Exploring Yelena Belova’s Comic Book Origins(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe underwent a major change in the status quo in Avengers: Endgame. While the film, which concluded the Infinity Saga, brought back many of the characters who’d been wiped out in Avengers: Infinity War, other characters lost their lives trying to undo Thanos’ plans. One notable loss was that of Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, who sacrificed herself to seize the Soul Stone.
Following this, a 2021 solo Black Widow film was released, introducing her adoptive sister Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh. Yelena would grow in prominence in future MCU titles as a remnant of Natasha’s legacy, and plays a leading role in 2025’s Thunderbolts film. She also has a storied history in Marvel Comics, being a rival and supporting character to the comics’ Black Widow since the 1990s.
Yelena Belova Was Introduced As A Rival To Black Widow In 1999
Writer Devin Grayson and artist J.G. Jones conceived Yelena Belova as a rival to Natasha Romanova. Her sketch was released in Marvel Knights: Wave 2 Sketchbook #1 in January 1998, and she first appeared in the comics proper in Inhumans (Vol. 2) #5.
All this built up to her debut story arc in Grayson and Jones’s 1999 Black Widow miniseries, where she faced off against Natasha while both were on separate missions to recover the same bioweapon. While Natasha had long defected from the Soviet Union by this point, Yelena had remained loyal to her motherland, setting the two at odds.
Natasha was unimpressed by Yelena Belova’s naïve loyalty and eagerness, and told her that she’d be in for a rude awakening unless she learned to think for herself. When Yelena’s antagonism didn’t fade, Natasha conspired with Nick Fury to gaslight Yelena into switching identities with her so that she’d learn the harsh realities of espionage and realize how unprepared she is.
Yelena would take these lessons to heart and move away to Cuba, where she began working as a supermodel and businesswoman. Natasha crossed paths with her again during her 2005-2006 series, where she became a rogue agent thanks to a vendetta against corrupt corporate executives linked to her own past.
When facing off against Cuban law enforcement, Yelena bailed her out, prevented her arrest, and provided a safehouse and financial support for Natasha’s ongoing crusade. She conspired with Natasha and Matt Murdock to destroy the Cutting Corporation, which was performing human experiments on hundreds of girls.
Yelena Belova would subsequently become a villain again in 2005’s The New Avengers, where she led a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. mining operation that was intercepted by the Avengers, causing her to attack them to cover up her crimes. She’d continue serving as an antagonist by later working with A.I.M. before becoming a member of the Vanguard vigilante team alongside Blade, Micromax, and Dominic Fortune.
Yelena’s moral ambiguity would eventually be phased out in the 2020-2022 Black Widow series, where she came to Natasha’s rescue after the latter was brainwashed into forgetting her past as a spy by Madame Hydra. Later, she worked with Yelena and Anya Corazon to destroy a malevolent cult conducting super-serum experiments. Bucky Barnes and Hawkeye would join the three to disband a human trafficking ring.
During the 2020-2022 series, Yelena Belova adopted the moniker of the White Widow, becoming a steadfast ally of Natasha’s. She’d go on to have her own solo series published in 2023. While the comics have Yelena broadly sharing the spotlight with Natasha, the latter’s permanent death in the MCU has set up Yelena to carry the Black Widow’s legacy going forward.
