Is Black Widow in Hawkeye?

Hawkeye‘ puts the spotlight on longtime Avenger and former Agent of SHIELD Clint Barton, who finds himself away from his family dealing with a criminal conspiracy. The series is set within the ‘MCU‘ franchise and explores its street-level criminal underworld through colorful characters and a bit of a holiday spirit. With Hawkeye front and center in the series, it is natural for viewers to wonder if his closest friend and ally, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow makes a cameo appearance in the show. For those curious readers, here’s a definitive answer about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Is Black Widow in Hawkeye?

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow makes her first ‘MCU’ appearance in ‘Iron Man 2’ as a spy working for Nick Fury. She later becomes an important member of the Avengers and has a special bond with all the other five original members of the group. However, Hawkeye and Black Widow’s relationship stands out due to their long history. Natasha is not only Clint’s closest friend but also a family member to him. Clint names his youngest son, Nate, after Natasha.

However, in ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ Clint witnesses Natasha sacrificing herself to obtain the Soul Stone instead of him. She is also the one to track down Clint and gets him to give up the Ronin persona. Both these incidents weigh heavily on the expert archer’s mind and heart in his solo series. Therefore, it is no surprise that the series has a callback to Natasha’s death.

In the fourth episode of the show, viewers can briefly hear the conversation between Natasha and Clint about the latter’s past as Ronin. When Clint tries to rest, he has a PTSD-style flashback to the moment Natasha sacrificed herself. Actress Scarlett Johansson appears in the episode as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow through archive footage of ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ However, fans will be thrilled to learn that Natasha is not the only Black Widow to appear on the series!

In the same episode, Clint and Kate go on a mission to retrieve a Rolex, which is of deep importance to Clint. During their mission, Clint is attacked by a mysterious masked woman who he assumes is Maya Lopez. As the duo fights, it becomes evident that the woman is not Maya but a Black Widow assassin.

Although Clint manages to knock off her mask, he does not see her face clearly. On the other hand, Kate and the viewers get a good look at the character’s face, and it is none other than Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha’s adoptive sister. As seen in the events of ‘Black Widow,’ Yelena is also a skilled assassin like her sister, who was trained in the Red Room to become a Black Widow.

In the post-credits scene of that movie, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is the employer of Yelena in the present-day, assigns her the task of killing Clint Barton, who she thinks is responsible for Natasha’s death. It is unclear at this point if Clint knows of Yelena and Natasha’s relationship. But given that he did not see Yelena’s face and only deduced that the woman is a Black Widow based on her fighting style, it is likely that we will learn more about the dynamic between the two in the coming episodes.

Read More: Is the Dog in Hawkeye Real or CGI? Why Is He Called the Pizza Dog?

SPONSORED LINKS