Minor Spoilers for Thunderbolts* & the MCU at large.
Summary
- The MCU has told dark stories, like the Scarlet Witch dispatching the Illuminati and Iron Man's PTSD.
- Black Widow tells one of the MCU's darkest stories, focusing on the Red Room's tortures.
- Thunderbolts* further ingrains the horrors of Black Widow by showing Yelena's long-lasting trauma.
Black Widow tells one of the darkest stories in the MCU, and Thunderbolts* helps further prove it. The MCU built itself with heroes and stories that could appeal to broad audiences. The franchise has been able to grow and mature since its 2008 debut with Iron Man. While most stories still fall into the category of mass appeal, they have told dark, emotional stories before.
Captain America: Civil War saw Bucky's Winter Soldier kill Tony Stark's parents, and Iron Man had PTSD following the events of The Avengers. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw the MCU take on a horror feel, crafting shocking moments, like the deaths of the Illuminati at Wanda's hands, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took on the emotional task of T'Challa's death following Chadwick Boseman's passing. However, Black Widow may tell the MCU's darkest story, and many viewers tend not to realize it.
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Black Widow's Story Is Much Darker Than Audiences Tend To Acknowledge
The story in Black Widow sees Natasha Romanoff on a mission to take down the Red Room, the name given to the place that raised her and her sister Yelena to be ruthless killers. While the movie starts with what looks like a simple suburban family living an everyday life, it is quickly flipped on its head, showing viewers the nature of the spy family that was cobbled together with Russian assets. The children in the family are Natasha and Yelena, who the audience later learns were sold by their families into the Red Room training program. Natasha's mother was also confirmed to have continued looking for her until Dreykov, the man behind the Red Room, dealt with the issue permanently.
When their mission as a family ends, Natasha and Yelena are sent back to the Red Room, where they experience a life of torture and abuse. They are taught to be merciless, to kill, and to endure the physical and emotional hardships that are their daily existence. The two young girls were brainwashed, undergoing psychological conditioning to make them loyal and rob them of their humanity. One of the most heinous acts they suffered in the Red Room was forced hysterectomies, which caused them both mental anguish later in life.
Dreykov even used a pheromone lock on the Widows, meaning they could never hurt him, and they were forced to carry out his every whim. His entire army of Widows was a group of abused women who lost all bodily autonomy, and the emotional manipulation at play was like gaslighting. Having the whole story revolve around taking down the Red Room is a powerful journey, but when the actual nature of what happened to them comes to light, the story is horrifyingly dark.
Natasha & Yelena Strive To Be More Than What The Red Room Made Them
Natasha eventually finds herself working with the Avengers, aiding Earth's mightiest heroes in their fight against various, potentially world-ending threats. Natasha knows her past is bleak and feels she needs to make up for some of the things she did, despite many being outside her control. The MCU sees her struggling with relationships, like Bruce Banner in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but she still strives for connection. Natasha also seeks to be selfless, eventually sacrificing herself for the fate of the world in Avengers: Endgame.
Yelena makes strides to free the other widows, ensuring they know they're free and helping to save the only sisters she's ever known. Following Natasha's death, Yelena begins working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and while she still does work that others would frown upon, she feels unfilled by it, seeking to step out of the shadows. Thunderbolts* gives her that chance, allowing her to embrace a brighter future for herself and step into the hero role where she can finally do some good in the world to ease her conscience.
Thunderbolts* Helps Flesh Out The Lifelong Trauma Yelena Suffers As A Result Of Her Upbringing
While Thunderbolts* allows Yelena to become a hero, the movie also fleshes out the dark, long-lasting ramifications of the Red Room. Black Widow touched on the sadness she felt over not being able to have children, and Thunderbolts* delves into her immense depression and loneliness. Yelena feels isolated from the world, forced to do unsavory work, with no one to talk to or even befriend. She also still suffers from immense guilt due to the actions the Red Room forced upon her, and while she knows those things weren't her fault, Yelena can't forgive herself.
Thankfully, Thunderbolts* sees Red Guardian step in to be the father she has been missing, giving her the helpful advice that gives her the power to dig deep and continue with their mission. Yelena also finds a newfound family and friends through the Thunderbolts team, which is assembled with a group of similarly flawed characters. While the damage done by the Red Room will likely continue to plague Yelena throughout her life, Thunderbolts* allows her to push through much of her pain while further proving just how dark the story in Black Widow gets.
- First Film
- Iron Man
- Latest Film
- Marvels
- Cast
- Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Tom Hiddleston, Iman Vellani
- TV Show(s)
- WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk