Thunderbolts*: Yelena’s Alternate Black Widow Costumes Reveal an Avengers Callback

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As a die-hard Marvel fan, I’m thrilled about the latest developments in Yelena Belova’s costume design for the upcoming Thunderbolts movie! The official art previews some fresh concepts for the suit worn by this Red Room-trained assassin, played brilliantly by Florence Pugh. You might remember her from Black Widow, where she and her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) donned all-white spy gear instead of their usual black tactical suits – a clever reference to Yelena’s “White Widow” persona from the comics. Exciting times ahead!

In addition, Black Widow provided Yelena with a forest green vest equipped with practical pockets as a farewell present. Later, in Avengers: Infinity War, the character Natasha – who has blonde hair – was seen wearing this vest over her usual black suit. This seemingly insignificant detail was later revealed to symbolize a connection between Natasha and Yelena.

In Ji Hye Lee’s unutilized concepts, as a senior illustrator at Marvel Studios, Yelena’s outfits exhibit a tribute to the renowned green vest from “Infinity War” and “Black Widow”, featuring a collar design, which you can view in the gallery provided.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’ve noticed that several designs pay tribute to the iconic Black Widow character. For instance, many of these designs include the Black Widow symbol belt buckle, which has been a recurring element on Natasha’s suits ever since her debut in 2010’s “Iron Man 2”. Additionally, some designs appear to be a nod to Natasha’s early look as “Madame” from her first appearance in Tales of Suspense #52 back in 1964, as they feature a fur-collared design.

I felt privileged to collaborate with numerous talented artists, led by Andy Park from Marvel Studios, as he supervised our work,” Lee posted on Instagram. His designs for Yelena, along with early character sketches for figures like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, David Harbour’s Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/U.S. Agent, and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr/Ghost, will feature in the upcoming Thunderbolts: The Art of the Movie book, set to hit shelves on August 26th.

In the finale of “Thunderbolts”, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) transforms the group of former misfits, previously known as the “disposable delinquents”, into the New Avengers. By this transition, Yelena adopts a sleek hairstyle with her blonde hair pulled back, and she dons an official suit to match her new public position as one of the co-leaders of the New Avengers.

I’m part of a team headquartered in New York City’s Watchtower, formerly known as Avengers Tower. As Bob Reynolds/Sentry, I’m one of the members. Excitingly, we’re set to reappear in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, due in theaters on May 1, 2026. This action-packed superhero adventure is directed by the Russo brothers.

The action-packed movie titled “Thunderbolts” by Marvel Studios, featuring stars like Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, and Wendell Edward Pierce, is currently playing exclusively in cinemas.

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2025-05-22 20:10