Black Widow Theory: [SPOILER] Is The Secret Villain

The latest trailer for Black Widow might set up Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) becoming a villain for Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Marvel Studios is kicking off Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a long-awaited Black Widow movie, even after the former Russian assassin died in Avengers: Endgame. The prequel will introduce a number of new characters to the MCU that will serve as friends and foes of Natasha, but some of them could be both.

The main new cast of Black Widow includes Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Rachel Weisz as Iron Maiden, and an unconfirmed cast member as Taskmaster. In the comics, all of these Marvel characters have been villains to Black Widow or other heroes, with Taskmaster serving as the film's central antagonist. This was emphasized in the final trailer for Black Widow as Taskmaster's skill copying abilities were on full display. Although the other characters make up Natasha's Russian family, the trailer also teases that the Yelena may become part of the villain's plans.

This theory that Yelena will become a villain in Black Widow is based around two new scenes shown in the final trailer. The first scene shows Yelena on an operating table in the white suit she'll wear for the majority of Black Widow. Yelena's location is troubling enough, but there are also markings along her hairline that indicate some form of surgery is about to happen. Later on in the trailer, Yelena is shown kneeling on the ground with her parachute falling behind her as she's embraced by a visibly emotional Natasha. The combination of these scenes has led many to think Marvel spoiled that Yelena will die in Black Widow. That seems unlikely given Marvel's history of avoiding spoilers at all costs, so it's more likely that these scenes instead reveal she becomes an agent of Taskmaster at some point in the film.

Right before the shot of Yelena on the operating table appears, the Black Widow trailer includes dialogue from her where she explains Taskmaster's tactics for controlling the Red Room. She says that he has developed a way to manipulate hopeful Black Widow agents so that they are conscious but do not make decisions. So far, footage for Black Widow has primarily focused on only a few scenes with Yelena: 1) her reunion with Natasha and the ensuing fight against other Black Widows, 2) her involvement in breaking Red Guardian out of prison, and 3) her with the other three main cast members after the aerial battle sequence. That leaves Black Widow with a lot of time for Taskmaster to potentially kidnap Yelena and turn her into one of his followers.

Given how the marketing has set up the plot of Black Widow, there are opportunities for Yelena to become part of Taskmaster's plan. If Yelena is still part of the team following Red Guardian's breakout, it could be in a later ambush or mission that she is kidnapped, such as an attack on the Red Room itself. This could then reframe the aerial fight as a rescue attempt by everyone else to get Yelena back. Her time with Taskmaster could be when she is operated on and possibly fight her family on Taskmaster's orders.

No matter how Yelena being controlled by Taskmaster might play out in Black Widow, it could be a smart decision for the movie's plot. Her capture would give the other characters a clear motivation to save part of their family and then get revenge on Taskmaster. Natasha says during the trailer that she should've gone back for someone and they "need to go back to where it all started so they never do that to anyone again." Although this could allude to Yelena's original time in the Red Room, this could instead spell out Natasha's motivation in Black Widow and support the idea that Taskmaster messed with Yelena again.

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