Following the original’s death, the MCU is now home to three replacementBlack Widows, and one convincing theory suggests that Marvel has introduced one to justify killing yet another. Natasha Romanoff boasts one of themost tragic deaths in the MCU, sacrificing herself on Vormir to attain the Soul Stone after fighting with Clint Barton for the morbid honor. Like most other mainlineMCU heroes who have either diedor stepped back, this has left a gulf that another character has soon stepped in to fill.
Like Iron Man with Spider-Man and Steve Rogers with Sam Wilson, Black Widow’s successor is ostensibly her adoptive sister, Yelena Belova. Then again, with no Avengers assembling sinceAvengers: Endgame, it’s hard to say whether this is Marvel’s true intention, especially as the bleak outlook forThunderbolts*throws into question whether Yelena Belova hasa future in the MCUwhatsoever. Yelena was introduced in Natasha Romanoff’s prequel movie,Black Widow, where it was revealed that there are several potential replacements for Natasha - and Marvel may have just spotlighted another.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Introduction Of A New Black Widow Brought About Considerable Surprise
Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Comic Book Origins Were Substantially Altered
Captain America: Brave New WorlddebutedShira Haas’s Ruth Bat-Seraph, a character whose live-action origins are substantially altered compared to the comics. In Marvel Comics, Bat-Seraph is otherwise known as Sabra, a mutant who boasts a pretty standard array of superpowers, from super-strength to enhanced durability. These commonly held superpowers mostly lend themselves to Bat-Seraph’s hand-to-hand expertise, which has allowed her to hold her own against even the Hulk during her comic book career (which is perhaps indicative of why she was introduced in what was arguably a sequel to 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk).
As an Israeli superhero who has worked for the Israeli Secret Service, the Mossad, Ruth Bat-Seraph’s involvement inCaptain America: Brave New Worldhas been the root cause of significant controversy due to the real-world climate during which she was introduced.
Although the MCU has now been drip-feeding mutants into its narratives after Disney acquired Fox,Captain America: Brave New Worldopted out of these origins and instead made Bat-Seraph a former Black Widow.While the movie’s introduction of adamantium heralds the in-earnestarrival of mutants to the MCU, this ties Ruth Bat-Seraph directly to the Black Widow narrative and a shared history with Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff. She also isn’t the only former Black Widow to appear on the side of the good guys in 2025, however.
The MCU Introducing A New Black Widow Makes More Sense If Thunderbolts* Hero Death Theory Is Indeed True
Fans Theorize That Antonia Dreykov Will Be Killed Off In Thunderbolts*
Thunderboltswill bethe next MCU movie to release in 2025and centers around a ragtag team of misfits comprising former villains and down-and-out antiheroes. Among their ranks, at least if the marketing is anything to go by, is Taskmaster, another former Black Widow and daughter ofthe reprehensible MCU villainDreykov. After being freed from Dreykov’s mind control, Taskmaster was last seen taking off to rebuild the life tainted by her service to her father and the villainous acts he forced her to commit as his foremost Black Widow. This has culminated in herappearance in theThunderboltstrailer.
The thing is, Taskmaster doesn’t appear for much of it.
The thing is, Taskmaster doesn’t appear for much of it. The fact that she seemingly shares just one scene with the other members of the Thunderbolts - where they have been lured into a trap - has generated a convincing theory that she will not survive the ordeal. With that in mind,spotlighting Ruth Bat-Seraph inCaptain America: Brave New Worldsuggests that she, as another former Black Widow (and quite a powerful one, at that), will fill the void that Taskmaster is about to leavewith her death.
Why Taskmaster Dying In Thunderbolts* Seems So Likely
It’s Hard To Ignore All The Evidence
Evidence of Taskmaster’s impending doomis constantly mounting. Eagle-eyed viewers were quick to spot the fact that Taskmaster is only seen in one sequence of the originalThunderboltstrailer, but as subsequent trailers have revealed more shots in the movie (including the terrifying archvillain ofThunderbolts, the Void),Taskmaster’s continued absence is becoming ever more conspicuous. While it would be great to see Antonia Dreykov’s redemption arc fully depicted on the big screen, I’m sorry to say that her early demise actually makes a lot of sense.
Thunderbolts* Cast & Marvel Character Guide
Several MCU characters return for Phase 5’s Thunderbolts, a team of antiheroes and reformed villains attempting to follow in the Avengers' footsteps.
A concern aboutThunderboltsis that few, if any, of the titular antiheroes will survive. It behooves Marvel Studios, therefore, to establish the stakes by killing off one of its main stars early in the process, with the tussle between the Thunderbolts in the trailer seemingly taking place in the movie’s first act. Furthermore, Taskmaster is perhaps the most expendable of theThunderboltscast, with her debut inBlack Widowfailing to strike the same chord as many MCU villains often do. Whether the same fate will befall the movie’s otherBlack Widow, however, remains to be seen.
