Yelena Belova

The Thunderbolts team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is made up of antiheroes and former villains recruited by CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The core group includes Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Bob (Sentry).

Yelena Belova: A spy trained in the Red Room and Natasha Romanoff's adoptive sister, she acts as the operational leader of the team.
Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier: The former Hydra assassin with a cybernetic arm, who serves as the de facto leader and guide of this group of misfits.
Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian: The Soviet Union's first super-soldier and a father figure to Yelena, he brings strength and a very peculiar personality.
John Walker / US Agent: Former military Captain America who fell from grace after using violent methods, now seeks his place in this new mission.
Ava Starr / Ghost: Character with the ability to become intangible due to an unstable quantum accident.
Bob / Sentry: A mysterious individual with immense power and an unstable psyche.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: The cold CIA director and mastermind behind the team's formation.

Yelena Belova is a woman in her early thirties with a strong, athletic build shaped by years of intense combat training. Standing at an average height, she carries herself with quiet confidence, every movement precise and controlled. Her fair skin is marked by a few subtle scars, silent reminders of countless dangerous missions.

Her platinum blonde hair is cut to about shoulder length, slightly messy with soft layers that frame her face. It often appears windswept or casually unkempt, fitting her practical lifestyle rather than any concern for fashion. Her sharp blue-gray eyes are observant and expressive, capable of shifting from cold determination to dry amusement in an instant. She has defined cheekbones, light eyebrows, and a calm but intimidating gaze that rarely misses details.

In Thunderbolts, Yelena wears a tactical black combat suit designed for mobility and protection. The outfit includes reinforced armor panels, durable gloves, heavy combat boots, and multiple utility belts and holsters for weapons and equipment. She sometimes adds a dark tactical jacket over the suit, giving her an even more military appearance. Unlike Natasha Romanoff's sleeker style, Yelena's gear looks more rugged and functional, emphasizing efficiency over elegance. Overall, she presents herself as a seasoned operative whose practical appearance reflects years of survival, discipline, and relentless training.

Red Room Uniform: As a member of the Black Widows, Belova wore a special tactical uniform for her operations under Dreykov and the Red Room.
Winter Uniform: During the Red Room Extermination, Belova, along with Natalia Romanoff, visited Richard Mason to try to free Alexei Shostakov from the Seventh Circle Prison. He provided them with weapons and a helicopter, as well as white uniforms to withstand the winter conditions.
Vest: After being freed from mind control, Belova acquired this vest shortly after, which she used against the Red Room before eventually gifting it to Romanoff.

Master Fighter: Trained by the Red Room, Belova possessed skills in martial arts, stealth, assassination, espionage, and agility. Belova is capable of matching the fighting level of her opponents, as demonstrated in her fight against Natalia Romanoff. Furthermore, Belova utilizes readily available objects to gain an advantage or assassinate her opponents.
Perfect Marksmanship: Belova is skilled and trained in marksmanship, proficient in the use of weapons such as rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, and grenade launchers. While pursuing the Red Powder package alongside the Black Widows, she aimed her sniper rifle at Oksana, ready to fire. She even fired a missile from a helicopter at a Seventh Circle Prison tower from meters away.
Pilot: During the Seventh Circle Prison Breakout, Belova acted as a helicopter co-pilot alongside Romanoff to free Alexei Shostakov.
Multilingualism: Belova can speak fluent English, Hungarian, and other languages ​​in addition to her native Russian.

Having spent most of her life in the Red Room, Yelena Belova is a cynical person with a very sarcastic and deadpan sense of humor, with a slightly skewed moral compass, as she notably had no problem holding a civilian at gunpoint and stealing his car in order to evade pursuers, much to Natasha Romanoff's annoyance. Despite this, Belova has a strong sense of right and wrong, and has no problem helping Natasha bring down the Red Room and free the Black Widows from being held against their will. Having felt abandoned by her family, Belova has a notably strained relationship with her adoptive parents and older sister, openly telling them how betrayed they made her feel when none of them came back for her. Despite this, Belova still cared for and loved them, admitting to Melina Vostokoff that to her she would always be their mother and telling Alexei Shostakov that he meant the world to her as a child.

