A few weeks ago, we saw actual proof that filming for the first MCU Phase 4 film had started, and we concluded that Black Widow will likely be the first film of the new series, following the conclusion of Phase 3, which will end with Spider-Man: Far From Home (which debuts on July 2nd).
Given that Natasha died in Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing her life for the Soul Stone, Black Widow seemingly has to be a prequel that happens before the events of the latest movie. Then again, we’ve always known that should be the case for the standalone film, as this is the origin story Natasha deserves. However, we now have a new leak that provides a massive spoiler for the future of the MCU post-Endgame.
Filming has moved to Budapest, which is a logical move for Marvel. First of all, it’s essential for the story, as Natasha and Clint have referenced the European capital over and over again in previous Avengers movie. So whatever happened in Budapest should be revealed on screen in the next film. Secondly, Budapest is an increasingly popular location for US productions, having invested significantly in the movie industry in the past few years.
This brings us to the following series of photos that were reportedly taken on set (via MCU Cosmic):
black widow (2020) set photos pic.twitter.com/ckgiPk1tkc
— best of widows (@bestofwidows) June 22, 2019
What interests us is the first shot. Zoom in on those two wooden boxes to see the labels. One reads “Natasha,” and one reads “Yelena.” These would be incredibly dumb codenames for Natasha and Yelena Belova, so we’re probably looking at the first confirmation that Yelena Belova will be introduced in Black Widow.
Yelena is likely to pick up the Black Widow mantle now that Nat is dead, so we might see her appear in other Avengers team-ups of the future, and some rumors say several Avengers films are in the works. She’s also a former Russian spy, and she’s been acting as Black Widow, even finding herself at odds with Natasha, in the comics.
Some have speculated that Florence Pugh might be playing Yelena, and given the image above, it sure looks like she will have an important role to play in the Black Widow movie. Either that, or someone from the production crew is trolling the internet hard with the name tags on those boxes.
