Why Yelena Wants To Kill Hawkeye

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Marvel’s Hawkeye episode 4.

While Marvel’s Hawkeye sees the return of Black Widow‘s Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), why does she want to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner)? In Hawkeye episode 4, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) are attacked by Yelena Belova while on a mission to secure an important item. Additionally, it’s clear the former Russian assassin is looking to murder Hawkeye, motivating Clint to end his partnership with Kate Bishop to keep her safe.

In Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff reunited with her sister Yelena and their parents as they worked to take down the Red Room once and for all. In the end, they saved many of the women who had been brainwashed and turned into weapons by General Dreykov just as they had. However, while most of the film took place before Avengers: Infinity War, the film’s post-credits scene saw Yelena mourning her sister after her death in Avengers: Endgame.

Now, it looks as though Yelena is determined to go after Clint Barton in order to seek revenge. However, who pointed her towards Hawkeye, and what exactly does Yelena know about her sister’s death? Furthermore, what is gained by killing a retired Avenger?

How Black Widow Made Hawkeye Yelena’s Target

In Black Widow’s post-credits scene, Yelena Belova is seen visiting Natasha’s grave. However, her mourning is interrupted by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). As the two talk, it’s revealed that Yelena works for the Contessa, who elected to give the former Widow her next target personally. The target in question is none other than Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, and the Contessa identifies him as “the man responsible” for Romanoff’s death.

It’s unclear if Val is aware of everything that happened on Vormir and Natasha’s sacrifice in Endgame, despite Clint’s best efforts to give his life instead. If she does know, she doesn’t tell Yelena, choosing instead to vilify Hawkeye in order to send the White Widow on a quest for vengeance. Now, it looks as though Clint Barton’s reckoning with Yelena has finally come in Hawkeye.

Black Widow’s Ending Sets Up Yelena’s New Team

Black Widow’s post-credits scene also confirms that Yelena and Contessa Valentina are part of a bigger organization, seeing as how Valentina agreed with Yelena’s sentiments about wanting a raise, an indication that they both work for someone higher up the chain of command. Furthermore, it’s likely Yelena isn’t their only operative, seeing as how Valentina can be seen recruiting John Walker’s U.S. Agent at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

It’s been widely theorized that Valentina is building a team of Dark Avengers for some unknown purpose. If true, Yelena would certainly fit the bill as the perfect candidate to serve as a Black Widow counterpart, just as John Walker would be the team’s Captain America. While more operatives will undoubtedly be added as the MCU progresses, why does the Contessa’s organization want Hawkeye dead?

Why Val Needs Hawkeye Dead

Whatever Contessa Valentina and her group are working on, they clearly need Clint Barton eliminated, sending Yelena to kill him with a strong vendetta to ensure the job gets done. As it stands, their concern likely lies in Barton’s past as the Ronin rather than his time as an Avenger. During the five-year Decimation thanks to Thanos, Ronin mercilessly operated in the darkest corners of the world, serving lethal justice and creating several enemies in his wake. It’s possible that the Contessa and her group could be one of those enemies, fearing that Barton’s continued existence could threaten their operations once more.

Regardless of the reason, the Contessa’s desire to have Hawkeye killed is incredibly telling about who she is and the motivations behind the group she works for. Based upon everything that been’s seen so far in the MCU, she does seem to be a dark version of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, working for a shadowy mirror version of SHIELD with their own agendas about how the world should be saved and protected, though they might not be the most ethical or moral hence their secrecy.

Hawkeye Sets Up A Repeat Of Black Widow’s Origin

Looking forward to the MCU’s future, it seems as though Clint Barton and Yelena Belova will be facing each other very soon despite Hawkeye episode 4 seeing Belova fleeing the battle after Kate Bishop got the drop on her. Furthermore, it’s still unknown whether or not Clint will get the chance to explain to the White Widow what happened on Vormir with the Soul Stone, along with the deep regrets he’s carried that he wasn’t able to sacrifice himself before Natasha did.

While Yelena doesn’t seem to be in the talking mood, she could very well be met with the same scenario Clint was back when he first met Natasha’s Black Widow in Budapest. As Clint confirmed to Kate before their battle with Yelena, the best shot he ever took was “the one he didn’t take,” a reference to his sparing Natasha’s life. Despite his orders to take her out, Clint chose to offer her a second chance instead, getting her out of her dark past as a Russian assassin to become a SHIELD agent and eventually an Avenger.

Will Yelena Belova take the shot when she gets the chance in Marvel’s Hawkeye, or will she learn about her sister’s sacrifice as a hero and choose to spare Clint’s life? Choosing to let Clint live despite the darkness of his past would certainly be a dynamic way for Yelena to honor Natasha’s origins, especially considering Hawkeye’s massively important role in Black Widow’s life. In any case, here’s hoping Kate Bishop will be able to convince Clint that he still needs a partner now more than ever now that Yelena has become involved on top of everything else they’re dealing with.

Marvel’s Hawkeye releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

About The Author

Kevin Erdmann
(2510 Articles Published)

Kevin Erdmann is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers. With a major in Cinema Studies and a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin is pretty sure he’s writing for the right site. While Kevin is a huge Marvel fan, he also loves Batman because he’s Batman and is a firm believer that Han shot first. Disney also shares a big part of his fan patronage. Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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