WMG / Black Widow (2021)

Pre-release theories

Red Guardian and the other Black Widows will die

Since this is an Interquel and these characters were nowhere to be found in movies that would otherwise take place later, it seems likely they all end up getting killed in their battle against Taskmaster. If any of them survive, it would probably be Yelena as she took over the Black Widow mantle in the comics.

• Considering that they mainly seem to be allied with Natasha over going after the Red Room, it might not be that ominous that they weren't present helping her in Avengers: Infinity War (after all, even major characters like Hawkeye were gone there). And come Avengers: Endgame they might have been finger-snapped or, given the collapsed infrastructure, been too difficult for her to find and contact.
• Yelena's slated to appear in Hawkeye, so she's most likely safe.
• Jossed. Some of the Black Widows chasing the group are killed, but the main characters, and the Widows they rescue, all survive the film's events.

This movie will be a set up for Thunderbolts.

By the end, or possibly in The Stinger, Ross will capture Taskmaster and begin plans for a Thunderbolts team.

• Jossed, though the film ends with Valentina Allegra De Fontaine recruiting Yelena rather than Taskmaster.

By the end of the film, Natasha will dye her hair blonde.

This will complete her look for Avengers: Infinity War.

• Confirmed.

There are actually multiple people calling themselves Taskmaster, and the real one with a more comics-accurate costume is being kept hidden until later in the film or the MCU

The comics version of Taskmaster often trains villains so it's not too far fetched to think he might be training people here. Bonus points if it’s an updated Red Room which would explain why the surviving Black Widows would be interested in dismantling it.

• The final trailer did say that Taskmaster is indeed controlling the Red Room in this film.

The movie takes place in an alternate universe

Phase 4 is set to introduce the multiverse to the MCU properly, and this movie will do so unexpectedly. The movie will seem like a straight interquel until the stinger, where Natasha gets a visit from Nick Fury — played by David Hasselhoff^note who played the role in a Made-for-TV Movie. Then, moments later, one of the post-Endgame Avengers will arrive, in a quantum suit, announcing that Natasha has to come with them, effectively "reviving" her as they did with Gamora.

• Or she's from the timeline Loki escaped in and her life was identical to Endgame Black Widow up until the divergence point the latter and the Avengers created in 2012 via time travel and this prevented the events of Endgame and even Infinity War from occuring in her timeline.

The movie takes place in our universe, but the stinger will be set in an alternate universe where Natasha will be saved on Vormir.

Natasha would not want to leave her own timeline, so the only way to save her would be to meet her on Vormir, by which time she already doesn't belong in the timeline she's in. The stinger will involve her arriving on Vormir only to be greeted by an Avenger in a quantum suit who tells her that she has already sacrificed herself and so is free to come back to her original timeline with them.

• Or maybe we'll catch a Stinger-glimpse of an alternate parallel timeline in which Hawkeye won the struggle over who'd get to sacrifice their life, and see that universe's Natasha set out on a mission to retrieve him from the actual MCU timeline. Only, she's warned that the quantum suit she's wearing has been through a really rough time, so it's possible that she might stranded and wind up marooned in whatever timeline she visits...

• Well, Vormir is not mentioned at all in the film and Natasha is still believed to be dead in the present.

Taskmaster's Identity

• Tony Masters
• Dreykov
• Dottie Underwood
• Mason
• Melina
• Davos
• A clone of Natasha
• Zendaya
• Greg Davies
• It's Dreykov's daughter, this time at least.

Black Widow will be the least family-friendly movie in the MCU to date.

Could possibly be the hardest PG-13 possible by MCU standards, or even the first ever film in the franchise to be rated "R".

• Confirmed to an extent. The film has some darker and more mature moments than most of the MCU films, including numerous references to the Black Widow candidates being forcibly sterilised. The violence is also more brutal and bloody than usual, including a detailed look at Natasha breaking her own nose, but not enough to get an R-Rating.

Silver Sable will be introduced in The Stinger.

In the event the Silver & Black movie never gets made, Sony can instead just loan her to the MCU much like what they did with Spider-Man.

