'Black Widow': Florence Pugh quashes theories of being the next super spy, but her taking over is a great way to honor Natasha Romanoff
Florence Pugh as a spy came across as deadly and impressive in her role as Yelena Belova in the first trailer of 'Black Widow'. However, Pugh says she will not be the new Black Widow. The character has a concrete past in the comics as she goes through the same training program as Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and is known to be her biggest rival. She filled Romanoff's spot after having climbed the ranks of the Red Room program. Eventually, after her death, Belova succeeds her as the Black Widow.
This speculation has been the topic of discussion ever since Romanoff's death in 'Avengers: Endgame', however, Pugh, in an interview with UPROXX, quashed this theory: "No, I actually will say when we were making it, it wasn’t anything like that at all. And I am saying it very honestly, it certainly didn’t feel like a passing of the torch kind of film when we were making it." Pugh, also hoped they did the story justice because she knows many fans have been eagerly anticipating a solo Black Widow film for years.
While it may not happen right after 'Black Widow', it would make sense if Pugh's Belova could succeed as the new super spy, assuming her character survives at the end of the film. It would also add to the list of Avengers "passing-the-baton" to new characters. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) passed the title of Captain America to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) sort of groomed Peter Parker (Tom Holland) while Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is set to hand over his bow and arrow to Kate Bishop in the upcoming 'Hawkeye' series.
However, the door is still open for Belova to be a new Black Widow as long as Pugh's character runs in the MCU. Besides, filling in Romanoff's boots is also a great way to honor Johansson's character who has been an integral part of the Marvel universe.