Killing Evehas presented Jodie Comer with one of her most iconic roles to date, and the character that she has created through playing Villanelle is a masterpiece. Many fans instantly adored her sassy Russian ways, her terrible eating habits, and her extraordinary sense of humor.
WithKilling Eveonly becoming more and more popular as the series go on, it’s hard not to compare it to the other hugely notable film based on raising an elite force of Russian assassins: Marvel’sBlack Widow. Although fans feel thatBlack Widownever lived up to its impressive opening sequence, there are so many parallels between the series and the movie. From the narrative itself to the epic action fight scenes, and from the slow development of trust between the 2 main characters to the mannerisms and attitudes of Villanelle and Yelena, there’s a lot to explore.
RELATED:MCU: Is Echo A Former Widow?
This only became more and more apparent in the Disney+ mini-seriesHawkeye, where Yelena interacted with Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld, and the avenger Hawkeye, played byJeremy Renner, who was recently released from hospital after a snow plow accident. In the mini-series, Yelena has so many moments that feel like Villanelle, which was actually on of the criticisms of the show, because fans began to feel like Marvel is losing its originality when it comes to character design. Having said that, fans did love the relationship between the two female stars in Hawkeye, and suggested thatKate and Yelena could be the Steve and Tony of the Young Avengers.
From the first time audiences meet Yelena, there are Villanelle vibes all about her. The meeting takes place in the kitchen, where she tries to ambush Natasha, the Avengers’Black Widow. A fight ensues, and the fight is eerily similar to the one that takes place between Villanelle and Eve Polastri in Eve’s kitchen. From the location to the weapons chosen, and the fighting style of trying to out-maneuver the opponent, fans of both the TV series and the Show have watched the scenes side by side and noticed that they are almost direct renditions of one another.
They both also show the start of the developing relationships between the characters. Because, despite Villanelle being a highly trained assassin who has killed hundreds if not thousands of people, she is unable to bring herself to finish Eve off, which, in itself, brings about some ofVillanelle’s most iconic quotes. Similarly, for Yelena, who has also had a deeper brainwashing experience, and has had more time in the system, she is unable to kill Natasha, both because she still has a moral compass inside her somewhere, despite the organization trying to torture it out of her, and also because Natalia is her sister, ad there is still some love and fond memories between them, despite the years of distance.
But the kitchen scene is only the tip of the iceberg. There are several more scenes and themes that relate between the TV series and theBlack Widowmovie. Both Yelena and Villanelle have scenes where they are talking whilst shoveling food into their mouth, demonstrating their lack of respect and manners in the face of authority, and both of them have scenes where they blow hot breath onto glass and draw a picture, showing that there is a more innocent and childlike part of them within.
Despite their youth though, these two characters are both admired for their bad-ass nature and their incredible strength and skill, a fact that made many marvel fans grateful thatthe MCU is finally giving female characters a bigger role. There are even comparisons between their stances as they aim and shoot guns during fight scenes, and between their wardrobes, with a green bodysuit and a white tank top under a gray blazer being 2 of the most notable mentions. Their mimicry, mocking, and personalities in general are uncanny, and it is presumed by many that Villanelle must’ve been a major inspirationin Florence Pugh’s portrayalof her own Russian character.
And then there’s Eve and Natasha, both of whom take on the older and wiser role in comparison to Villanelle and Yelena’s youthful arrogance, but both of whom also have dark secrets of their own to carry. For Natasha, having grown up as an assassin herself, knowing what it’s like to have undergone the rigorous training, the traumatizing sterilization procedure, and the ‘kill or be killed’ mentality that exists, even among the other Black Widows, she sees a lot of herself in her younger sister, and still holds on to the memories that they developed whilst growing up together. Natasha wants to help Yelena, and show her that there are better ways than the cruel treatment she has received thus far.
The same can be said of Eve Polastri, who is a highly intelligent and logical woman, and yet she still finds herself drawn in by Villanelle, despite the many warnings not to be. She, too, wants to remove the assassin from the life of violence and blood money that she has known thus far, and get to the heart of the human being that Villanelle is underneath. From bothKilling EveandBlack Widowexploring childhood upbringing and past relationships to the tragic fate that meets both Natasha and Villanelle, the parallels are endless.