Belova learned that she had been dead for five years, something she still didn't understand, while Ana suggested she stay home for a while. Determined, Belova wanted to meet with Natalia Romanoff and tell her that she had been revived, but she later learned that Romanoff had died, and she didn't know the reasons, something that left Belova completely devastated by the loss of her sister.[4]
Belova adopted an American Akita, whom she named Fanny. She also began working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. After Natalia Romanoff's death, Belova visited her grave with Fanny. There, she mourned at the tomb, whistling her childhood whistle. However, de Fontaine interrupted her moment by blowing her nose.
Upon seeing her, Belova became annoyed with her, telling her she shouldn't bother her while she was off duty, and demanding a raise. De Fontaine, for her part, tasked her with eliminating, according to her, the man responsible for Romanoff's death, showing her a photograph of Clinton Barton as her next target.[6]

After making a truce, Belova and Ana discussed their mission to save the Black Widows. Belova shared her results, saying that although her mission was difficult, it was worth it. Ana then asked Belova about Natalia Romanoff, to which she replied that her sister was fine. Sonya then jokingly said that after they were finished, Belova could reunite with Romanoff and live together in New York City, after which Belova left them to go to the bathroom. [4]
In the bathroom, Belova tried to rest before starting the search to reunite with Natalia Romanoff, and washed her hands before meeting her friends, but she died due to Thanos' Snap, dying along with half of the universe[4], although, she would be resurrected five years later by Bruce Banner's Blip.[5]
After coming back to life, Belova couldn't understand what had happened to her. The bathroom was different, and she noticed that Ana's house was different, which frightened her. She searched for her friend until she came across a stranger with his daughter. To her surprise, Belova saw that Ana had married the man, and Ana was shocked to see her alive. Belova didn't understand the situation and asked Ana what had happened.

After freeing Antonia Dreykov from her mind control, Natalia Romanoff reunited with Belova, who had been awakened from her unconscious state. The two sisters apologized for their estrangement over the years, with Belova jokingly referencing their childhood games. Romanoff admitted her thoughts about the reality of their family's situation in Ohio, which pleased Belova, who gave her a warm hug.
After this, Alexei Shostakov and Melina Vostokoff approached the sisters, and they shared a moment together. When Thaddeus Ross was approaching the area in response to Romanoff's summons, she urged them to retreat so she could handle them herself, much to the others' displeasure. Before leaving, Romanoff gave Belova the last vial of Red Powder, along with a USB drive containing data on all the Black Widows worldwide. Belova also gave Romanoff her vest as a symbol of their sisterhood. A jet crewed by the freed Black Widows appeared, and Belova, Shostakov, Vostokoff, and Antonia boarded it as Belova waved goodbye to Romanoff with her signature girlish whistle. [1]

Belova, along with Alexei Shostakov and Melina Vostokoff, undertook a global search for the remaining Black Widows to free them from Dreykov's control by deprogramming their chemically altered mind controls.[1] In 2018, Belova and her partner Sonya located the former Black Widow, Ana, and infiltrated her home. Ana fought them off, with Belova pointing a gun at her face, but Belova didn't fire, allowing Ana to disarm her. Eventually, Belova gained the upper hand, and while Sonya pinned Ana to the ground, Belova sprayed her with Red Powder. However, to Belova's surprise, it was revealed that Dreykov hadn't brainwashed Ana, and that she had managed to buy her house after working for what she had been trained to do: as an assassin.

Later, Belova managed to infiltrate the base, defeating several guards along the way. After landing from a ventilation shaft, Belova struck one of Natalia Romanoff's signature poses, much to Romanoff's annoyance. Finally, Belova located the vials of Red Powder in a freezer and alerted Melina Vostokoff, who instructed her to deliver them to the Black Widows to free them.
Just as the Black Widows were about to kill Romanoff, Belova attached vials of Red Powder to a grenade, which she threw at the agents, finally breaking free from her mind control and saving Romanoff's life. Afterward, Belova helped Romanoff with her injuries from the fight with the Black Widows by removing a knife from her back. Seeing the platform begin to collapse, Belova and the other Black Widows fled, while Romanoff remained in the office to retrieve the data from Dreykov's computer.
Seeing Dreykov flee, Belova quickly ran to try and kill him and prevent his escape. She climbed onto the vehicle Dreykov was on and activated her cane. Ready to detonate the vehicle, Belova was stopped by Romanoff as Dreykov ordered his men to shoot her. Ignoring Romanoff, Belova thrust the cane into the helicopter's engine, killing Dreykov and throwing Belova into the air. Romanoff quickly jumped to her rescue and provided her with a parachute, allowing her to survive the fall. [1]

