This article contains spoilers for Black Widow #7.
Marvel Comics has finally revealed the fundamental difference between its two Red Room Program to become one of the best espionage agents the world has ever seen. Fortunately, she was redeemed and became a long-standing member of the Avengers.
But Natasha was only one of many students of the Red Room. Years later, one of the other graduates - Yelena Belova - set her sights on Natasha, seeking to prove she was worthy of the Black Widow mantle. Natasha set herself the goal of redeeming Yelena, a way to atone for her own past sins, and she was mostly successful. The two Black Widows are working together in Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande's current Black Widow series, an uncomfortable alliance that's filled with rather more tension than camaraderie.
Black Widow #7 shines a light on the reason for this tension. The two Black Widows are looking after a young girl called Lucy, who was given great power by a project called Apogee. Natasha looks at Lucy and sees a person, a traumatized girl hidden beneath a tough exterior. In contrast, Yelena looks at Lucy and sees a weapon, raw potential that she can't help wanting to hone. "She has real talent," Natasha reflects as she watches Yelena train Lucy. "Pearls are made this way. It is how we were made, after a fashion."
The relationship with Lucy presents a fascinating contrast, shining a light on the key difference between Natasha and Yelena. Natasha has been away from the Red Room for longer, and she has cultivated friendships and relationships that have allowed her to confront the trauma she herself experienced as a child. She now wishes to ensure nobody else has to go through anything like she did, and that is the reason she still serves as a superhero. In contrast, while Yelena is aware she has suffered greatly as a result of the Red Room's machinations, she is less empathic. She sees Lucy as a weapon, not a person.
It's interesting to see the difference between Marvel's two Black Widows, played out in such a subtle way. Of course, Yelena Belova is due to make her MCU debut in the Black Widow movie, played by Florence Pugh; it's quite possible the same contrast will exist in the film as well, revealing why the two Black Widows went their separate ways in the movies. Such a contrast would certainly mean Yelena's path in the MCU will be very different to Natasha's, raising a lot of exciting possibilities.