• One way she might appear is if she's hired to hunt one or more of the Black Widows over a past assassination.
• Jossed.

Natasha has been cloned, like she was in the comics

Said clone will be discovered to exist in this film, and, following Endgame, another character will free said clone, allowing Scarlett Johansson to return at some point in the future outside of prequels or interquels.

• This is never mentioned.

One of Natasha's friends will turn out to be The Mole.

• It will be nice if this is subverted for once, but lets face it, the MCU doesn't have a good track record about having villains from the comics who the trailers made look heroic (such as Mysterio, Loki -in the first Thor movie anyway-, Mordo and the Star-Force) actually turn out to have undergone Adaptational Heroism. And the MCU also loves having complex villains, so it would make sense for one of Natasha's allies to be a False Friend. Assuming this theory is right, then Melina seems like the strongest bet, given that her character has never been heroic in the comics, while Yelena and Red Guardian have had their moments.
• Jossed. Melina does give away their location to the Red Room, but this is part of a plan she hatches with Natasha. From that point, Melina, Alexei and Yelena are all on Natasha's side.

Yelena will be reimagined as a villain

It makes a classic example of being a reflection of the hero and Natasha having to defeat a little sister-type would give the climax an emotional thrust. The actress Florence Pugh has also said this is not a passing the mantle, type of film, implying there will be something more to their relationship.

• Jossed. Yelena remains on Natasha's side, though while the door is open for her to take Natasha's mantle after her death, the film doesn't directly state this.
  • Although in The Stinger, Valentina sets her up to kill Hawkeye as the one responsible for Natasha's death.

Yelena may potentially become the next Black Widow, but not until a later film

While the theory directly above this one does sound like something the MCU might throw at us, Pugh's statement was sufficiently vague to leave room for the possibility that her character will eventually take up the mantle, just not in this movie, which only serves to introduce her to the audience.

• Confirmed. Yelena survives the film's events and is subtly set up to be the next Black Widow.

One of the villains may be someone from another movie

A lot of the speculation about one of Natasha's allies turing on her comes form how Taskmaster's actor has yet to be identified and how the trailer didn't seem to show any other villain. Perhaps that is to make for a bigger surprise when a previously appearing character, albeit perhaps just a minor one like Madame B., returns.

• Jossed.

There will be a shout-out to Dottie Underwood.

It makes sense, given the MCU's love for continuity nods and her being a graduate of the Red Room.

• Jossed.

There will be a reference to, if not an out right cameo by Thanos.

Given that this is an Interquel set between Civil War and Infinity War, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Maybe toward the end we hear a news broadcast about the attack on New York while Natasha is dying her hair blonde. It was rumored that Thanos will appear in Phase 4, this movie and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness seem like the most likely candidates. Since the Thanos WE know is dead.

• Jossed.

There will be a reference to the events of Black Widow: Pale Little Spider

As the first miniseries to give Yelena a solo role, a serious bit of backstory about how the red room got the man who trained her and who she loved. killed as a training test could add to her characterization. On the flip side, marvel could have half-humorous Noodle Incident where she mentions fighting a dominatrix once.

• Jossed.

General Nikolai Zakharov will appear

While he is a Punisher villain, other The Punisher MAX villains have been adapted for the MCU and with his cold warrior backstory and maintaining a certain amount of honor and awesomeness even after crossing the Moral Event Horizon, Zakharov could be the kind of complex, intense character the MCU looks for in its Big Bad's. The fact that he has somewhat interesting henchmen/subordinates who could also be adapted such as The Mongolian, Colonel Lugansky, Captain Dolnovich and Major Yeremin also helps.

• Jossed

The possibility of Natasha and Yelena trading identities will be dangled in front of us but unfulfilled

Many fans on social media have noticed a vest Yelena has in the trailer is similar to the one Natasha wire in Avengers: Infinity War while some wonder if it will be a gift from Yelena or something taken if she dies, many have taken it as a sign that Yelena and Natasha will somehow trade faces (something that did happen in the comics once) and that it will be Yelena who died in Avengers: Endgame while Natasha survives to return. This theory seems questionable in the light of Natasha's maintaining personal connections with all of the other Avengers that Yelena would have had a hard time faking and because of how Red Skull addressed her as "Natasha, daughter of Ivan" and if that had been Yelena she would have presumably been suspicious if that gaffe rather than taking it as a sign that Red Skull has to be telling the truth about the required sacrifice.That being said, the idea that Marvel will tease for a moment that might happen and keep Natasha alive, only to then yank it away from the audience, is a believable scenario.

