Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sets up Hawkeye as Yelena Belova's new target in Black Widow, but just how did she know what happened on Vormir, and does it suggest a link to Red Skull? As seen in Black Widow's post-credits scene, Val has given Yelena the information that Hawkeye was the man responsible for Nat's death. A clear setup for Disney+'s Hawkeye show, in which Yelena will return, it's a rather unfair misreading of the situation, but it does contain some truth.
Clint was indeed there with Nat when she died, and since she fought so hard in order to protect him, then in a warped way Val's comments can be read as accurate. Since Val clearly has some knowledge of what happened - though why she wants to target Hawkeye is unknown - then it begs a couple of questions. Firstly, how much she knows, but perhaps more importantly (or at least, more intriguingly), how did she find out about Vormir?
The Avengers' Time Heist wasn't exactly common knowledge, and while Black Widow's death obviously would've become public since she was a member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, it's hard to imagine many specifics were revealed. Outside of the Avengers, who wouldn't have let the story get out, the only person who knows for certain what happened is Red Skull. A fan theory by TikTok user @kingvonschweetz (via Inverse) suggests that Val is working with him and that's how she knew about Hawkeye, which would provide an intriguing answer. Red Skull is a major villain and targeting remaining Avengers could be a logical course of action if he wants to return to power, but does it fully work?
Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, then Red Skull would be free to leave Vormir, as he no longer had a Soul Stone to guard (as confirmed by the Russo brothers). Avengers: Endgame did revisit Vormir to get the Soul Stone, but crucially that was going back in time. Even when Steve Rogers carries out his Infinity Stone mission, which itself would mean a reunion with Red Skull, the Stone would still end up being destroyed by Thanos after his Infinity War victory, which means he could still have left the planet. That doesn't necessarily confirm he would head back to Earth, but it is at least a possibility. The Red Skull who guards the Stone seems very different to the one who so desperately wanted to possess one, but it's not unbelievable that would change one he is freed of his duties.
If Red Skull did return to Earth, then could he be linked to Val? At one point in Marvel Comics, Val was revealed to be secretly working for Hydra, taking on the name Madame Hydra. That means there's at least some basis for her to have an affiliation with the team in the MCU. Phase 4 has dealt with some remnants of it, in both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's exploration of Bucky's past and the super soldier programme, and Black Widow's referencing of the organization in the 1990s. That is far from a concrete suggestion of a full Hydra return, and it seems more likely that Val is building to the Dark Avengers instead, but there is nonetheless implication of someone bigger pulling the strings. Still, there are other ways to solve the mystery: enough people know that Black Widow died, and it could be revealed that Hawkeye was with her, without specifics. It's also possible Val doesn't know about Black Widow and Hawkeye's Vormir fight and is taking a shot in the dark with Clint, but that would feel a little too random.
Red Skull does feel like something of a missed opportunity in the MCU. He's a major villain, and one who wasn't as well-served as he could've been in Captain America: The First Avenger, a time when Marvel was struggling with its villains. Now that it has a better handle on its bad guys, then finding a way to bring Red Skull back is very much a worthwhile cause. Having him positioned as a mastermind behind a major superteam such as the Dark Avengers still feels like a stretch right now, because there are lots of unknowns involved with making that happen and there's no hard evidence for it, but it could be a compelling twist and there is at least some room for it to happen.
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August 04, 2021 at 12:11AM
