Marvel Studios' Hawkeye is officially halfway through its first season on Disney+, and the series is setting up possibly some of the most exciting teases in any MCU streaming series to date. Episode 3 alone delivered the first signs of Jack Duqesne fully taking on his Swordsman mantle, while a short tease of a big man in a dark suit has the fandom celebrating a potential return for Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin.
Through three episodes, fans have gotten plenty of exciting action from Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop as their mentor/mentee relationship evolves. Now that they're working to find out what the real deal is behind the Tracksuit Mafia and Jack, the two master archers are in for a major round of secrets that will be revealed.
One character that hasn't seen so much of a hint of her presence is Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, who fans looked forward to seeing after that fateful Black Widow post-credits scene. That appears to have now changed thanks to the latest teaser for the show giving the first look at Pugh's MCU newcomer in her Disney+ debut.
Florence Pugh Finally Arrives in Hawkeye'
Marvel released a new 15-second teaser for the Disney+ series Hawkeye - one that gave the series' first look at Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova.
The teaser didn't show Pugh's face; instead, her Yelena Belova is wearing a dark mask with five yellow circles, two of them used as eyeholes. This pays direct tribute to one of Belova's looks from Marvel Comics, specifically from "Thunderbolts Vol. 1 130."
Pugh Going Full Marvel Comics with Black Widow
Florence Pugh made her MCU debut in this summer's Black Widow, which set her Yelena Belova up for a key role in the MCU's Phase 4 and beyond. The big kicker from that movie was her relationship with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the post-credits scene with Val sending Yelena to kill Clint Barton, who she now believes murdered Natasha Romanoff.
While her anti-hero hasn't shown up at all yet in Hawkeye, this latest teaser confirms that she's coming in a big way in short order.
Pugh almost exclusively spent her first MCU outing in her Black Widow costume, both the black and white versions, although Hawkeye appears to put her in one of her classic looks from her run in the comics. What this means for her role in the story is still a mystery; although considering the comic it comes from, there's a chance it means bad news for the show's central heroes.
The First Sign of the MCU's Thunderbolts
The comic issue from which this look for Yelena comes is "Thunderbolts Vol. 1 130," which could indicate that her Thunderbolts ties will be coming into play in this series. There were no confirmations of what team Val is leading by the time she appears in Black Widow, but considering that Wyatt Russell's John Walker is enlisted, the Thunderbolts is certainly an option.
Yelena's path as a Black Widow doesn't seem to be going down the same exact "hero" path as Natasha Romanoff's, particularly with Yelena now purely on a search for vengeance over Nat's death. There are no indications pointing to whether Yelena's Black Widow symbol will be visible in this outfit, which could make Clint try to reason with her, although Yelena's ruthless nature will surely put him in a difficult situation.
The big question now is if and when Yelena will reveal her true identity to Clint and if she will try to make him understand that she's coming for him over her sister's death. Even with three episodes remaining and other plot points to tackle as well, she will be someone to pay close attention to in the next three weeks.
The first three episodes of Hawkeye are available to stream on Disney+. Episode 4 will premiere on December 8.