• Jossed. The film never hints at them swapping places, though Yelena does give her vest to Natasha as a parting gift before they go their separate ways.

Yelena, Melina or Red Guardian will be a heroic Double Agent

Given that they are spies (or at least the two women are) it might be an original, impressive moment if the movie initially makes it look like there's a traitor in the group, only for that traitor to be playing a long-game to undermine and get closer to the villains and spring a trap on them.

• Confirmed. Melina seemingly betrays the group by alerting the Red Room to their presence, getting them all captured. But she and Natasha use photostatic veils so Melina can be captured in Natasha's place, knowing the cells well enough to break out, and Natasha herself can get close to Dreykov.

Alexei will make a few Shout-Out's to Stranger Things

It's the kind of Meta joke that might be hard for the filmmaker to pass up.

• Alexei will be shown to have some form of affection for Chilly Willy, The Beary Family, or another Walter Lantz Productions cartoon.
• Alexei will compare himself to a police chief during one scene.
• Alexei may sing Big Jim to himself after intimidating someone.
• All Jossed.

...or one to Hellboy

• He's left without his shield and is forced to grab a Hand Cannon, then fires a few times and messes up badly before calling it bullshit and tossing it.
• When they infiltrate a SHIELD vault to steal something, one of the easter eggs they see is Loki's ceremonial helmet. (The one with the horns like Hellboy's complete form should have). Alexei almost tries it on when the guys find what they're really after.
• Jossed.

Alexei will spend a lot of time pestering Natasha with questions about the Avengers, particularly Captain America and the Hulk

It would be fitting for the comedic aspect to his character that the trailer implies. It seems natural that he'd curious about his Alternate Company Equivalent Captain America, especially considering how much Captain America has accomplished. He would also likely be curious about The Hulk, especially if he and Natasha were still romantically involved here, given their arguably similar status as The Big Guy, and if he's aware that Natasha was involved with the Hulk, could spend a lot of the film joking about how it's obviously because the Hulk reminded her of him.

• Confirmed. He mentions an almost friendly rivalry with Cap a few times and talks to Natasha about it, to her annoyance.

If Red Guardian survives, there will be a Post-credits scene, and/or subsequent film where he meets Falcon and/or U.S. Agent

It would have a lot of potential for character interaction given how both's identities were inspired by Captain America, as well as their potentials to be each others Foil, as Falcon (and based on the new Super Bowl trailer, U.S. Agent) are Legacy Characters at their new identities and Red Guardian an older, established figure.

• The character does survive, and even boasts of meeting Cap (possibly the original, maybe not,) in glorious battles.

Bucky Barnes will be seen or mentioned

• Given his past as the Winter Soldier, he might have some black ops connections or knowledge that Natasha could make use of, especially considering since they were on the same team at the end of Captain America: Civil War. The fact that she met him during his time as the Winter Soldier could also be important.
• Maybe he knows Taskmaster and can provide information about him.
• Confirmed. The Winter Soldier is mentioned when discussing the Red Room's programming.

The Crimson Dynamo Armor will make a cameo appearance hanging on a wall or something but no one will be wearing it

• Confirmed. The armour makes no appearance, but the Crimson Dynamo is referenced when Yelena mixes up Alexei's heroic identity as Red Guardian with Crimson Dynamo as an offhand comment.

Dialogue will imply that Russia may be forming The Winter Guard

It could be an interesting Sequel Hook, and one path that Red Guardian (a member in the comics) could take if he survives.

• One of Alexei's fellow inmates in The Gulag is named Ursa, hinting at Ursa Major, and the Russian government formed superhero teams in the past.

Colossus or one of his siblings will cameo as a way to introduce the X-Men to the MCU

• Jossed.

