Black Widow has finally hit theaters worldwide, alongside its debut on Disney+ Premier Access. The film that people have been waiting years for is out there in the wild. Thankfully, it's even going over well with both critics and fans alike.
Many fans thought Black Widow wouldn't do much for the MCU, since its main character is dead, and the story takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. They couldn't have been more wrong.
For one, the world got Yelena Belova. Someone who will likely fill the hole left by Natasha Romanoff's death; not to mention the fact that she will play a role in the upcoming Disney+ show Hawkeye. Also, introduced? Both Melina Vostokoff and Red Guardian.
Of the two, Red Guardian is particularly notable for one reason: The Winter Guard. This is a group that Red Guardian is a part of, that in the comics is basically Russia's Avengers. One of his teammates is a mutant by the name of Ursa Major—who happens also to be a mutant bear man.
Well, Marvel being who they are, had a fun little cameo in the Prison scene in Black Widow, where David Harbour's Red Guardian is arm wrestling a giant muscular man named Ursa; a clear nod to Ursa Major from the comics.
Well now, the actor behind that take on Ursa is making a bold claim: that he is the first X-Men character in the MCU.
X-MEN IN THE MCU?
Actor Daniel Richters, the actor behind the Ursa Major cameo in Black Widow, has taken to Instagram to reveal who exactly he was playing. In his excitement, Richters also made a bold claim: "my character is...the first mutant(X-Men) to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Marvel Black Widow is out! After two years I can finally tell who my character is: Ursa Major... the first mutant (X-Men) to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ... Ursa is part of the Winter Guard, noted for being "Russia's answer to the Avengers". His power transforms him into an incredible bear, transcending The Hulk in size. Ursa appears many times in the comics fightning Wolverine and The Hulk. When production on set told me who I really was in Black Widow I let some tears in my hotel room, because my movie dream became true: being a official comic super Hero. I can only hope Marvel will bring back Ursa in full form..."
Below is the first picture that Richters posted, showing off his size and physique.
He also posted several pictures of Ursa Major from the comics, one of which can be seen below. The rest can be seen on his official Instagram post.
Special thanks to FHachiou for bringing this news to the attention of The Direct.
IS HE THOUGH?
Now he says that he is a mutant, and while yes, the character Ursa Major is a mutant in the comics, he is also a massive bipedal bear—which clearly isn't the case here. On top of that, his role in Black Widow amounted to a small gag that lasted a few seconds.
It seems highly unlikely that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and his fellow creatives at the top would introduce the mutants to the MCU this way. Mutants, according to Feige, are still quite a ways out from getting their proper introduction into the MCU.
The claim of him being the first X-Men character is also suspicious, since Ursa Major doesn't really have any connection to the X-Men, and was certainly never a member of the team in the comics. He was, however, a member of The Winter Guard fighting alongside The Red Guardian.
There's always a chance that Olivier Richters returns in the future. Maybe then the character will be able to be properly fleshed out, and potentially even get closer to resembling Ursa Major from the comics.
This all likely boils down to Olivier Richters simply being excited about his role. Who wouldn't, after all, since he may have scored a spot in a faux Russian Avengers team. Sounds like something worth celebrating.
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