Head writer/creator Jonathan Igla admits to begging the powers-that-be at Marvel Studios to include Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in Disney+’s Hawkeye. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands, it continues to attract some of the entertainment industry’s best talent. For example, Pugh, who has cultivated an impressive filmography via roles in Lady Macbeth, Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, and Little Women, made her MCU debut earlier this year in Cate Shortland’s Black Widow.

Black Widow follows Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. The midquel sees her team up with Red Room affiliates Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and her surrogate/protégé, Yelena—the latter has been hailed as a standout of the film. In Black Widow’s post-credits scene, which takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) leads Yelena to believe Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is responsible for Natasha’s death, setting him up as her next target. Late last year, it was confirmed that Yelena would also be appearing in Hawkeye.

Related: How Florence Pugh Beat Emma Watson To Play Yelena Belova

In an interview with Variety, Igla discussed Yelena’s role in Hawkeye. When asked whether the idea for Black Widow’s post-credits scene came from him or Marvel, Igla opened up about making a case for Yelena’s importance to Hawkeye’s story. Read what he had to say below:

“[Black Widow’s post-credits scene] came from Marvel, but it came in response to [us] begging for and making a good case for why Yelena had a place in our story,” said Igla. “I think what I can safely say about it right now is that there is an obvious connection between Clint’s guilt over the loss of his best friend and the other person in the world who cared the most about her.”

Inspired by Matt Fraction and David Aja’s comic, My Life As A Weapon, the six-episode series introduces Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, a Hawkeye super fan who makes the unwise decisions to don the Ronin costume in episode 1. Fortunately, Clint is in New York City for a few days. Unfortunately, he wishes to go home and spend Christmas with his family rather than defuse the mess Kate’s created with the Tracksuit Mafia and their leader, Echo (Alaqua Cox). Three episodes in, Yelena has yet to appear. However, a recent promo shows a masked figure in tactical gear, which resembles the Super-Adaptoid costume Yelena wore in the comics.

Hawkeye deals with the murders Clint committed as Ronin and his reluctance to be a hero/symbol—something exacerbated by the loss of his best friend in Endgame. By introducing Kate, a character who believes in Hawkeye, and those wronged by his misdeeds as Ronin, the series is tackling all of Clint’s issues. On top of that, Yelena’s presence will no doubt provoke feelings of regret and guilt. To quote Clint in Endgame, “it should’ve been me.” Outside of Clint, it’ll be interesting to see Kate and Yelena interact, as they're both characters with big personalities poised to inherit Clint and Natasha’s mantles, respectively. Given their particular set of skills and other similarities, it’s not hard to imagine them developing a friendship that mirrors that of Clint and Natasha.

More: Yelena Can Ruin Hawkeye's Life Without Even Killing Him

Source: Variety