Possible flaws for Red Guardian based on the January 10th statements by David Harbour

David Harbour talks about how Red Guardian will be a character of both tragic and comical flaws throughout the movie, making it interesting to guess what kind of flaws he means.

• Given that he used to be (fake) married to Melina (and not Natasha), based on recent released footage, according to interviews and apparently isn't anymore, it's possible that he cheated on her possibly due to the celebrity status of being Red Guardian.
  • He'll have a Dirty Coward moment if he's ever at the villains mercy and then struggle to redeem himself for it.
  • He might get Hot-Blooded at the wrong moment like Peter Quill infamously did in Avengers: Infinity War and nearly screw things up.
  • He may take steroids to try and be as strong as actual super-powered heroes.
• Jossed. His main flaws are that he's a Retired Badass who has let himself go a little bit in prison.

Nat's goal is to destroy the Red Room and put an end to the Black Widow program.

Taskmaster might just be an obstacle, something similar to the Winter Soldier.

• Confirmed. They bring down the Red Room and plan to continue freeing the other young women being groomed for the program.

Taskmaster is a woman

Natasha's "sister" Yelena is Taskmaster. It seems like Taskmaster is mimicking Black Widow's moves in the trailer, but really "he" was trained by the same people. They are going for a realistic take on the villain.

• Yelena looks too short to be wearing that armor, although given the nature of armor, it could be adding to her height. She was also seen clad in white, apparently on the same mission where Melina and Red Guardian seem to be fighting Taskmaster in the trailer, although this could take place right before The Reveal.
• Another possibility is that Taskmaster could be the best of the new generation of Widows.
• Possibly jossed. The final trailer explicitly calls Taskmaster a he, unless it's more misdirection.
• Confirmed, though it's not Yelena. It's Dreykov's daughter.

Taskmaster will survive the events of the film

They will then be a recurring villain in future films, perhaps imperiling the next proper incarnation of Avengers.

• Confirmed. The character does survive.

If Taskmaster is a recurring villain, then he/she won’t be unmasked in this film to add to the allure of the characters next appearance

• Jossed. The character is unmasked.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai will appear as the Mandarin in the post-credits scene

Perhaps a character in the movie will even be revealed to be working for the Mandarin, showing his reach. Regardless, it would be a good way to hype of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, given it'll be out only one film after Black Widow.

• Maybe The Mandarin will hire Taskmaster and/or any surviving evil Widows.
• Jossed.

Captain Britain will get name-dropped

• If he exists in this continuity, Red Guardian could provide an opportunity for that, maybe calling Captain Britain another recent rip-off of the Captain Patriotic shtick he and Captain America had, or someone else between him and Captain America that Russia was trying to rip off when they gave him his title.
  • It will probably even be a Running Gag throughout the movie where many of Marvel's Captain Patriotic characters are referenced. There can even be a reference to Canada's own attempts at super-soldiers and Red Guardian can snark that one version of a "Captain Canada" was just a short hairy guy they found and gave claws to.
• Jossed.

There'll be a shoutout to Goldeneye character Xenia Onatopp

As a Russian Femme Fatale Shout-Out. Admittedly, that's a bit of a stretch, but the Widows do wear black a lot and it wouldn't be hard to see one of them maybe choking an enemy with their legs briefly in a fight.

• Jossed. There's no reference to Xenia, though Natasha is shown watching a Bond movie early in the film.

Taskmaster is a mole and will turn out to be one of the heroes, like Hawkeye, Bucky, Black panther or captain America, undercover

• Jossed. The Taskmaster is working for Dreykov. Though Natasha does frees them from Dreykov's control, so there is the possibility of a Heel–Face Turn.

If Yelena ever gets her own "costume", it'll have more red areas integrated into it

Jossed. She wears the White Widow suit which has no black or red on it at all in this film.

Ray Winstone isn't in the film Per Se, but is providing Taskmaster's voice when masked.

• Jossed: he does appear physically in the film.

The new generation of Black Widows is an international strike team.

