4, which covers both movies and TV shows. Another thing that Phase 4 has done differently is reuniting viewers with a deceased character, and it did so in Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) first solo movie arrived to answer some questions about her past, give proper closure to her arc, and introduce new characters, most notably Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).

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Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow followed Natasha as she was on the run right after the Civil War conflict. Natasha returned to Russia, where she reunited with her “family”: Yelena, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz). Once there, she came across a mysterious villain known as Taskmaster, and bringing them down led her to confront the demons of her and Yelena’s past. The ending of Black Widow sets Yelena up for her next adventure, bringing her back in the TV series Hawkeye.

Hawkeye followed Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) as he confronted enemies from his past as Ronin while also unintentionally partnering with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to fight a crime group and uncover some mysteries related to her family – all this while also trying to go back with his family in time for Christmas. Clint and Kate also come across Yelena, who arrived on a revenge mission against him for Natasha’s death, as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) told her he was responsible for it. Yelena continues to deal with the loss of her sister, and her grief could have been reflected in her costume as revealed by a piece of concept art.

Art director and artist Josh Nizzi (via The Direct) shared some pieces of concept art on his Instagram account of costumes that didn’t make it to Hawkeye. Among those for Yelena is an olive green outfit with a very special detail in the middle of the chest: Natasha’s Black Widow symbol. Nizzi wrote in the caption that this version of Yelena’s costume was “about her taking up the mantle of Black Widow”, and it was almost used “before things shifted”. Wearing the symbol would have been a smart choice for Yelena as it would have not only served as a tribute to Natasha but also to their shared past, while also showing Yelena reclaiming the Black Widow role for herself. Up until now, Yelena’s story has been moved by grief and a lot of emotional pain, so wearing Natasha’s Black Widow symbol would have been a heartwarming touch, and seeing her wearing it would have also had an emotional impact on an already struggling Clint Barton.

It’s unknown what Yelena’s next appearance in the MCU will be, but there’s still some chance that her next costume could include a subtle but powerful tribute to her sister, but at the same time, Yelena has to move away from Natasha’s shadow and her revenge mission and become a hero on her own. Yelena Belova is one of the most popular new characters in the MCU, and she will always be linked to Natasha Romanoff, and that detail on her costume would have been a powerful and heartwarming addition that would have also provoked an emotional reaction from Clint Barton.

Key Release Dates
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  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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About The Author


Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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