The MCU Just Introduced A New Black Widow To Justify Killing Off One Of The Three Existing Heroes In Competition For The Title According To Marvel Movie Theory

By Ollie Bradley

Published Mar 1, 2025

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Following the original's death, the MCU is now home to three replacement MCU heroes who have either died or stepped back, this has left a gulf that another character has soon stepped in to fill.

Like Iron Man with Spider-Man and Steve Rogers with Sam Wilson, Black Widow's successor is ostensibly her adoptive sister, Yelena Belova. Then again, with no Avengers assembling since Avengers: Endgame, it's hard to say whether this is Marvel's true intention, especially as the bleak outlook for Thunderbolts* throws into question whether Yelena Belova has a future in the MCU whatsoever. Yelena was introduced in Natasha Romanoff's prequel movie, Black Widow, where it was revealed that there are several potential replacements for Natasha - and Marvel may have just spotlighted another.

Captain America: Brave New World's Introduction Of A New Black Widow Brought About Considerable Surprise

Ruth Bat-Seraph's Comic Book Origins Were Substantially Altered

Captain America: Brave New World debuted Shira Haas's Ruth Bat-Seraph, a character whose live-action origins are substantially altered compared to the comics. In Marvel Comics, Bat-Seraph is otherwise known as Sabra, a mutant who boasts a pretty standard array of superpowers, from super-strength to enhanced durability. These commonly held superpowers mostly lend themselves to Bat-Seraph's hand-to-hand expertise, which has allowed her to hold her own against even the Hulk during her comic book career (which is perhaps indicative of why she was introduced in what was arguably a sequel to 2008's The Incredible Hulk).

As an Israeli superhero who has worked for the Israeli Secret Service, the Mossad, Ruth Bat-Seraph's involvement in Captain America: Brave New World has been the root cause of significant controversy due to the real-world climate during which she was introduced.

Although the MCU has now been drip-feeding mutants into its narratives after Disney acquired Fox, Captain America: Brave New World opted out of these origins and instead made Bat-Seraph a former Black Widow. While the movie's introduction of adamantium heralds the in-earnest arrival of mutants to the MCU, this ties Ruth Bat-Seraph directly to the Black Widow narrative and a shared history with Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff. She also isn't the only former Black Widow to appear on the side of the good guys in 2025, however.

The MCU Introducing A New Black Widow Makes More Sense If Thunderbolts* Hero Death Theory Is Indeed True

Fans Theorize That Antonia Dreykov Will Be Killed Off In Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* will be appearance in the Thunderbolts* trailer.

The thing is, Taskmaster doesn't appear for much of it.

The thing is, Taskmaster doesn't appear for much of it. The fact that she seemingly shares just one scene with the other of the Thunderbolts - where they have been lured into a trap - has generated a convincing theory that she will not survive the ordeal. With that in mind, spotlighting Ruth Bat-Seraph in Captain America: Brave New World suggests that she, as another former Black Widow (and quite a powerful one, at that), will fill the void that Taskmaster is about to leave with her death.

Why Taskmaster Dying In Thunderbolts* Seems So Likely

It's Hard To Ignore All The Evidence

Evidence of Taskmaster's impending doom is constantly mounting. Eagle-eyed viewers were quick to spot the fact that Taskmaster is only seen in one sequence of the original Thunderbolts* trailer, but as subsequent trailers have revealed more shots in the movie (including the terrifying archvillain of Thunderbolts*, the Void), Taskmaster's continued absence is becoming ever more conspicuous. While it would be great to see Antonia Dreykov's redemption arc fully depicted on the big screen, I'm sorry to say that her early demise actually makes a lot of sense.

Thunderbolts* Cast & Marvel Character Guide

Several MCU characters return for Phase 5's Thunderbolts, a team of antiheroes and reformed villains attempting to follow in the Avengers' footsteps.

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A concern about Thunderbolts* is that few, if any, of the titular antiheroes will survive. It behooves Marvel Studios, therefore, to establish the stakes by killing off one of its main stars early in the process, with the tussle between the Thunderbolts in the trailer seemingly taking place in the movie's first act. Furthermore, Taskmaster is perhaps the most expendable of the Thunderbolts* cast, with her debut in Black Widow failing to strike the same chord as many MCU villains often do. Whether the same fate will befall the movie's other Black Widow, however, remains to be seen.