Hawkeye has already reached its finish line, but interesting tidbits keep on showing up in the online space. The MCU series was the last project of Marvel Studios for 2021, and it followed the story of Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton as he tries to escape from his Ronin past while also passing the torch to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop.
Hawkeye is filled with exciting characters, and one of them is the returning Yelena Belova, portrayed by Florence Pugh from Black Widow. The Disney+ series showed what happened to Yelena after the events of the MCU prequel, confirming that she became one of the victims of Thanos' snap during Avengers: Infinity War.
Black Widow's post-credits scene confirmed that Yelena's mission was to seek revenge against Clint for the death of her sister, Natasha Romanoff. This plot point eventually happened during Hawkeye, ultimately leading to a fateful and emotional encounter with the bow-wielding Avenger.
Aside from Yelena's face-off with Clint, Hawkeye also included numerous references to Romanoff, such as dialogue about their bond and the hero's old moves.
Now, it looks like a new Black Widow Easter egg that everyone might've missed has been unveiled.
Hawkeye's Black Widow Easter Egg Revealed
Hawkeye costume designer Michael Crow sat down with Insider to talk about Florence Pugh's return as Yelena Belova in the series.
Crow did a deep dive into the actress' wardrobe heading into Hawkeye, revealing that Pugh was "very keen on Yelena [having] her own sense of style:"
"It's just about finding the right pieces and, and creating this character that Florence was very keen on Yelena [having] her own sense of style. The funny thing is, in our mind, it's not necessarily good style. It's a little over the top. It's a little eccentric and the way it comes across is she just owns it. And I think that Yelena and Florence really living and owning the costumes makes them cool."
During the interview, one particular outfit of Pugh that took the spotlight was the one that she wore during the mac-and-cheese scene in Hawkeye Episode 5, "Ronin," alongside Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop.
Pugh's wardrobe can be seen below:
Crow shared that the coat that is used was one of the last two in the world, admitting that "it was just meant to be" for the actress:
"The coat she wears in the scene with Kate in the loft, we were both in love with because it was so weird. I found two of them online and there were the last two in the world so it was just meant to be."
Crow pointed out that the coat itself contains a Black Widow Easter egg that several fans had missed: alongside the many enamel pins on the chest of Yelena's coat is a black widow spider pin.
The Marvel designer explained that it was "another carryover" from her costume from the end of Black Widow since the character "had lots of enamel pins." Crow also pointed out that one of them is a finger gun, unveiling the fact that Pugh "thought it was a cool reference to Yelena" due to its connections to the 2021 MCU prequel:
"It was another carryover from her costume from the end of 'Black Widow' that she had lots of enamel pins. One of them is sort of a finger gun, which was the name of a production company for Hawkeye. That's also something that Florence really liked because it's something that Yelena does in 'Black Widow' a couple of times. She thought it was a cool reference to Yelena and I thought it was a fun nod to our production company."
Yelena's Strong Bond with Natasha
Black Widow established that Yelena's first piece of clothing that she bought for herself was a tactical vest. The character explains all of the personal modifications that she made for it to Natasha.
Based on that exchange, many would agree that Yelena has her own sense of style, and it was finally showcased in its full glory in Hawkeye. In a way, Crow's latest reveal further solidifies this claim.
The enamel pins present on Yelena's coat in Episode 5 are a fun nod at first, but it is an emotional statement when fans think about it. This essentially shows that Yelena is still honoring both her fallen sister and her own former title as a Black Widow.
There could be multiple explanations behind Yelena's "a little over the top" style.
Given that Yelena has been a mind-controlled agent for the Red Room for most of her life, she may be pulling out all the stops to keep up with the latest fashion trends after escaping her brainwashed phase. This is on top of being a victim of Thanos' snap.
On the flip side, it's worth pointing out that Yelena is still a secret agent, and her fashion choice could be catered to her specific mission.
It will be interesting to find out what kind of outfit Yelena will wear next when she returns for another mission in a future MCU project.
All episodes of Hawkeye are now streaming on Disney+.
