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You got fat.
―Melina Vostokoff[src]

Melina Vostokoff is a character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Widow. She is an incredibly talented Russian spy and scientist who has history with Black Widow, as Natasha's and Yelena's adoptive mother.

Melina Vostokoff was created by Ralph Macchio and George Perez.

Background

Official Description

Melina is a highly trained spy who has been cycled through the Red Room's Widow program four times. After various undercover missions, one of which involved a young Natasha Romanoff, the Red Room recognized Melina's intelligence, making her one of their lead scientists. After decades of service, Melina has been able to distance herself from the Red Room, but when Natasha shows up, Melina must decide where her allegiance lies.[1]

Appearances

Black Widow

From the young age, Melina was involved with the Red Room Program, eventually doing four full tours of it. In 1993 she was assiged to an undercover operation to Ohio, where was part of the cover she lived with her "husband" Alexei, a Russian hero known as Red Guardian, and daughters Natasha and Yelena. Although their mission was a success and they were able to recover the data they were after, in 1996 their cover was blown and the "family" had to flee to Cuba. Melina was wounded in the escape and was separated from the others upon landing, while the girls were shipped back to Russia and put into the Red Room Program.

Melina came to work for General Dreykov, developing a system for chemical control over a subject's actions, to the point where they could be ordered to stop breathing or otherwise kill themselves. This new method of obedience replaced the previous psychological conditioning in the newer generation of Red Room graduates, while Melina continued her work on perfecting and refining it.

In 2016 an antidote that could instantly break the chemical conditioning was developed. Dreykov sent several Widows after it, but Yelena became doused with it and went on the run with the rest of the samples. She brought in Natasha, and together they broke Alexei out of the Siberian prison. He in turn led them to Melina, resulting in their "family" reuniting for the first time in 21 years. Natasha convinced Melina to help them bring down Dreykov, but Yelena and Alexei had to be kept in the dark for their plan to work.

Melina informed the Red Room, and the enemies of Dreykov were captured and taken to the floating Academy that served as his headquarters. Melina's knowledge of the facility enabled Yelena to escape, recover the antidote samples that were captured alongside them and release it into the group of Black Widows, instantly snapping them out of Dreykov's control. Melina had destabilized one of the structure's engines, and everyone was forced to make a frantic escape in which Dreykov was killed for good. After landing safely, Natasha said goodbye to her family and tasked Melina with replicating the antidote, so that the rest of the Widows across the world could be freed as well.

What If...?

Season 2

What If... - 2x05 - What If... Captain Carter Fought the HYDRA Stomper (6)

Melina in What If...?

Melina appears as the main antagonist of "What if... Captain Carter Fought The Hydra Stomper?", where she leads the Red Room after her daughter Natasha successfully killed Dreykov during her defection and has brainwashed Steve Rogers.

Season 3

Another Melina appeared in "What If...The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?", where she and her ex-husband joined the Avengers to fight in the Gamma War.

Trivia

  • In the Marvel comics, Melina Vostokoff was an agent of the Russian government who eventually left her country where she became a freelance mercenary and assassin, codenamed "Iron Maiden".

Gallery

External links

References

v - e - d
Media
What If...? (soundtrack 1/2/3) • Marvel Studios: Assembled
Characters
Heroes: Peggy Carter/Captain CarterStephen Strange/Doctor Strange/Strange SupremeKahhoriT'Challa/Star-Lord/Black PantherNick FuryBucky Barnes/Winter SoldierSteve Rogers/Captain America/HYDRA StomperThor OdinsonClint Barton/HawkeyeNatasha Romanoff/Black WidowBruce Banner/HulkTony Stark/Iron ManVisionSam Wilson/Falcon/Captain AmericaCarol Danvers/Captain MarvelOkoyeNebulaHappy Hogan/FreakGamoraWongT'Chaka/Black PantherHoward the DuckDrax the DestroyerPeter Quill/Star-LordHank Pym/Yellowjacket/Ant-ManScott Lang/Ant-ManPeter Parker/Spider-ManHope van Dyne/WaspWanda Maximoff/Scarlet WitchGrootBill Foster/GoliathWendy Lawson/Mar-VellMonica RambeauAgatha HarknessKingoAlexei Shostakov/Red GuardianMoon KnightRiri Williams/IronheartShang-ChiKate BishopValkyrieYing NanOroro Munroe/Storm

Villains: Loki LaufeysonHelaXu WenwuUltronErik KillmongerProxima MidnightEbony MawCorvus GlaiveCull ObsidianArnim ZolaJohann Schmidt/Red SkullSurturThanosCollectorBatrocEgoBatrocGrandmasterUlysses KlaueRonan the AccuserJustin HammerGeneral DreykovZeusKaeciliusMalekithQuentin BeckXu Xialing/The HoodSonny BurchDormammuMelina VostokoffYon-Rogg
Other characters: Uatu/The WatcherJ.A.R.V.I.S.Phil CoulsonThaddeus RossSifVolstaggYondu UdontaBrock RumlowHoward StarkAbraham ErskineDum Dum DuganCarinaKorath the PursuerKraglin ObfonteriTaserfaceChristine PalmerAncient OneJane FosterFriggaHogunFandralHeimdallMaria HillRhodeySharon CarterDarcy LewisQueen RamondaPepper PottsShuriBetty RossCosmo the SpacedogKorgIrani RaelGarthan SaalRavager KPeggy CarterGooseOdin BorsonNakiaEdwin JarvisSarah WilsonMaria StarkJohn WalkerMar-Vell

Episodes
Season One: "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?" • "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?" • "What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" • "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" • "What If... Zombies!?" • "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" • "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" • "What If... Ultron Won?" • "What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath?"

Season Two: "What if... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?" • "What if... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" • "What if... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?" • "What if... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?" • "What if... Captain Carter Fought The Hydra Stomper?" • "What if... Kahhori Reshaped the World?" • "What if... Hela Found The Ten Rings?" • "What if... The Avengers Assembled in 1602?" • "What if... Strange Supreme Intervened?"
Season Three: "What If...The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?" • "What If...Agatha Went To Hollywood?" • "What If...The Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?" • "What If...Howard the Duck Got Hitched?" • "What If...The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?" • "What If...1872?" • "What If...The Watcher Disappeared?" • "What If...What If?"

Organizations
S.H.I.E.L.D.Stark IndustriesHYDRAAvengersMasters of the Mystic ArtsBlack OrderGuardians of the GalaxyGuardians of the MultiverseHowling CommandosRavagersNova Corps
Objects
MjölnirOrbPym ParticlesCaptain America's ShieldCloak of LevitationEye of AgamottoScepterSuper Soldier SerumTen RingsTesseractInfinity GauntletInfinity StonesVibraniumAetherUltron SentriesKamala's Bangle
Locations
AsgardNew York CityProject P.E.G.A.S.U.S.Collector's MuseumDark DimensionSakaarSan FranciscoTony Stark's MansionKamar TajKnowhereWakandaXandar
See Also
Frost GiantsSkrullsKreeX-Men Theme