Marvel released its first trailer for Black Widow Tuesday morning, giving fans a look at next year’s superhero spy thriller starring Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. From the introduction of characters like Yelena and Red Guardian and Taskmaster to new costumes to exciting action sequences, we broke down all the important details in our shot by shot analysis. But there’s one specific detail that might deserve more of a talking point: specifically, the black and green vest that Yelena wears over her white suit, which can be seen in the trailer when Yelena, Natasha, Red Guardian, and Melina Vostokoff are all sitting together after having been reunited.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this vest—eagle-eyed fans spotted Yelena wearing it in the official concept art poster that was released at D23 a few months ago, noticing that it looked similar to the one Natasha sports throughout Avengers: Infinity War. In the new Black Widow trailer, we get a better glimpse of the vest, which does indeed look like it’s the same one. And since Black Widow takes place right before Avengers: Infinity War, we can’t help but wonder…is there possibly more to this, other than a cool Easter egg?
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Marvel’s strength has always been creating and cultivating meaningful character relationships. While Black Widow is not a typical origin story, it will show Natasha’s history with different people in her past, most notably Yelena who definitely seems to be a large part of Natasha’s story. With Yelena, Marvel is not only introducing another important comic character into the fold. They’re also giving Natasha a connection with someone who is not a friend or a teammate, which we’ve never really seen.
Despite finding family within the Avengers, Natasha is often seen as somewhat of a lone wolf, someone who opens up slowly. And when she does, it’s only to people she truly trusts (like Fury, Captain America, and Hawkeye). The fact that she calls Yelena her “sister” (whether or not the movie will reveal Yelena is her real sister or just a sister by nature of the Red Room, as it’s always been canon that Yelena and Natasha have a close bond, is to be determined) implies that Yelena and Natasha share more than just a casual connection in their past. Knowing that Natasha does have intimate connections to some kind of family outside of the one we know make her comments about family and connection in Endgame (and the new trailer) that much more compelling.
Additionally, Black Widow is the first time we’re seeing Natasha in a setting that’s not related to the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.; we’ve never known about any family, real or otherwise, that Natasha has had in her life. Sure, we know she had ties to the Red Room, but there’s been nothing in the MCU that hints at the fact that she was anything more than a student there. Even though we had a quick glimpse in Age of Ultron, we don’t know anything about her life prior to her becoming an assassin and whatever that backstory is, her bond with Yelena will hopefully shed some light on those earlier years.
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So what if the vest Natasha wears over her own suit in Infinity War is Yelena’s? After all, it makes perfect sense that Natasha would return to the Avengers after her solo journey with a memento from her past, something that honors where she came from and how much she’s grown. Her short blonde hair in Infinity War, a change that made sense at the time because she was on the run with Captain America and Falcon, could even be another nod to Yelena, and the fact that no one except her would know about this personal part of her life makes it even more meaningful. While being a way to honor her former life, this small addition to MCU canon could shed a whole new light on who Natasha is as a person. And even though Endgame saw her fate pretty much sealed, it’s kind of cool to think about the fact that we could get a whole new perspective on the character after they’ve completed their MCU journey.
As for those of us who are hoping Yelena sticks around to do more in the MCU, don’t worry—this doesn’t necessarily mean Yelena has to die in order for the theory of Natasha wearing a part of her uniform to be true. She could reconnect with her sister over the course of the movie, and before the two go their separate ways, maybe Yelena gives her the vest as a way to remember her—or as gratitude for helping her find a better path, just like the Avengers did for Natasha so many years ago.
Maybe the significance of the vest goes even further than that, and it’s something that other Widows wore at some point. That would mean it’s not so much a connection to Yelena as it is a connection to everyone who was a part of Natasha’s upbringing, which still feels personal. Regardless, since being the first film of Phase 4 means that Black Widow will likely impact future films in the MCU, it would ultimately make sense if the vest became a part of Marvel canon in some way, as it would be a personal way to tie Black Widow into what is now known as the Infinity Saga.
We’ll find out for sure when Black Widow hits theaters on May 1, 2020.
Featured Image: Marvel Studios