Black Widow Star Florence Pugh Says Marvel Isn’t Passing the Torch to Yelena Belova

Natasha Romanoff hasn’t been the only Black Widow in the Marvel Comics world — there’s also been Yelena Belova, amongst others. Coincidentally enough, both Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Belova (Florence Pugh) will be appearing in Marvel Studios’ Black Widow standalone next summer, though you shouldn’t expect a formal passing of the torch. On the press tour for Little Women, Pugh told UPROXX the consensus on set was far from making a movie about handing a superhero mantle from one character to another.

“No, I actually will say when we were making it, it wasn’t anything like that at all,” Pugh says. “And I am saying it very honestly, it certainly didn’t feel like a passing of the torch kind of film when we were making it. And I think the direction and the feeling and the vibe behind it was genuinely just trying to make this complicated and painful story. And do it justice because a lot of fans have been waiting for her film. And also a lot of people I think will appreciate this story.”

She adds, “Kate’s [sic] done an amazing job on showing these two girls and, I suppose, facing their history and facing their pain. The direction was more on that front. But I’m happy that people have appreciated the trailer and I’m looking forward to watching it.”

The actor had previously described Black Widow as “very raw and very painful,” saying fans would grow emotional because of her [Natasha Romanoff’s] life-ending actions in Avengers: Endgame.

Black Widow hits theaters May 1, 2020.

Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.