Yelena's Knife Trick Teases Bucky's Link To The Red Room

Yelena's knife trick in Black Widow is reminiscent of Bucky's, teasing his possible link to the Red Room. The trick involves dropping the knife from the restrained hand and catching it with the other in order to deal a smooth and presumably final blow. Yelena used this trick against a rogue Black Widow agent, while Bucky used it against Steve during the highway fight in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Though the trick could simply be a sleek way of introducing Yelena's prowess, the resemblance is uncanny. And as the MCU has proven throughout its cinematic tenure, coincidences are often a hint at something more.

Indeed, the MCU is famous for how its individual projects are all inter-connected. Black Widow's post-credits scene, for instance, set up Yelena and Hawkeye's future encounter. However, considering Yelena stole the show in Natasha's solo send-off and became a crowd-favorite, it's certain that she'll play a larger role in the MCU beyond the upcoming Hawkeye series. Exacting revenge against the Avenger is one way of officially connecting her to other MCU characters. The similarities between her knife trick and Bucky's could be another.

Like Natasha, Black Widow revealed that Yelena was a child when she was forced into the Red Room's Black Widow program. In the comics, Bucky was also in the Red Room for a time and had, in fact, trained Natasha in fighting and espionage. While the MCU never fully explored their intertwined comics history, there was a throwaway moment in Captain America: Civil War in which Natasha lamented to a brainwashed Bucky that he didn't recognize her. With Black Widow marking Natasha's final MCU appearance and arguably being Yelena's origin story, it's possible, then, that the link between Bucky and the Red Room could be explored from the latter's perspective instead of the former. Yelena's knife trick could consequently hint at the fact that Bucky similarly trained, or at the very least, knew her at some point in the past.

There are other parallels between Yelena and Bucky in addition to the knife trick. After all, both were Soviet-trained and brainwashed assassins. Since Bucky was more of a supporting character in previous phases of the MCU, his history wasn't afforded the opportunity for deeper exploration. That said, Black Widow and the Disney+ series so far have proven that Phase 4 has changed. Instead of one overarching storyline that each project connected to, like the Infinity Saga, the MCU now seems to be developing multiple arcs and dividing its characters accordingly. Indeed, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier pushed Bucky to the forefront, tackling his trauma from being HYDRA's assassin. At the end of the series, he ultimately reached a point of self-reconciliation, accepting that his skills as the Winter Soldier cannot be shrugged off but can be used for good. It's a much-deserved arc for the character because, now, he is able to move forward.

The same cannot, of course, be said for Yelena. What's more, Black Widow's post-credits scene revealed that she is now under Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's management. Who Valentina works for and what her objective is are big questions in the MCU right now, but her comics history as a double agent for both SHIELD and HYDRA indicate that she treads morally gray ground. If the MCU continues Bucky's journey of making amends–a path he was on in his Disney+ series–perhaps tackling his Red Room past is next on his list. Moreover, if Yelena's knife trick points to a shared past with Bucky, it's possible that he feels culpable in turning Yelena into a weapon. That Valentine made an appearance in both Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier certainly links the two characters to the same Phase 4 story arc. Having the two ex-assassins meet would certainly be a worthy storyline for Bucky and Yelena.

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