Black Widow's Spiritual Successor Already Has an Impressive Body Count

Black Widow left a huge mark on the MCU before her big sacrifice. But her spiritual successor has already been revealed in an unlikely story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a universe filled with dozens of characters, both good and bad. But for every hero that's appeared, with a different story and power set, there's always been archetypes that they embodied. For example, while Ant-Man and Spider-Man have different lives, they represent the funnier characters. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark served as leaders to those jokesters or loners like Moon Knight. But in the case of Natasha Romanoff, there are very few that could capture the type of person she was.

Natasha's introduction in Iron Man 2 was exciting and mysterious as she had impressive skills, but nothing was known about her. As the years progressed, the audience saw that while she was a stone-cold killer, she was someone who wanted to be seen as a hero and fight for a family. This ultimately led to her sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame to revive half of the universe. While Yelena Belova has taken on Natasha's mission in name alone, another character has appeared that's already proven herself as her true spiritual successor: Elsa Bloodstone.

Elsa Bloodstone Was as Mysterious as Black Widow

Werewolf by Night was the Iron Man of Marvel's world of monsters, as nothing like it had been seen before in the canon. From werewolves to monster hunters, Werewolf by Night felt fresh and was explored in the style of a Universal Monster movie. It also introduced the mysterious Elsa Bloodstone, who, at the time of her arrival, was only known to be the daughter of the deceased Ulysses Bloodstone. The knowledge that she was the rightful heir of the fabled Bloodstone allowed audiences to understand why she bothered to return to her estranged home.

Like Black Widow, Elsa kept to herself and wasn't afraid to dole out the occasional barb whenever someone questioned her skill or right to be competing for the stone. She was as cold as she was intelligent, and, like Natasha, there was more to her than met the eye. Most importantly, when audiences left her, it was clear it wasn't the end of her story but the start of something new, as so much of her character still needed explanation. But even though her story had yet to be properly explored, like Natasha, Elsa showed that her skills teased an exciting life.

Elsa Bloodstone Was Just as Deadly and Skilled as Natasha Romanoff

One of the things that made Black Widow a standout in Iron Man 2 was the way she moved in a fight, as it was unlike anything shown before. When taking on the guards at Hammer Industries, she dismantled her opponents before they had any idea what she was up to and did so with style. Yet, for all of her skill in violence and murder, she knew when to restrain herself and did so when facing her friends in Captain America: Civil War. Elsa showcased a similar sense of skill in her battles but with an archaic edge, as monster hunting was vastly different from espionage.

Unlike the other monster hunters in Werewolf by Night, Elsa Bloodstone carried herself more conservatively, only appearing in an orange leather jacket. But even though she didn't appear in armor or an outlandish getup, she was just as dangerous. While in the maze looking for Man-Thing, Elsa eliminated one of the hunters by cutting off his hand and using a wrist-mounted crossbow to shoot him under the chin. Though she wasn't as fluid in combat as Natasha, she was every bit as brutal. However, the brutality she had could also be used to protect a life that wasn't her own, which was what aided her in the special's final battle when the werewolf was let loose.

Elsa's adaptability worked with weapons, with her using an old family hook sling to fight off opponents. But while she was trained to hunt monsters, she sympathized with the plight of Jack Russell and Man-Thing because they weren't trying to terrorize innocents. As a result, she used her skills to combat and kill the remaining monster hunters while Russell, in werewolf form, decimated the remaining guards. The most impressive aspect of this final battle was how, like Natasha, she assessed the situation and chose to do the right thing rather than complete a mission or focus on her own gain. Even still, her skills and ability to adapt aren't the only qualities that have made her the perfect successor to Natasha Romanoff.

Elsa Bloodstone's Values Set Her Up as a Big Hero

Elsa has shown that she's more than ready to be in this era of the MCU's Black Widow. But to carry on such an archetype won't be easy, and, thankfully, her growth as a character will help facilitate this. Unlike humans, who live a life of harmony more often than not, monsters must live a life constantly being hunted, even if they aren't harming anyone or anything. As a result, a character like Elsa has a powerful cause to fight for. Thanks to her experience with Jack, it's further proven that there are people in this world that could continue to surprise Elsa -- people that are worth fighting for.

With a powerful motivation like protecting those that people fear, Elsa could be a big hero in a world where monsters are rising to the surface of the MCU. By maintaining the ideals of the heroic loner, Elsa could show that everything that made Black Widow great would live on through her, just as Sam Wilson has offered the world a new but familiar Captain America. Even better, by carrying the Bloodstone, she may be a leader in her own right, turning a new era of monsters to her side and making her take on a leadership role just as Natasha had. But with Elsa, she will have to protect two worlds when the time comes that monsters bleed into the mainline MCU, and she will have to encounter a whole new team of Avengers.