Screenwriter Eric Pearson originally wrote a much longer post-credits scene for Black Widow. Although the MCU's latest theatrical entry served as Scarlett Johansson's final outing as Natasha Romanoff, the film also took time to introduce a slew of new characters, some of which may be appearing in future MCU projects. At least one has been confirmed to be popping up again this year, with Florence Pugh confirmed to return as Yelena Belova in this year's Disney+ series Hawkeye. For those who have seen Black Widow, it's clear that the post-credits scene is setting up this appearance in a surprising way.
Although the majority of Black Widow takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the film's post-credits scene jumps forward in time. Yelena is seen after the events of Avengers: Endgame, visiting the grave of Natasha somewhere in Ohio. What should be an emotional moment is interrupted by the presence of Julia Louis Dreyfus' Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine unceremoniously blowing her nose. It is then that the Contessa sends Yelena on her next mission, revealing that not only has the next Black Widow been working for Val for some time, but that Yelena will be running into a familiar face in Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton.
While the scene is quite brief, Pearson told Collider that the original version of the stinger was written to be a lot longer. When the screenwriter found out Pugh would be acting opposite of Dreyfus in the scene, Pearson wrote five pages of dialogue. Pearson says he couldn't resist seeing Yelena and Val go head-to-head, "bouncing dialogue" off of each other. In the end, most of that was cut for a short, but sweet post-credits scene that sets up Yelena's MCU future.
I just know that they told me we have plans to introduce this character Valentina, and it's going to be played by Julia Louis Dreyfus. And I couldn't get to the computer fast enough. That tag scene was probably like five pages long because I was just so greedy. I was like, I want Yelena and Valentina just back and forth, bouncing dialogue off of each other. And ultimately that's never going to happen. You're not going to have a full scene as a stinger at the end. So we went with the smaller version, but I was just so excited to get those two actors together, to get those two character dynamics together. And I also love taking an emotional moment, like Yelena at the grave, and then flushing it down the toilet with Valentina blowing her nose.
With actresses of Pugh and Dreyfus' caliber, it's no surprise that Pearson wanted to milk the scene for everything it was worth. Of course, Marvel likes to keep their post-credits scenes short and Black Widow's is no different. Val shows up and gives Yelena her next assignment, sending her after the person she alleges is responsible for Nat's death. Of course, audiences know that that's a little bit of a lie, but Yelena is unaware and the scene will send her on a collision course with Clint Barton when Hawkeye is released later this year.
Until now, Yelena's role in Hawkeye was one of the many mysteries surrounding the series. Now, though, it's clear she will be showing up as an antagonist to the titular character, butting heads with him and Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop. Luckily, although Pearson wanted to see more of Dreyfus and Pugh in Black Widow, it certainly won't be the last time the two are together. It seems as if both actresses are in the MCU for the long haul and seeing them interact will be a treat in future Marvel projects.
Source: Collider
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