Hawkeye: New Yelena Belova Featurette Released By Marvel

By Charlie Ridgely

A few months after making her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Widow, Yelena Belova has returned to play antagonist in Hawkeye. The Black Widow post-credits scene set up the next chapter for Florence Pugh's character, as she received a mission to take out Clint Barton, along with the story that he was responsible for Natasha's death. Now, in Marvel's Hawkeye, she's seeking out revenge on her late sister's best friend.

Instantly a fan-favorite character, Yelena's return has been celebrated by Marvel fans everywhere. She got quite a bit of screen time in the fifth episode of the series last week and is set for more in Wednesday's season finale. Ahead of the new episode, Marvel Studios has released a featurette all about Yelena and her journey from Black Widow to Hawkeye. Take a look!

"When there were early discussions of if Yelena was going to come back, I did not see it coming that they were going to put me and Clint against each other, which I thought was a really cool twist," Pugh explains in the video.

"When we finished Black Widow, my whole experience was with Scarlett and she really welcomed me into the MCU," she adds. "And then to jump into her scene partner's world was just as sweet. It's been a really good first two years in the MCU."

Part of what makes Yelena's appearance in Hawkeye work so well is her chemistry with Kate Bishop. Both women find themselves navigating a world they never imagined, and they have quite a bit in common, despite seemingly fighting on opposite sides.

"So much of Hawkeye is seeing the world through the characters' point of view of it. So if we look at the end of [Episode 4], we are with Kate Bishop as she's seeing this person, who she has no concept of who she is, actually, and how she's going to fit into the story," Bertie, one half of Hawkeye directing duo Bert and Bertie, told Variety. "But there's this connection, and you can see and feel the presence of this new character. It's actually a balance between what the audience feels about this character and what Kate's feeling that makes that ending so special."

"When you're directing actresses like Florence and Hailee, they bring so much to it," added Bert. "There was this immediate natural chemistry between them, which — I can't say anything else. But you know, when they give you that, it's this gift, and all you want to do is take care of it and unwrap it slowly."

The season finale of Hawkeye debuts on Disney+ this Wednesday.

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