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The post-credits scene from Black Widow sets up the next mission for a major character — and it could have ripple effects across the entire MCU.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Widow, now playing in theaters and available for streaming through Disney+ Premier Access.
At the end of Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff is still dead, and her adopted sister Yelena Belova is poised to take her place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, thanks to Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, who recruited John Walker/U.S. Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Yelena’s next mission is a dark one: Kill one of the last original Avengers.
Black Widow largely focuses on the reunion of Natasha and Yelena after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Despite not having seen each other in years, the pair are able to effectively repair their relationship before Yelena and the rest of the liberated Widows go on the run in the climax. The post-credits sequence of Black Widow takes place in the present-day of the MCU, with Yelena visiting the makeshift grave for her adopted sister, who died during Avengers: Endgame. She’s soon joined by Val, and it’s revealed that the two have been working together. Val then presents a new target, someone who they both view as somewhat responsible for Natasha’s death: Clint Barton/Hawkeye.
Yelena has plenty of reasons to dislike Hawkeye — ranging from his involuntary role in Natasha’s death to his having helped her escape the Red Room to become a hero. But there may be additional reasons Valentina would want to send Yelena, who herself may get help from Red Guardian and the rest of the Widows around the world, after Hawkeye. If Val is looking to form her own dark inverse of the Avengers, it makes sense for her to bring down, or discredit, the old roster of heroes. She also doesn’t seem above taking them out entirely, as evidenced by the plot against Hawkeye, which will likely also involve Kate Bishop in some way.
With few of the original Avengers still operational in the MCU (Iron Man and Black Widow are dead, Captain America is retired and Thor has returned to the cosmos), bringing down perhaps the most human of them all could be seen as the ultimate changing of the guard. Alongside US Agent, Val is quickly amassing her own version of the Avengers. This could be just to clear a path of influence for herself, even if that means taking out existing heroes. Regardless, Val is clearly taking advantage of a world without Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and looking to command her own band of Dark Avengers.
Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff. The film is in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access now.
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