Black Widow finally debuted this weekend, and Marvel fans are going crazy over the Scarlett Johansson movie. But while ScarJo is rightfully receiving a lot of praise for what could be her final performance as Natasha Romanoff, someone else arguably steals the show and maybe even threatens to replace Nat in fans’ hearts. Florence Pugh enters the MCU as Yelena Belova in this film and she’s become an instant favorite.
As we’ve seen from the trailers, Nat and Yelena have a surrogate sister relationship, as they essentially grew up together while on an undercover mission in the US in the 90s, raised by their fake parents Alexei (David Harbour) and Melina (Rachel Weisz). The duo rekindle their sibling bond throughout the movie, something that fans can’t get enough of, though the fact we know it all ends in tears with Natasha’s death (see Avengers: Endgame) is making folks emotional.
Here’s just a taste of all the love that’s going around for Pugh and Yelena on social media right now.
Single-handedly improving 2021.
Their bonding over Yelena’s awesome vest – it has so many pockets! – is proving popular.
But fans also can’t handle the knowledge that Nat goes on to wear that same vest in Avengers: Infinity War.
And the post-credits scene, in which Yelena visits Nat’s grave, didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.
On the upside, at least we know Pugh will be back very soon as Yelena, as that same post-credits scene teases her return in the Hawkeye TV series, where Clint Barton will be her next target.
After that, it’s possible Pugh could take the lead in Black Widow 2 or maybe join the MCU’s Thunderbolts lineup. In the meantime, catch her in Black Widow, in theaters and on Disney Plus now.