In the comics, Yelena Belova‘s Black Widow has several connections with powerful characters, such as Ms. Marvel, Sentry (a Marvel version of Superman), and the Super-Adaptoid. Even if the Black Widow film didn’t achieve overwhelming critical success, the introduction of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has both comic and movie fans excited for her next appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While film buffs recognize Pugh’s outstanding performances in Midsommar and Little Women, comic book fans look forward to all the scenarios Belova goes through in the comics.
Advanced Idea Mechanics created the original Super-Adaptoid, originally just “the Adaptoid,” during Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Gene Colan’s Tales of Suspense #82. The Adaptoid is almost identical to DC Comics’ Amazo. Both are androids that mimic the abilities of their combatants. The only difference is that the Adaptoid is likely more powerful at its default state; AIM implemented the Cosmic Cube and unstable molecules in its creation, already giving it a great deal of power. Eventually, AIM figures out how to turn living organisms into Super-Adaptoids.
During the first New Avengers series’ annual issue, by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel, Yelena Belova lies in intensive treatment. Having just been burnt by Marvel’s Sauron, Yelena Belova blames the Avengers for letting her tag along on a mission she wasn’t qualified to serve. An AIM representative then offers Yelena a chance to claim revenge on the New Avengers for indirectly putting her there. AIM scientists transform Yelena into the new Super-Adaptoid, and she immediately absorbs Sentry’s powers. She fights the original Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, who manages to absorb the projectiles from Yelena. Despite this, even Carol fails to defeat Yelena once she touches Ms. Marvel’s face. Eventually, AIM terminates Yelena with a distant fail-safe button after realizing she carries Sentry’s other persona: the Void.
![Black Widow: Yelena Belova’s Strongest Form Beat Marvel’s Superman](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Super-Adapted-Yelena-Belva-Ms.-Marvel-Iron-Man.jpg)
When Robert Reynolds first becomes Sentry, he also acquires an evil persona as the Void. The Void is a chaotic entity that takes several forms, similar to DC’s Parallax. When Yelena realizes she has the Void within her, Sentry offers to send the evil entity away if Yelena answers who did this to her. Before she gets a chance to redeem herself, this is when AIM pushes the fail-safe, seemingly killing her. Yelena turns out to be alive in Stark Tower a few years later in Secret Avengers by Nick Spencer and Luke Ross. Norman Osborn wakes her up, and she willingly joins AIM’s high council.
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Even though Yelena Belova becomes a villain in the comics, fans still don’t know if she’ll become an MCU villain just yet. It seems Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is setting up the Dark Avengers. It would certainly be interesting to see Yelena Belova as the Super-Adaptoid on-screen. Carol Danvers is already in the MCU as Captain Marvel, and with Ikarus’ Superman-like qualities in Eternals, Sentry could be on his way in as well. The chance fans will see this battle in the MCU is actually quite possible.