Relatively minor and seemingly obvious hypothesis, but this could be a thread that has specific potential implications for the Black Panther franchise if Natasha's operation isn't actually successful in fully taking down the Red Room. Obviously the ethnic diversity of the modern Black Widows seen in the trailers means that they'd be versatile enough as a whole unit to infiltrate anywhere in the world, and as Erik Voss of New Rockstars pointed out, one of the more prominently featured women in some of the promo materials (including the first poster) has what appears to be ritual scarring on her face, reminiscent of the Wakanda's Border Tribe.

• Confirmed, Dreykov has been recruiting girls all over the world and using them to infiltrate governments.

Taskmaster will have connections to various Western governments.

Not only does this match comic book precedent where Taskmaster operates as a freelancer and is actually a former SHIELD agent, but it would also explain how he was able to obtain designs for some of the Avengers' and other heroes' gear to incorporate into his own suit, most notably Spider-Man's webbing and Black Panther's clawed gloves. (Perhaps even with some spare vibranium purchased from Klaue at some point.) In Civil War it was implied that T'Challa's suit had been temporarily confiscated following his arrest by the joint task force assigned to capture the Winter Soldier, and in a deleted scene from that film Natasha and T'Challa have a brief conversation wherein the Widow says "I got a look at your suit. Vibranium weave; I'm very impressed." Black Widow will show how one of Taskmaster's connects within the task force was able to analyze the suit and somehow get him the designs.

• Confirmed, but not fully. Taskmaster is Dreykov's assassin and daughter, and as mentioned above, there are Widows everywhere, explaining how the Red Room gets footage and items to employ her Power Copying.

Madame B will be appearing.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, we get to see in a flashback that back during her days on the Black Widow program, Natasha Romanoff trained under the supervision of Madame B, a Russian military commander who forced her to go through the sterilization process as part of her graduation ceremony. As this film is a prequel, then maybe we will see what happened with Madame B., her relationship with Natasha or even if she's still alive?

• Jossed. She is not mentioned at all.

Yelena is the one sacrificed instead of Nat during the Soul Stone scene

• This is lacking the context of the larger theory; some are speculating that Yelena and Nat are going to surgically swap faces and that Yelena had been posing as her in the entirety Infinity War and Endgame, hence the idea that Natasha isn't really dead. To say it's the case for just one scene with no explanation is just a confusing way to put this on here.
• Jossed. Yelena is alive and well post-Endgame.

Alexei will claiming that there are people with superpowers in Russia, but that the government is rounding them up to form a team

This'll be dismissed by another character, but it'll turn out in a later MCU work he was totally right, and that the team being made is the Winter Guard.

• One of the girls mentions hearing rumors of the government finding a werebear.
• Jossed. Alexei is mentioned to be Russia's first and only super soldier, and other Russian superheroes are not mentioned.

Tony's appearance will figure into him being called by Ross to try and deal with Natasha and Tony will turn him down or not answer similar to him ghosting Ross when Steve broke the rogues out of the raft in Captain America: Civil War Tony will also know that the call is about Natasha because whatever she is doing is going to be worldwide news.

• Jossed. Tony doesn't appear.

Ross is only going to appear in the flashbacks to before the story of the film

• Jossed. He appears in the main narrative, post-Civil War.

There will be a cameo by a Red Room student that'll tie into Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

At one point. Possibly a post/mid credits scene, we'll see a young woman in the Red Room. She will be doing some sort of science experiment that will be revealed to be a half completed Wasp Suit. Revealing her to be none other than Nadia van Dyne. Hope van Dyne's comics counterpart. She will then go on to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where she will be revealed to be Hope's half sister, born from Hank Pym marrying Maria Trovaya after Janet's disappearance.

• Umm... considering Nadia is just the 616 version of Hope, there is zero reason for her to be a separate person here.
• Jossed.

Valentina's appearance in this film will either be altered or cut out entirely

Given that this was supposed to be her intended debut instead of her appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Val's appearance could be altered since Black Widow will now come out after the show. If they were going for a dramatic debut (akin to Nick Fury's appearance in Iron Man), they could instead make her appearance more casual instead. There's also the option to switch her out with U.S. Agent instead, or have him appear with her in her scenes (should her scenes take place in the present).