Belova and Alexei Shostakov's father-daughter moment was suddenly interrupted by a Red Room ship, which had been secretly contacted by Melina Vostokoff. The Black Widows fired numerous tranquilizer darts at Shostakov, knocking him unconscious for a time. Immediately, Belova emerged from the room armed, ready to confront the Black Widows.

However, while exploring the house, Belova encountered Natalia Romanoff, disguised as Vostokoff, who appeared and attacked her with her Black Widow Bite, completely immobilizing her and taking her hostage along with Taskmaster. Boarding one of the Red Room's ships, Belova and the other unconscious individuals were transported to the Red Room Academy, now a floating base in the skies above Belarus.

Belova awoke on a stretcher surrounded by doctors, about to undergo a cranial incision to return her to the Red Room. However, Vostokoff contacted Belova to inform her that he possessed a knife in his right pocket, with which she managed to escape his custody, overpower the doctors and guards, and go in search of the Red Powder.[1]

Running low on fuel, the helicopter crashed outside St. Petersburg, so Belova, Natalia Romanoff, and Alexei Shostakov continued on their way. However, Shostakov began to express his pride in his two adopted daughters, who had now become expert assassins, much to their dismay. Belova, however, distanced herself from Shostakov after detecting an unpleasant odor.

Finally, the group reunited with Melina Vostokoff, who led them to her farm. There, the reunited family sat at the table, Shostakov now dressed in his Red Guardian uniform. Vostokoff then claimed to have successfully completed her mission in Ohio, retrieving the SHIELD file that had created the ability to effectively mind-control a person and strip them of their free will. However, Belova revealed that she was one of the people they had mind-controlled, and she was devastated to hear from Romanoff that her family was a sham.

Heartbroken, Belova hid in a room to meditate, where Shostakov soon entered. He told her an anecdote in which, as a child, he froze his hands, forcing his father to urinate on him. Disgusted, Belova asked him the relevance of that anecdote, and Shostakov explained that parents are willing to do anything for their children. Soon, Shostakov began to sing Belova's favorite childhood song, which pleased her, and they both continued singing.[1]

Romanoff and Belova took advantage of the moment to steal a car. On the way, Belova mentioned to Romanoff the vest she had bought, which Romanoff initially mocked, though she later admitted to liking it. Belova revealed that she didn't know the true location of the Red Room, so the two devised a plan to free Alexei Shostakov from prison so he could help them locate the agency. The next day, Romanoff and Belova left for Norway to meet with Richard Mason, who provided them with a partially damaged helicopter, despite Romanoff's request for a jet. [1]

Using the helicopter, Belova and Natalia Romanoff traveled to Seventh Circle Prison to free Alexei Shostakov. While she piloted the aircraft, Romanoff communicated with Shostakov, guiding him toward an escape point. Because Shostakov caused a scene with the inmates, Romanoff had to descend to the platform while striking a pose, which amused Belova.

As several guards began firing at the helicopter, Belova started to lose control, and the aircraft rapidly began to descend toward Romanoff's platform. Romanoff angrily ordered her to pull back up. However, the guards continued firing, so an enraged Belova aimed and fired a missile at one of the prison towers. Believing she had stopped the firefight, Belova was shocked to see that the shot had triggered an avalanche of snow, heading straight for the prison.

Romanoff quickly climbed onto the helicopter's rope, while Belova piloted it to rescue Shostakov from the avalanche just in time. Once the three were reunited inside the helicopter, Belova confronted Shostakov about abandoning them with the Red Room, explaining that she had undergone a hysterectomy when he remarked that she was menstruating.

