The following article will contain spoilers forBlack Widow.
After over a year of delays,Black Widowhas finally released in theaters and on Disney Plus with Premier Access. And as with all movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film’s post-credits scene offers a very interesting tease for future MCU projects.
In general,Black Widowis a largely self-contained story focused on the titular Avenger as her mysterious past comes back to haunt her. This makes sense, considering the film serves as an interquel taking place betweenCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Infinity War. Since Marvel fans have already seen what happens after this film, it’d be unusual forBlack Widowto offer anyearth-shattering revelations about the MCU.
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However, true to form for a Marvel film, the post-credits scene ofBlack Widowstill sets up future plot points in an incredibly surprising way. The scene in question begins simply, depictingFlorence Pugh’s Yelena Belovavisiting Natasha Romanoff’s grave following her death inAvengers: Endgame.By Yelena’s side is a dog she calls Fanny, referencing two jokes from earlier in the film: Yelena telling Natasha she wants a dog, and one of Natasha’s fake identities being named Fanny Longbottom.
The scene begins as a somber, poignant moment as Yelena stands before her sister’s grave. However, things quickly get more interesting with the arrival of a truly unexpected character. Yelena is visited by none other thanContessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine,played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus ofSeinfeldandVeepfame. The Contessa — or just Val for short — first appeared inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldieras an ally of John Walker, offering him a new job and a new identity as the U.S. Agent following his discharge from the military.
It turns out that Walker isn’t Val’s only operative: judging by Yelena’s familiar tone, it seems that she’s been working for Val for quite some time between the events ofBlack WidowandAvengers: Endgame. As Yelena mourns Natasha’s death, Val offers her a new mission with a new target, who she describes as the man who killed her sister.
This line surely came as a shock to anyone who’s seenEndgame, considering Natasha willingly sacrificed herself to help the Avengers acquire the Soul Stone. In that case, who could be the target of Yelena’s blame?Thanos wouldn’t make sense,he’s already dead — twice over, in fact. Maybe her target is the Red Skull, the Soul Stone’s guardian? Not impossible, but there’s still no information on what became of him after he was relieved of his duty as Stonekeeper.
No, the man Val refers to as Natasha’s killer is none other thanClint Barton, aka Hawkeye— Natasha’s partner and best friend. That’s right, Yelena will be gunning for Hawkeye in his upcoming TV show on Disney Plus. This comes as quite a shocking development, considering Yelena’s consistently heroic behavior throughout the film. But sure enough, it’s already been confirmed that Florence Pugh will be reprising her role as Yelena Belova in theHawkeyeseries, set to release sometime later this year.
It’s currently unknown why Val wants to kill Hawkeye, or how she even knows that he was involved in Natasha’s death. In fact, practically everything about her isstill a complete mysteryat this point. In the comics, Contessa de Fontaine was introduced in the originalNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.comics. Created by Jim Steranko in 1968, the Contessa was initially depicted as a loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, as well as Nick Fury’s love interest. But decades later, in the 2010Secret Warriorsseries by Jonathan Hickman, it was revealed that she was a double agent for Hydra all along, and the Contessa ends up taking up the mantle of Madame Hydra after her traitorous nature is revealed.
As with any character with such a tangled history in the comics, it’s likely that the MCUwill go in a completely different directionwith Val’s background. For the time being, there’s no telling whether her allegiance lies with Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., or another faction altogether. But whatever her agenda is, if she has a reason to want an Avenger like Hawkeye dead, it’s clear that she’s no friend of the MCU’s heroes.
However, the post-credits scene ofBlack Widowdoes make one thing abundantly clear — Val isn’t working alone. Between Yelena and John Walker, it seems that she has her own network of anti-heroes in the making, possibly recruiting them towards some larger goal. It’s been rumored for quite a while now that aThunderboltsadaptation could be coming to the MCU in the near future, featuring a team of reformed villains joining forces to take on threats even worse than themselves. If Marvel really does intend to create their own anti-hero Avengersas an answer to DC’sSuicide Squad, then Nick Fury’s former comic love interest is a perfect candidate to be the one who brings the team together.
It’s still too soon to say for sure what role Yelena and Val will play in the wider MCU. Only time will tell if theThunderboltsrumors have any truth to them. But if the ending ofBlack Widowis any indication, there’s going to be big things coming from both of them —not just in the Disney Plus shows,but quite possibly in future films as well.