• The film is set years before Walker becomes a U.S. Agent.
• Jossed. The film was not altered at all following its delays, and Valentina's cameo is still in the film.

The Stinger will reveal that Natasha will exist again post-Avengers: Endgame.

Much like what Endgame did to Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the post-credits scene could reveal that a past version of Natasha—specifically, from 2012—finds herself transported to the year 2023, in the ruins of the New Avengers Facility, just after Endgame's climax.

• Jossed. Natasha is still dead, and The Stinger has Yelena visiting her grave.

Post-release theories

Yelena was among the Disappeared—which helps explains why she has not visibly aged at all in The Stinger post-Endgame.

Retroactively, this helps provide Natasha with an additional motivation for her Heroic Sacrifice, and can also serve as the central nerve of the Survivor Guilt both her and Clint are experiencing, likely to be emphasized come the Hawkeye series.

• Confirmed.

Valentina is putting together a Thunderbolts team.

Between her recruiting Yelena sometime between the end of the film and the post-Endgame-set stinger and Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and saying that she needs agents with less accountability, it looks like things could be heading this way.

• Whether Valentina will set up the team by herself or not, both Valentina and Yelena will be key members in the upcoming Thunderbolts film.

The film's sequel will be a buddy-cop movie focused on Yelena and Kate Bishop: Black Widow And Hawkeye

Yelena will pursue Clint in the Hawkeye series, believing him to be responsible for Natasha's death, but will ultimately learn what really happened and will end the show on better terms with Clint and Kate. Much like Natasha and Clint, Yelena and Kate will hit it off, and the sequel will focus on them working together after they've officially picked up their predecessors' respective mantles.

Taskmaster will undergo Character Rerailment in future appearances.

As this version of Taskmaster lacks attributes of their comics counterpart, such as suffering from amnesia, the next appearance of the character may restore some of these elements of characterization (such as her amnesia being explained as a side effect of the chip that allows her to imitate the powers of others, or portraying her as having few skills other than combat, necessitating her to turn to training mercenaries in order to make a living). If this is the case, her costume might also be altered to a more comics-accurate design—the In-Universe reason could be because she wants to distance herself from the Red Room and adapt her gear to a new job, while the Doylist explanation would be to sell a different set of toys.

• Following from this, the Taskmaster's wife and handler from the comics, Mercedes Merced, could be adapted into being a fellow Widow who allies herself with Antonia (with the two characters undergoing Adaptational Sexuality if this becomes the case).
  • Or Mercedes Merced gets Gender Flipped.
  • Possibly the Widow that extends a hand to Antonia at the end of the movie.
• Or what if Antonia starts training under Toni Masters?
• Antonia could abandon the Dreykov name and begin going by Toni Masters, and ultimately go off on her own, acting as a mercenary.

Monica Chang will appear.

She will be either one of the Widows out in the world or was freed in the film. And in turn, Monica will be given a reverse Age Lift and be the Young Avengers' Natasha Romanoff equivalent.

The Dogs.

Both Fanny and Lucky will get along like a house on fire which will be the indicator for both Kate and Yelena to stop fighting and just talk when their inevitable clash happens.

Hawkeye used to work for Valentina.

Not much is really known of Hawkeye's backstory. But like his mainstream counterpart, he may have had a criminal record, and while serving jail time, Valentina shows up and offers him a job as an assassin. But somewhere along the line, he refused to kill for her anymore, since most of his targets were less immoral, and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. afterwards. Valentina assigned Yelena to go after him, knowing Hawkeye had a part in Natasha's Heroic Sacrifice, killing two birds with one stone.

• Not sure if this is reinforcement or a counterargument, but many fans believe that Val is setting up a version of the Thunderbolts, a team which Clint has also been associated with.

Dreykov did betray Alexei because the latter insulted him once.

Dreykov was a real asshole after all.