Both women fled the scene and headed for their motorcycle. Romanoff drove while Belova rode on the back. However, a large tank appeared to pursue them, causing Romanoff and Belova to flee in terror until they were knocked off the motorcycle. Belova then threatened a driver to take his car, much to Romanoff's dismay. To shake off a pursuing Widow, Belova opened the car door, causing it to hit a pole and fall unconscious.

After this, the tank resumed its pursuit of the vehicle. Taskmaster exited the tank and fired an explosive arrow at the car, which crashed into an underground subway station. There, Romanoff got out of the car, while Belova began to bleed profusely and tried to bandage herself. Romanoff, however, prevented this and escaped with her, hiding in a ventilation shaft. After losing sight of Taskmaster, Romanoff explained to Belova that Dreykov's daughter, Antonia Dreykov, had been killed by her while trying to assassinate him. [1]

Later, Belova and Natalia Romanoff visited a nearby gas station in search of medical supplies for Belova's bleeding arm. While looking in the store, she commented on Romanoff's stance on fighting as an Avenger, now being called a hero, calling her an imposter for leaving the Red Room. Belova also joked about the poses Romanoff struck while fighting.

That night, the two sisters sat in a courtyard. There, Belova revealed to Romanoff that she had been altered to modify her brain functions so that the Red Room could control her. She also told her that after being freed, she had rewritten her birth certificate and created a false family history, in which her sister was a science teacher. After this, Romanoff invited her to try to destroy the Red Room and assassinate Dreykov, which Belova accepted, finally happy.

After a duel, Belova managed to seriously wound the woman, but before she could do anything, the woman sprayed the powder in her face, causing Belova to break free from her mind control. Immediately afterward, Belova recognized the woman as Oksana, a former Black Widow, who asked her to free the other Black Widows. Determined to do so, Belova removed her tracker by cutting part of her thigh.[1]

Shortly after, Belova traveled to Budapest, Hungary, where she mailed vials of Red Powder to Natalia Romanoff in Norway, as she was the only superheroine Belova knew. Belova hid in a SHIELD safe house while waiting for Romanoff, who later arrived. Upon meeting, they drew their guns on each other. When Romanoff ordered her to lower her weapon, they engaged in a deadly duel, ultimately strangling each other.

At the last minute, Romanoff requested a truce in Russian, which Belova readily accepted. Afterward, the two sisters met in the room, where Romanoff showed Belova the Red Powder she had brought with her, much to Belova's surprise. Later, she revealed to Romanoff that the Red Room was still active, much to her shock, as Romanoff told her that she and Clint Barton had destroyed part of the city to assassinate Dreykov.[1]

Suddenly, a bomb near the room exploded through the ceiling, and the Black Widows descended in search of the Red Powder. Belova and Romanoff began to flee from the team of assassins on the roof, with Ingrid in pursuit. Soon, both sisters climbed atop a pipe tower as Belova removed the safety pins. The tower crashed down toward a window, and Belova, sore from the fall, climbed inside. As Romanoff tried to approach Ingrid, Belova appeared and attempted to administer a sample of the Red Powder, but Dreykov remotely assassinated her before she could get up.

Finally, the family managed to leave the city and reach a depot containing a small plane. Belova, Melina Vostokoff, and Natalia Romanoff boarded the plane, while Shostakov kept watch to protect his family. Suddenly, several SHIELD agents appeared to pursue the family, so Vostokoff quickly took off in the plane while Shostakov tried to catch up, even managing to board a wing. However, Vostokoff was shot in the process.

The small plane ended its journey in Cuba, where Vostokoff was taken to the emergency room. Belova and Romanoff, saddened, accompanied their mother to the stretcher. However, upon seeing Vostokoff being led away by a team of soldiers, an agitated Belova tried to approach her as one of the soldiers attempted to seize her to drug her. Romanoff, for her part, came to her sister's defense by disarming the soldier and threatening to kill everyone present. Seeing this, Shostakov calmed Romanoff, only for both sisters to then be drugged and taken back to the Red Room.[1]

Belova was trained and indoctrinated by the Red Room alongside Natalia Romanoff, where she underwent a cosmetic procedure and brainwashing that stripped her of all control over her body. Now under the supervision of General Dreykov, Belova continued operating as one of the Black Widows, eventually becoming one of the world's best assassins.

