Black Widow star Florence Pugh says her character, Yelena Belova, will not be the MCU's new Black Widow. Pugh's had a breakout year with roles in films like Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, and 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 joining 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 the first Black Widow trailer, there's been a lot of speculation as to whether the MCU's version of Yelena could go on to become the new Black Widow after Natasha's tragic death in Avengers: Endgame.

Related: Will The MCU's New Black Widow Follow Her Comic Story?

During a conversation with UPROXX, Pugh was asked if Black Widow serves as a passing of the 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 passing 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.

Yelena sits next to Melina

The MCU has already seen a few original Avengers passing the torch on to newer players. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) passed 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. 

More: Black Widow Trailer Reveals Infinity War Connection

Source: UPROXX

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