We almost got a completely different Yelena Belova in the MCU

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• Phases 4 and 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been divisive, but new characters like Yelena Belova have been warmly welcomed.
• Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Yelena has become iconic, with her own creative contributions to the character’s personality and scenes.
• Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson were considered for the role of Yelena, but Pugh’s unique chemistry with her co-stars set her apart.

Steps 4 and 5 marvel cinematic universeThe two-thirds installment of the franchise’s planned three-phase multiverse saga has not been as universally popular as its predecessors. The Disney+ series, which has been joining the franchise since the beginning of Phase 4, has faced divisive reactions from fans and critics, as have many of the franchise’s recent films, some of which have performed below expectations at the box office, leading to The franchise’s longevity has come to an end. -Ongoing streak of reliable profitability. That being said, there are still plenty of aspects of the saga that have been warmly welcomed, chief among them being some of the new characters introduced in Phases 4 and 5.

One of the most popular of these new personalities is Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, played by Florence Pugh, Marvel’s original widow, sister of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena was one of several new widows introduced in the long-delayed black mother Single film released in 2021. Pugh reprized the role in hawkeye The Disney+ series released later that year and is set to do so again in a 2025 film from lightning, Her performance has been enthusiastically praised by fans and critics, and she has now become synonymous with Yelena, just as Johansson and many other MCU actors have been with their roles. But, as hard as it may be for fans to believe, The part of Yelena almost went to one of Hollywood’s most popular young actresses., Saoirse Ronanwhich starred Pugh greta gerwig2019 movie little Women,

Who is Marvel’s Yelena Belova?

black mother It turns out that, when they were children in the mid-1990s, Natasha and Yelena were sent on a secret mission for the unethical Russian super-spy organization known as the Red Room, which they served Was forced to do. With the elderly widow Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and super-soldier Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (david harbor) They presented themselves as a regular American family so that Alexei could eventually steal Hydra research on mind control stored at the SHIELD facility in Ohio. After he did so, the fake family fled to Cuba, evading SHIELD and other US law enforcement agencies. The girls were then separated and sent to the Red Room’s horrific widow training program, which Natasha had already endured once at a young age.

Over 20 years later, Yelena is working as one of the Red Room’s top assassins when another widow frees her from her chemical mind control, causing her to go rogue. She secretly sends Natasha a mind control potion, allowing the adopted sisters to be reunited. The pair also recruit Alexei and Melina and work to expose and destroy the Red Room, While doing so, deal with resentment and personal problems between them and reaffirm that they are a true family., In the film’s post-credits scene, set after Natasha’s death Avengers: EndgameContessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Yelena is tricked into believing that Natasha’s friend and fellow Avenger Clint Barton/Hawkeye (jeremy renner) was responsible for his death. This leads to Yelena attempting to murder Clint. hawkeye Before he tells her that Natasha sacrificed herself to obtain the Soul Stone and he attempts to stop her from doing so, Yelena makes an uneasy peace with him.

During a recent appearance on The Town Podcast, the Deadline reporter Justin Kroll She said that she heard that Ronan passed on the role of Yelena, which suggests that the role was offered to her before Pugh. According to him, he turned down the role simply because, “he wasn’t interested in it,” which is not particularly surprising. Ron Thoton starred in the action film Hannah At the beginning of his career, She is known for playing more dramatic roles, mostly in indie films, That said, Yelena isn’t the only major franchise character she’s been linked with. Ronan was rumored to be considering other superhero roles, including the role of the MCU’s Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, which ultimately went through. elizabeth olsen, And in 2013, the actress herself confirmed that, like many other young actors of the time, she had auditioned for a role. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,

‘Little Women’ was a huge success for Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan

little Women It is an adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by louisa may alcott, Ronan starred as protagonist Josephine “Jo” March, with Pugh playing her younger sister Amy. The film spends significant time comparing the two women’s aspirations, their attitudes toward family obligations and personal relationships, particularly with family friend Theodore “Laurie” Laurence (timothy chalamet, The film received widespread critical acclaim and praise, with Ronan and Pugh nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Coincidentally, his co-star Emma Watsonwho played the eldest sister, Margaret “Meg” March, It was also reported that the role of Yelena was also under consideration before it went to Pugh.,

Pugh made the role of Yelena her own.