Twenty-one years after the SHIELD escape, Belova and her team were sent to Morocco to retrieve the Red Powder, a substance that acted as an antidote to Dreykov's control. Belova and her team located the target atop a building. As she aimed her weapon, the target noticed her presence and quickly fled into the streets, so Belova decided to pursue and attack.

Yelena Belova was born in the Soviet Union around 1989. Belova, along with other girls, was recruited by the Red Room, who, at the age of three, assigned her on an undercover mission in Ohio, USA. Agents Alexei Shostakov and Melina Vostokoff posed as her parents, and Natalia Romanoff as her sister, posing as an American family named Rowley. Due to her young age, Belova was unaware of the truth, believing them to be her real family.[1] At age five, Belova joined the local soccer team known as the West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts, ostensibly sponsored by Shane's Tire Shop. She played goalkeeper, and although the team never won a game, Belova enjoyed playing with her friends. On one occasion, Belova and Shostakov witnessed Mindy defecating during a game.[2]

Three years after being assigned, Belova was playing in the backyard of her house, where she played with Natalia Romanoff, when she fell and scraped her knee. Vostokoff came to her aid as they watched fireflies. The family went inside to prepare dinner, waiting for Alexei Shostakov, who, after arriving, informed them that they were about to go on a trip.[1]

Upon hearing the news, Belova was thrilled, believing it was a leisure trip. However, it was actually the family's escape from SHIELD forces after Alexei Shostakov stole a file from the agency. The entire family began packing their belongings to leave, while Belova went barefoot. Midway through the journey, Belova asked her parents to play her favorite song, and she sang along.

Over time, Belova spiraled into depression after Natalia Romanoff's death and sought a new purpose from Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She was tasked with destroying the records of Project Sentry, which led to a brief conflict with Jonathan Walker and Ava Starr. She formed an uneasy alliance with them after discovering that de Fontaine had intended for them to kill each other. She also accidentally freed the project's surviving subject, Robert Reynolds, with whom Belova formed a friendly bond. After escaping the OXE Vault, Belova and her allies attempted to flee, but inspired by Alexei Shostakov and James Barnes, the trio decided to stop de Fontaine, operating as the Thunderbolts. However, in their attempt to apprehend her, the team was defeated by Reynolds, who was possessed by his malevolent counterpart, the Void, which began consuming New York City. Inspired by Shostakov, Belova entered the Void, where she motivated Reynolds to overcome his trauma and defeat the Void, freeing him with the help of his friends. After the battle, the Thunderbolts were named the New Avengers by de Fontaine, a name the team chose to use to keep an eye on him. Belova was appointed leader of the new team of heroes, finding her purpose and adopting the alter ego Black Widow.

Yelena Belova (Russian: Елена Белова) is a former Red Room agent and a founding member and leader of the New Avengers. From childhood, she was assigned to a mission with Natalia Romanoff, Alexei Shostakov, and Melina Vostokoff to infiltrate an American family in Ohio. After completing their mission three years later, Belova and Romanoff were returned to the Red Room to be trained as expert spies and assassins within the Black Widows. When Belova was sent to retrieve Red Dust, she was freed from her mind control and reunited with Romanoff to plot the destruction of the Red Room, successfully accomplishing this with the help of Shostakov and Vostokoff. After parting ways with Romanoff, Belova spent two years freeing many of the remaining brainwashed Black Widows before being killed by Thanos.

After being resurrected by the Blip in 2023, Belova attempted to locate Natalia Romanoff, but was informed that she was dead. While visiting Romanoff's grave, Belova received a task from her employer, Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who claimed that Clinton Barton was responsible for Romanoff's death and that she was to eliminate him. In December 2024, Belova came into conflict with Barton and his protégé, Katherine Bishop. Belova refrained from harming Bishop, and although she came close to killing Barton, Barton managed to contact Belova and explain that Romanoff's death was her own choice to save Belova and the world. Reaching an agreement with Barton and accepting Romanoff's death, Belova abandoned her mission and continued to undertake assignments for de Fontaine that involved her with OXE.