Yelena Belova could become the latest Dark Avengers recruit during or after Black Widow. The upcoming solo movie for Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff might be set in the past of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, it will still play a role in setting up the future. One of the biggest ways it should do this is with Florence Pugh playing Nat's "sister" Yelena Belova, a fellow Red Room trainee and expert spy. There are already reports that Yelena will appear again Hawkeye, but her actual MCU future could lie with the Dark Avengers.

Norman Osborn formed the Dark Avengers in the comics in the wake of Secret Invasion. The Skrull attack left the world in disarray and brought about the disbanding of the Avengers. Osborn received incredible power, which included overseeing SHIELD and the Thunderbolts. In addition to rebranding SHIELD as HAMMER and repurposing the Thunderbolts, he also took it upon himself to assemble a new team of powered individuals to be the Avengers. This included former Thunderbolts members Bullseye, Moonstone, and Venom, as well as former Avengers members Sentry and Ares. He also brought Wolverine's son Daken and Noh-Varr aboard the team, with Osborn suiting up as Iron Patriot. This Dark Avengers roster is far from being realized on the big screen, but the team itself could already be forming.

Related: Theory: John Walker's Captain America Will Lead To The Dark Avengers

Since the status of the Avengers is in question after Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios appears to be interested in building new super-teams in Phase 4. This includes the clear path to the Young Avengers forming and even rumors that the Illuminati or Thunderbolts might finally form. If the Dark Avengers are part of Marvel's equation for the MCU's future, Yelena Belova could be recruited soon.

Someone Is Building a Super-Team After Falcon & TWS

Contessa Val Dark Avengers

The first real signs of a new super-team being formed in the MCU came during The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Near the end of season 1, Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her surprise debut as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She appeared to meet John Walker (Wyatt Russell) when he was at his lowest, as he had just been stripped of the Captain America title and shield. However, Valentina doesn't reveal if she's the one leading the formation of this new team or if someone else, like Thunderbolt Ross, is pulling strings. In either case, she returned at the very end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to help Walker take on his new persona as U.S. Agent.

In typical Marvel fashion, the introduction of Val and the debut of U.S. Agent are stepping stones for the MCU's budding secret super-team. While fans can debate whether this will result in the Thunderbolts or Dark Avengers forming, it is indisputable that a less heroic team is on the horizon. This means there will be plenty of other current and future MCU characters recruited to join the cause. Fans have wondered if Taskmaster could be part of either squad after Black Widow, and it seems that some connection to the super-team will happen in the movie. Additionally, there are reports of Valentina appearing in Black Widow, or at least that this was the plan originally. If she does pop up, then there is an equally good chance that Yelena Belova is who Val recruits next.

Yelena Belova Can Continue Natasha's Legacy

Yelena's introduction in Black Widow will set her up to be a big part of the MCU's future, and joining the Dark Avengers could be one way she continues Natasha's legacy. It has already been said that Yelena will become the MCU's next Black Widow, but that doesn't mean she and Natasha are exactly the same. The Black Widow marketing has teased how the "sisters" have different mindsets and strategies. Yelena is more ruthless and less performative. But, the movie should establish a close bond between them, giving audiences an understanding of what the loss of Natasha will mean to Yelena.

Related: Black Widow Theory: Taskmaster Sets Up Yelena's MCU Future

Since Natasha died in Avengers: Endgame obtaining the Soul Stone for the Avengers, it will be up to Yelena to carry the Black Widow mantle forward. She might not be exactly like Natasha, but she's still well-suited to follow in her footsteps. Whatever differences might exist between the two, Yelena could look to do her best Natasha impression as a way to honor everything she stood for. Finding a way to protect the world on a bigger scale and be part of a larger team is one way that Yelena can do this. That might be why she ultimately finds herself as part of the Dark Avengers roster.

Why Yelena Fits The Dark Avengers

MCU Dark Avengers Characters

Fans have yet to have a chance to meet Yelena Belova properly, but she is a good fit for the Dark Avengers based on her comic history. Black Widow is expected to make Yelena much more of a heroic character or set her up to be one in the future, but Yelena was a Black Widow villain when she was first introduced. There was even a time when "Yelena Belova" was part of the Thunderbolts team before Osborn created the Dark Avengers. However, it was later revealed that this was Natasha in disguise. So working alongside other morally questionable characters like John Walker, Val, or even Abomination would be a natural extension of her comic history.

This could be dependent on how exactly she's portrayed in Black Widow, but Marvel can easily find a narrative reason to bring her aboard the team too. Since Yelena is a trained spy, she could initially join the Dark Avengers with the suspicion that whoever is running the operation is up to no good. This would give her a slightly different role to play in the Dark Avengers team than what Natasha did for the Avengers. While Natasha was often the glue that held the original Avengers team together, Yelena could be a force that is subtly but constantly trying to cause dysfunction within the Dark Avengers.

Yelena's addition to the Dark Avengers roster would also give the team an obvious replacement for Black Widow. John Walker is clearly filling in for Captain America, and audiences should expect someone to dawn the Iron Patriot armor again for this team. There don't have to be exact copies of other Avengers in the Dark Avengers roster, but it would make sense in-universe and for Marvel Studios' marketing for such a dynamic to exist. Of course, now fans will have to wait and see if Yelena Belova is recruited to the Dark Avengers by the end of Black Widow.

MORE: Marvel’s MCU Dark Avengers Movie Cast (As We Know It)

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