Given their talent and experience, there’s no reason to doubt that Ronan or Watson would have given stronger performances, but Pugh’s dynamic work as Yelena quickly became iconic, and now it’s time to take on the role. It is difficult to imagine anyone else. And it is certain that if a different actress had done this, important details about the character would have been different, such as Pugh has contributed creatively to the personality and portrayal of Yelena., which has resulted in some of the character’s most iconic scenes. a running joke in black mother Beginning when Yelena asks Natasha about the spider-like crouched posture she often adopts during battle, she eventually guesses that “it’s a fighting posture”, leading to her teasing Natasha by calling her “a Total currency” said. In a later scene, when Natasha lands in the same pose after descending from the helicopter, Yelena laughs and says to herself, “Such a pose.” And finally, after falling out of an air vent while infiltrating the Red Room’s headquarters, Yelena herself gets into the pose before scratching her body in discomfort, saying, “Ugh, that was disgusting.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pugh explained that when she began working with the film’s stunt team, she told them that she assumed Yelena would have her own signature pose, noting that Johansson had her own. Natasha was used in most of the Marvel films. His debut in iron Man 2, Pugh was not enthusiastic about the idea and said she found the pose “ridiculous”. When stunt personnel confirmed that this pose was impractical and that anyone attempting to use it after actually landing from a jump, as the character does, would expose themselves to injury, Pugh reprimanded Johansson for it. Started making fun. As she describes, the screenwriter Eric Pearson Saw him do it once and was so happy that he said, “‘Yes, it’s in the script!'” These moments were some of the most popular scenes in the film and helped black mother Maintain Marvel’s trend of employing self-deprecating humor Despite otherwise being one of the darkest entries of the franchise.

Pugh also had some input on the portrayal of Yelena. hawkeye, Possibly the most popular element of that series was the development of an unlikely friendship between Yelena and Kate Bishop. ,Hailee Steinfeld), an archery genius who becomes Clint’s disciple and superhero partner. Yelena and Kate first met during the fight between Clint and Maya Lopez (alaqua cox, Later, Yelena surprises Kate at her apartment, where they eat macaroni and cheese. Despite Yelena’s light-hearted mood, the conversation takes a darker turn when she reveals her intention to kill Clint and reassures Kate that she does not want to harm him. The long opening dialogue scene between the two was praised for effectively mixing surprising humor with serious drama and Pugh’s own creative contributions were instrumental in making the scene so good. The directing team was called Bert and Bertie, who directed Pugh’s first two episodes on the series, explained to BuzzFeed that Pugh suggested making the object thrown by Kate a hot sauce bottle and then incorporated it further into the scene, with Yelena happily following her lead. Macaroni dipped in hot sauce. As he describes, Pugh also inspired the part of the dialogue where Yelena mocks Kate for only having one plastic fork in her apartment, resulting in Steinfeld’s immediate reply “I’m a person.” Pugh also had suggestions for Yelena’s wardrobe for a later scene.

These personal touches and the unique chemistry he shares with his co-stars, especially Johansson and Steinfeld, have made Pugh intrinsically connected to Yelena, and it’s easier to do this than any other actor, even Ronan and can’t be replicated even by talented actors like Watson, so ultimately it feels like Yelena’s case is one of many in which the right actor was selected for a Marvel role, even though he was not the only candidate, or even necessarily the first candidate who was considered. Still, both Ronan and Watson would be welcomed into the MCU if they ever choose to play a role in the future with the franchise and many others. little Women Fans are probably hoping to see one or both of them starring opposite Pugh again, whether it’s in a Marvel project or something unrelated.

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