• Alternatively, Alexei is being an Unreliable Narrator: his status as an aggressively pro-USSR product of the Cold War would have made him a relic after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It seems plausible that his imprisonment was a means to Un-person him and remove a potential political liability to The New Russia (raising the possibility that his belief that he was imprisoned by Dreykov is a means of coping with being discarded by his homeland—after all, it'd be easier for him to blame one villain than to believe that his own country no longer needed him).
  • Russia might have used his imprisonment to placate the US, imprisoning the seeming leader of the cell that pulled an "unauthorized operation" in Ohio.
  • He's also the perfect fall guy - he's extremely and unfailingly loyal and good at following orders, not too bright, and doesn't have any really useful skills outside of combat. They were probably setting him up as the scapegoat the whole time.
• Another option is that Alexei was simply too gung ho about fighting and being seen fighting to serve a purpose in the Red Room's covert actions. After the Ohio job ended with news reports about a Russian sleeper cell and Alexei was demanding combat operations, it was clear he would never fit in the Red Room's future.

Dreykov was the one who had the Red Room defect from the Russian government.

It seems plausible that he was an opportunist who saw that he'd be out of a job when the Cold War ended (and possibly prosecuted for his crimes), so he decided to take the infrastructure of the Red Room and use it for his own ends—this would incidentally make him comparable to how HYDRA began as part of the Third Reich, but eventually grew out from under its shadow, or even how SHIELD began as a wartime US intelligence agency but moved to working for the whole world's protection.

The gravesite at the end was not a public graveyard but instead one that the Widows have setup for lost sisters.

Nat probably has a public gravesite as an Avenger, but given her past and such, it's probably rather sanitized of her past and also unlikely to be in a place that Yelena might want to visit, being a public place. So the gravesite - which clearly is less organized than a 'traditional' gravesite - we see is something Yelena and the other freed Widows have setup to recognize sisters they've lost on their mission to free others. It would almost certainly feel more appropriate for them to recognize Nat that way rather than as an Avenger first.

Yelena infiltrates Clint Barton's place by posing as a worker doing house renovation

After the secret's out, he lets her go because she's actually not that bad at it.

• Jossed. She doesn’t use any sort of disguise.

Yelena will succeed at killing Clint, and she and Kate Bishop will develop a Scorpion and Sub-Zero style rivalry.

The final stretch of Hawkeye will then involve Kate embracing the mantle and avenging Clint (with Belova surviving the attempt on her life and slinking back to Val for the next mission, and plot revenge against Bishop), and the Bishop/Belova blood feud will continue throughout Phase 4 and beyond, contrasting Clint and Natasha's close partnership in the first 3 phases. Then, in a climactic "Avengers" crossover (or the equivalent), the two could reconcile and begin working together despite their pasts.

• Jossed. Clint manages to talk Yelena out of it and gets to go back to his family alive.

Taskmaster will make a reappearance in a Disney+ series

Valentina wants Clint dead because he wiped out several criminal syndicates

Syndicates that her organization had alliances with.

Alexei will appear in what we've been calling Captain America 4

It would make sense, wouldn't it?

A Black Widow infiltrated Wakanda.

This will be used as an explanation for T'Challa's death in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever following the passing of Chadwick Boseman.

• Jossed, T'Challa died from a terminal disease.

The "Captain America" that Alexei fought was William Burnside

Alexei seems pretty convinced he met a Captain America at some point in the past, but that wouldn't makes sense if Steve Rogers was frozen until 2012, and as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows, the U.S. government has been trying to reproduce Dr. Erskine's Super Soldier Serum for decades. It would also make sense for a Communist propaganda hero like the Red Guardian to face off against William Burnside's Captain, as Burnside is more commonly known by his Fan Nickname, "Commie-Smasher."

• This could also be early hints that Burnside will appear in Captain America 4, as he was planned to show up as an antagonist in one of the proposed plots for what would become Captain America: Civil War.

Rick Mason has a habit of giving people needing to go undercover inappropriate or silly names...

And he was the one responsible for giving a certain person hiding undercover in Westview the pseudonym of Ralph Bohner.

Antonia is a Child by Rape born to one of the Widows.

It seems like the most plausible explanation for Dreykov having a daughter.

• Many people tend to think Melina is her mother, so she is the most likely candidate.