Yelena Belova (Earth-616)

History

She was trained in the Red Room Academy, where she claimed her physical test scores exceeded those of her rival Black Widow,^[3] but unlike those who were a part of the Black Widow Ops Program she underwent only physical training^[5]. One of her first known missions was delivering a device which would lower the barriers surrounding Attilan to aid in invasion.^[6]When the United States and Russian governments sent Natasha Romanova after the Deathless Frenzy, Yuri Stalyenko sent Yelena from the Red Room, at her own insistence, to shadow Natasha to ensure that the serum ended up in Russian hands. After being fooled into thinking Natasha was dead, Yelena headed to Rhapastan to stop General Khan and the Deathless Frenzy. She failed and was captured. It was only through the efforts of Natasha Romanova that Khan's plans failed, although Yelena learned some important lessons from her failing.^[7]

Shortly after, Yelena was used by Natasha in her plans to find out what General Stalyenko was up to. Yelena was captured from her home by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Natasha, Fury, and a reluctant Daredevil had her face surgically swapped with Natasha's. Wandering New York in shock Yelena nearly lost her mind. After the whole affair was over Natasha revealed that she had done this to try and help Yelena see that spies were not heroes, but tools who get used for nasty business. Yelena felt violated and compared it to a rape of her identity.^[7]

Sometime after 'solving' the murder of her mentor Lt. Col. Starkovsky^[8] Yelena left the life of a spy behind her for a short time and began a lingerie model, she also owned a lingerie empire that turned over half a million dollars a month, a couple softcore porn channels in Moscow and homes in six different countries including Havana where she helped keep female sex workers safe and distributed medicine to those affected by A.I.D.S, she also helped out Natasha Romanova when she came to her in exchange for help getting antivirals from Florida. She also claimed to have not shot a gun or practiced martial arts in years but then revealed that to be a lie.^[9] She came to help Matt Murdock when she heard that someone matching his description was in Cuba having escaped Guantanamo Bay and accompanied him in helping Natasha.^[10]

The Avengers were confronted by Yelena and a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. battalion illegally mining Vibranium in the Savage Land. They attacked the Avengers in order to kill them but an intervening Sauron burned Yelena's upper body severely. Once in ICU she was offered a way to take revenge for what happened to her and eventually kill Spider-Woman in the process.^[11] A mysterious man approached her with A.I.M. scientists in tow, promising to make her more powerful than before, even more powerful than the Avengers, which would make her the new Adaptoid.

Months later, just prior to the wedding of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, Yelena attacked the Avengers in their tower. The nature of the Adaptoid's powers made her unconquerable by her new ability to host every power she had been attacked with. Although strengthening herself by taking in the Sentry's powers, she weakened herself by also taking in the Void's. When the mysterious man behind this scheme saw that Yelena wouldn't be able to kill Spider-Woman, thus becoming disposable, he pushed the remote fail-safe button and seemingly killed her.^[1]

Natasha sought help from Yelena Belova who now lived in Cuba. Yelena was running a lingerie company and soft pornography television channels at the time. In return for a place to stay, Yelena asked Natasha for help in exporting stolen medical supplies from Miami. To Natashas surprise, she found the medical supplies to be from Gynacon and that the woman Sally Anne Carter was actually taken by the mafia.^[12] Kestrel and Martin Ferris captured Natasha in Miami and attempted to alter her mind using drugs to find out what she knew. Yelena with the help of Daredevil rescued Natasha, who then tracked and killed Kestrel and Ferris. In all the madness, Natasha learned that Sally Anne had been experimented on by Gynacon but had escaped.^[10]

Yelena later turned up alive and was working with the superhero black-ops team Vanguard, but was again forced into hiding when the team disbanded.^[13] After the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborn approached Yelena when she was stealing from an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. However, this Yelena turned out to be Natasha, the original Black Widow in disguise under Nick Fury's order to infiltrate the Thunderbolts. However, Osborn had in fact known all along who she was and used her to strengthen the bonds of his Thunderbolts, and lead him to Fury and Songbird to be executed.^[14]

After Natasha and Songbird managed to escape, while Fury was revealed to be a LMD, Osborn decided to awake the real Yelena, who had been kept in stasis within the Avengers Tower. She was later recovered by A.I.M., who invited her to join their High Council as the Minister of State in their newly formed country of Barbuda.^[15]

During a rescue mission in which the Secret Avengers tried to rescue Mockingbird from A.I.M. Island, Yelena intercepted and fought the escaping Mockingbird. During the fight, the two of them fell behind a metal gate. Upon emerging, Mockingbird was shot by an A.I.M. operative. The Secret Avengers took her body and escaped in a submarine, only to discover the deceased Mockingbird was actually Yelena, whose belt contained a holo-camouflage device the actual Mockingbird sneaked into during the fight.^[16]

Several clones of Yelena were in the process of being grown by the reformed Red Room as part of a plan to bring back their best agents to their fold in case they died. When a clone of the deceased Natasha Romanoff found out about this program and her own origin as a clone, she started working against her superiors. She used an amnesiac clone of Yelena to fake the death of one of her targets, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sally Blevins. After being sighted at the scene by Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier, Natasha had another clone of Yelena impersonate her to throw them off. The Winter Soldier let this clone go, after capturing her, but failing to get any information from her, and Natasha killed her when they met up.^[17] The real Yelena had been killed by Natasha so her clone could impersonate her.^[18]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

None

Abilities

Yelena is extensively trained in espionage and various forms of armed and unarmed combat, being a master martial artist. She is highly intelligent and is an Olympic level gymnast.^[19]

Strength level

The Black Widow possesses the normal human strength of a woman of her age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise.^[3]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Yelena wears a Kevlar costume and uses bracelets which release electric blasts (her Widow's bite). It is unknown whether they can also launch a cable similar to Romanoff's.^[19]

Weapons

• Wrist cartridges contain various tools of the spy trade:
  • Tear-gas pellets^{[citation needed]}
  • A radio transmitter^{[citation needed]}
  • Spring-loaded cable^{[citation needed]}
  • A small device capable of emitting a high-frequency electrostatic charge^{[citation needed]}
    

Notes

• Yelena was a freelance S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Level Five for a time.^[11]

Links and References

• 42 Appearances of Yelena Belova (Earth-616)
• Minor Appearances of Yelena Belova (Earth-616)
• Media Yelena Belova (Earth-616) was Mentioned in
• 40 Images featuring Yelena Belova (Earth-616)
• 2 Quotations by or about Yelena Belova (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Yelena Belova (Earth-616) 
• Characters killed by Black Widow

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Footnotes