Michelle La Bella “Ronin” helped us with some of the empty spots Black Widow left behind.
The fifth installment begins with a flashback to 2018, in which Yelena attempts to help a Black Widow who didn’t need to be saved. We see her reminiscing and looking forward to reconnecting with her sister Natasha until she finds herself Blipped while rinsing her hands. What seemed only five seconds for Yelena had been five years for the rest of the world. She returned in the same spot, confused and wanting to let Natasha know that she was alright. Yikes.
We then see Kate coming home to Elanor’s penthouse, sporting a few nasty cuts along with some aches. It’s clear that Eleanor is upset by the sight, and Kate tries to defend Clint by stating, “Clint protected me.” Eleanor quickly shuts this down and forces Kate to rethink herself. Then Kate begins to explain all the information they’ve gotten thus far: like how Jack is involved with Sloan Limited, which launders money for the tracksuit bros. Elsewhere, we see Kazi tending to Maya’s wounds. Kazi signs to her that he’ll help her catch and kill Clint, but after that, he’s done with this, Maya agrees.
Back at Kate’s apartment, she’s surveying the damages done from the fire. From nowhere, a figure comes up from behind her, and she throws a bottle of hot sauce at the intruder, who in return catches it out of instinct. The figure, now clear, is Yelena, who tells Kate that she made some macaroni and that they should share it. The two start to have a conversation, and Yelena explains that she’s in town for business and wants to sightsee. Eventually, Yelena confesses that she’s here to kill Clint. She attempts to convince Kate how horrible Clint is and how many people he’s killed. After a brief discussion that goes nowhere, Yelena admits that she was hired to kill Clint. However, before she leaves, she gives Kate one last warning: “Do not get in my way again.”
Jack is being arrested at Eleanor’s and tells Kate that she was right. Jack says that she would have done the same thing, and this was all just a misunderstanding. If you’ve made it this far, we have all assumed he’s being framed and is just some weird sword fetish bro.
Next, we see Clint making his way to where there’s a plaque commemorating the Battle of New York and the heroes who fought there. He takes out his hearing aid, and all goes mute. Clint talks to Natasha. “You were the bravest of us all,” he says. “I’m so sorry for what I’m about to do.” Clint puts his hood up in a style reminiscent of Ronin.
We cut to the Tracksuit Mafia in their moving van. They’re listening to Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis.” When they stop, they get an arrow through the windshield. It says for Maya to meet where she first encountered Ronin. Clint calls his very patient wife, Laura. He says that this thing is getting even more complicated. She tells him to trust his gut and to get it done. “It’s only a matter of time before the big guy gets involved,” Clint tells her.
The meet between Clint and Maya is at Fat Man’s Used Cars. Kazi has a sniper rifle pointed at where Maya is standing. Clint comes up behind him with Ronin’s sword and takes him out of the equation. After taking down all Maya’s minions, Clint emerges in front of Maya as Ronan & the two have a super intense fight. Finally, with Maya on the ground, Ronin approaches her. He takes off his mask, showing his face. In a combination of lip-reading and signing, he tells Maya the truth. Her boss wanted her father dead, so he called on Ronin. She doesn’t believe him and picks up Ronin’s sword; then, Kate shows up. She fires at the sword, disarming Maya. Kate and Clint shuffle down an alleyway, only to reach their getaway car: an Uber.
Kate tells Clint in the Uber that the mystery woman from the roof visited her. “She says she’s Natasha’s sister,” Kate tells Clint. He knows Yelena. They get back to the apartment and are eating around the kitchen table when Kate receives a series of texts from Yelena, “Kate Bishop, I thought you deserve to know who hired me: Eleanor Bishop.”
But Yelena doesn’t just send Kate text messages; she also sends her a photo. Kate turns the phone around to show Clint & it’s Eleanor with a large bald man. Clint identifies him as the man they’re looking for & he says the name we’ve all been waiting for, “Kingpin.”
Now, with five episodes down and only one left, what does Marvel have planned for us next week? Do you think Yelena and Kate will become the second generation of Black Widow and Hawkeye?
