Does Thunderbolts* Create a Major Plothole in Yelena’s MCU Arc?

Thunderbolts* marked the next step for the journey of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The secret agent was introduced in Black Widow, before she went on to return in the Hawkeye television series. Thunderbolts allows Yelena to join a team of unpredictable anti-heroes, as they try to stop one of the most powerful threats the MCU has ever seen. But even if Yelena is trying to do the right thing, there’s something off about the character’s mission in Thunderbolts*. Yelena works for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but in reality, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency only works for herself.

There’s something very wrong with the fact that Yelena Belova is still working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Thunderbolts*. Back in the post-credits sequence of Black Widow, Valentina convinced Yelena that Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) was somehow responsible for her sister’s death. The accusation led to Yelena’s appearance in Hawkeye, and over the course of the television series, Belova realized that Clint Barton was actually trying to save Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) from certain death on Vormir. How could Yelena continue to work for Valentina after finding out that the director was lying to her?

Valentina Wasn’t a Part of ‘Avengers: Endgame’

One of the possible explanations as to why Yelena continues to work for Valentina in Thunderbolts* could be related to how the character wasn’t a part of Avengers: Endgame. Valentina wasn’t on Vormir when Natasha died. The last thing she knew about Black Widow was how she shared a friendship with Hawkeye and how they were seen together right before Natasha passed away. There’s a slight chance Valentina genuinely believed Hawkeye was involved in the death of Black Widow; however, Marvel fans know better by now. Valentina most likely would have been attempting to manipulate Yelena into believing Clint killed her sister.

Another explanation could point to Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) being blamed for Hawkeye becoming a target. The Kingpin of Crime doesn’t have the best reputation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It wouldn’t be out of character for Valentina to blame the criminal mastermind for the misunderstanding. Kingpin was also the big bad villain featured in Hawkeye, so it would be easy for Yelena to believe he was involved with the entire Clint Barton kill mission. There were many ways (read: scapegoats) to make Yelena Belova believe that she was still working for the good guys, following the events of Hawkeye.

Yelena Belova Enters The Void (SPOILERS)

Yelena Belova was established to be dealing with a heavy depressive episode in Thunderbolts*. After losing Natasha and her family, Yelena felt like there was nothing else for her to do. Working for Valentina could be one of the side effects of Yelena’s mental health situation. Even if she knew that she had been lied to in the past, Black Widow’s sister didn’t care about working for Valentina because she didn’t care about anything at all. Yelena felt betrayed. She was abandoned by her family after Natasha was killed in Avengers: Endgame. In order to keep herself alive, Yelena worked for Valentina, regardless of who the targets were or the consequences of her actions.

The entire power dynamic between Yelena and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine changed by the time Thunderbolts* came to an end. The director of the CIA was eager to present the Thunderbolts as the New Avengers. While the press was going crazy with the announcement, Yelena privately told Valentina that the team owned her now. This could be a direct reflection of Yelena’s mood. The adventure in Thunderbolts* turned her into the confident hero she was always meant to be. Without her depression forcing her to stroll along, Yelena was willing to control the working relationship between Valentina and herself, instead of letting it control her.

This sounds like a more plausible explanation as to why Yelena was willing to work for the person who previously lied to her. Thunderbolts* is centered around Yelena and how she overcame her depression. The New Avengers needed a leader, and Yelena Belova became the perfect candidate thanks to her knowledge, abilities, and desire to protect people. This wouldn’t have been possible if the secret agent remained depressed. Throughout Thunderbolts*, Yelena constantly worried if she was even on the right path. At some level, she was aware of the fact that working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was wrong – she just wasn’t in a place to do anything about it.

Yelena is now free from Valentina’s control. Florence Pugh will reprise her role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The Thunderbolts* post-credit sequence even teased the conflict involving two different Avengers teams fighting for the claim of the name. Moving away from what Valentina Allegra de Fontaine had planned for her will allow Yelena to steal the spotlight as the protectors of Earth attempt to stop Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.). Regardless of why Yelena continued to work for Valentina after the events of Hawkeye, it’s evident that this specific chapter of her life is over. The next thing to do is to stop the biggest threat the MCU has ever seen from destroying the multiverse.

Thunderbolts* is currently playing in theaters.