The halfway mark for Marvel's latest series, Hawkeye, has already arrived. Its third episode, "Echoes" was full of action and further emotional dilemmas for Clint, but it also contained some massive hints toward the arrival of a powerful Marvel villain. With all that's already going on in the series, will there be any room left for Yelena?
Thus far, Clint and Kate have already faced an insane amount of trouble in Hawkeye's first three episodes. Kate's discovery that her mother's fiancé, Jack Duquesne is not as perfect as her mother would like to think, already lands her in hot water. After putting on the Ronin suit, she then gains the attention of other foes including the Tracksuit Gang and Maya Lopez. "Echoes" hints toward the arrival of Kingpin and if he does make an appearance in Hawkeye, how will Yelena fit into the picture?
Yelena was last seen in the post-credits scene in Black Widow, where she visited Natasha's grave after the events of Avengers: Endgame. There, she was approached by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a face that previously appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Valentina's motives are already called into question given her recruitment of John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it doesn't seem as if she has Yelena's best interests at heart. In the post-credits scene, she passed Yelena a photo of Clint, telling her that he is responsible for Natasha's death. Yelena's exact motives haven't exactly been spelled out, but given that Clint is being blamed for Natasha's death, it's extremely likely that Yelena is going after him with a vengeance.
Clint has already been shown to struggle with Natasha's death. He felt guilty throughout the remainder of Endgame and his struggles in Hawkeye can also be traced back to the tragic event of Natasha's death. With the added guilt of not upholding the promise he made to his family to be home for Christmas and the pressure of dealing with Kate and the Ronin suit, Yelena's arrival will only make Clint feel worse. Given the struggles that Clint and Kate are already dealing with, the question of when Yelena could arrive in the remaining three episodes without being muddled by the other storylines remains.
There are a few ways that Yelena could be introduced to the current events of Hawkeye. It's unlikely that she will appear to aid Kate or Clint given the circumstances that will unite them, but Yelena may appear alongside some of the foes the two archers have already made. Given Valentina's connections and friends in high places, it is possible that Valentina could have some sort of history with Jack Duquesne. Jack's shady behavior could somehow be linked to Valentina's own secrecy. Little has been revealed about Valentina's own history in the Marvel Universe up until this point, but her suspicious behavior isn't doing her reputation any favors. No one knows who exactly Valentina is working for or what her motives are, making her connection with Yelena even more troublesome.
If not through Jack and his family history, Valentina could also have connections with the Tracksuit Gang, Maya Lopez, or even Kingpin. Wilson Fisk's previous appearance in the Netflix series Daredevil has proven that he has lofty connections that he can utilize at nearly any time. Yelena could appear alongside him, making the circumstances for Clint even trickier. In "Echoes," Clint told Maya that the person that killed Ronin was Natasha, which is technically true. The moment Natasha came to Clint in Endgame to tell him that the remaining members of the team had hatched a plan to potentially get his family back, Clint immediately stopped being Ronin. While others haven't quite figured out that Clint was formerly Ronin, Yelena may have mixed feelings about hearing that Natasha was the one who killed the man so many people are after.
The question of how Yelena may make her entrance in Hawkeye is only part of the battle for her character within the context of the series. With only three episodes to go, there comes the issue of how Yelena's story may be integrated into what is already going on. The Tracksuit Gang, Maya, Jack, and potentially Kingpin, all have motives of their own that have little to do with Clint himself. While many of them are inadvertently chasing after him, Yelena is the only one who is truly gunning after the skilled archer for an incredibly personal reason.
What Yelena doesn't know is that what she feels about Natasha's death is very similar to Clint's own. There is no requirement that if Yelena is seen again in Hawkeye that the issues between her and Clint must be resolved immediately. However, given that Hawkeye is set within the spirit of the holidays, it wouldn't be a horrible idea. Natasha was very close with Clint's family and Yelena has the potential to be that new figure to them, offering new stories about Natasha if the issues between Yelena and Clint are resolved. The simple (but unlikely) solution to this could be that Yelena only appears at the very end of Hawkeye, once Clint (hopefully) makes it home to his family. Yelena could be the ominous presence that threatens the happiness Clint and Kate may have found by the end of the series.
The first three episodes of Hawkeye are now streaming on Disney Plus.