Marvel's Florence Pugh Wanted To Avoid One Controversial Black Widow Costume Trend
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) wears skintight super suits. Conversely, her sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), wears bulkier tactical gear. According to "Marvel Studios' Hawkeye: the Art of the Series," a new book by Jess Harrold that serves as a collector's companion to the Disney+ original series, Pugh's character dresses the way that she does in direct opposition to how Marvel dressed Johansson's.
"One thing that I really wanted with Yelena was that I didn't want her to be in tight suits," said Pugh in one of the book's many interviews (via The Direct). "I didn't want her to be a silhouette. I wanted her to be in clothes that she could fight in, that are a different look to what we've seen before." Pugh went on to praise the toughness and practicality of her character's outfits, as they visually aligned with how she was playing the role.
As of this writing, Yelena has appeared in two projects — "Black Widow" and "Hawkeye," with the former taking place chronologically before the latter. In both MCU installments, Natasha's younger sister wears similar attire, with the major changes being found in the color palette and Yelena adding Natasha's tactical vest to her wardrobe after the events of "Black Widow."
It takes a village to make Yelena Belova look that good
Florence Pugh isn't the only person who spent time making sure that Yelena Belova looked good. According to Marvel Studios visual development supervisor Rodney Fuentebella (courtesy of The Direct), Yelena's family ties were integral to the design of her costumes. "Because Yelena has a lineage, we wanted to figure out what that meant in terms of how much she is becoming her own woman," explained Fuentebella. "Or how much she is taking a page from her past as the sister of Natasha... And how does that Black Widow look come into play in her costume?"
Visual development concept illustrator Imogene Chayes added that her goal was to blend fashion with purpose. "I was told that they wanted this outfit to feel like something she could have just bought off the street, as opposed to it being something custom-made," said Chayes. "So I took inspiration from fashion brands and referenced a lot of motorcycle jackets, to make it feasible that it's something that she could have found and turned into her own sort of tactical look. It also keeps her a little more incognito, so she's not running around in some flashy Super Hero suit."
The next project officially set to feature Yelena is "Thunderbolts," which is scheduled for release in July 2025. As the film will place Pugh's character on her first superhero team — of sorts, the Thunderbolts are similar to DC's Suicide Squad — there's a good chance her costume will undergo a more radical transformation. If her design remains consistent with the themes listed in "Marvel Studios' Hawkeye: the Art of the Series," then viewers will know whether or not Marvel genuinely means to support Pugh's, Fuentebella's, and Chayes' vision.