The recent release of the book "Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline" requires a lot of analysis. Members of WikiProject:Timeline team are working on editing pages in response to the information revealed in the book. If you wish to contribute, please do not immediately edit these pages, and instead visit the Timeline Discussion.
"Why does a mouse born in a cage run on that little wheel? Do you know I was cycled through the Red Room four times before you were even born? Those walls are all I know. I was never given a choice."
Melina Vostokoff (Russian: Мелина Востоков) is a scientist and a Red Room operative who has been through the Black Widow program four times, as well as the adoptive mother of Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. While working for Dreykov, Vostokoff helped him develop a brainwashing mechanism that he used on Black Widows after Romanoff's defection. After reuniting with Romanoff, Belova, and Alexei Shostakov, Vostokoff joined them in their mission to liberate the Widows and terminate the Red Room once and for all.
At a young age, Melina Vostokoff was taken from her home and raised in the Red Room to become a member of the Black Widows. Vostokoff was cycled through the Red Room program four times to become a full fledged killer, all prior to 1984.[1]
In 1992, Vostokoff was assigned to go on an undercover mission with Alexei Shostakov in Mount Vernon, Ohio, who was Dreykov's business partner to steal data from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the North Institute. To make their cover more plausible, they adopted two girls named Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova, and raised them as their daughters. For three years, they lived a double life, and although they were to solely focus on the mission, Vostokoff did grow to love raising the two girls, and developed feelings for Shostakov.[2]
Vostokoff learning that they have to leave
One night in 1995, when Shostakov returned home, he informed Vostokoff that their mission had come to an end and that they had to leave immediately. Vostokoff did not want to leave the life they were living, knowing what future awaited their daughters, but they had no choice. Vostokoff apologized to Romanoff, as she knew what was really happening, and the family packed up and drove away from their home, with Vostokoff secretly taking their photo album, despite telling Romanoff to leave it behind.
They arrived at a hangar, and as Vostokoff got in and started the plane with Romanoff and Belova inside, they were soon found by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Shostakov fired at the pursuing vehicles, but Vostokoff was shot while trying to take off, so she told Romanoff to help her pull up the plane. They successfully managed to escape from S.H.I.E.L.D. and landed in Cuba, where Vostokoff was taken to receive medical attention. Before being taken away, Vostokoff warned Romanoff to not let the Red Room take her heart.[1]
Dreykov's Architect[]
"We didn't steal weaponry or technology. We stole the key to unlocking free will."
After her various undercover missions, the Red Room recognized Melina's intelligence, making her one of their lead scientists.[3] Within the next twenty years, using the data that was stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., which was later revealed to actually be HYDRA, Vostokoff was able to concoct a mind control serum that would allow Dreykov to chemically subjugate the Black Widows agents however he saw fit. While conducting her research, testing it on pigs, Vostokoff operated from a farm near Saint Petersburg.[1]
Betraying Dreykov[]
Family Reunion[]
Vostokoff discovers her family approaching
"Tell me, how did you keep your heart?" "Pain only makes us stronger. Didn't you tell us that?"
In 2016, while running a test on her pigs, Vostokoff was notified of movement in the perimeter which was approaching her farm, so she retrieved her sniper rifle to defend herself. However, she discovered that it was Alexei Shostakov, Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova, so she invited them inside.
Vostokoff told her family to make themselves at home, as she secretly contacted the Red Room. Vostokoff, Romanoff and Belova sat at the table and drank, and were joined by Shostakov, who put on his Red Guardian uniform, which Vostokoff admired. Shostakov took joy in having his family reunited, but Vostokoff felt that due to it being a construct for three years, that they couldn't call themselves a family. Vostokoff and Shostakov then began flirting, having not seen each other for many years.
Romanoff tried to focus the conversation, but they quickly returned to familial bickering. Romanoff wanted to know the location of the Red Room Academy, but Vostokoff felt that finding Dreykov was a fantasy and they couldn't defeat him. Vostokoff decided to show them the result of their mission in Ohio, explaining how she was able to use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data on the human brain to gain complete control over any subject, demonstrating on one of her pigs by having it stop breathing. Vostokoff informed the others that Dreykov had Black Widows under his control all over the world. Romanoff then yelled at Vostokoff and Shostakov, called the former a coward, and stating that their family was not real,
This deeply upset Belova, who thought that their family was real, seeing Vostokoff as her mother, despite it all being fake. Belova then revealed that she had chemically subjugated by Dreykov, which Vostokoff was unaware of, and stormed off. Shostakov went to check on Belova, leaving Vostokoff and Romanoff at the table. Romanoff went to leave on her own, but Vostokoff stopped her and revealed that Romanoff was taken from her real mother, who never stopped searching for her, which led to Dreykov executing her.
Vostokoff expressed her preference not to look into the past, but Romanoff discovered that she had kept their family photo album and wished she had a real childhood. Romanoff asked why Vostokoff was helping the Red Room, and she told her whole life she had been trapped in the Red Room, and thus was the only life she had ever known, as she was never given a choice. Romanoff showed Vostokoff sympathy, which surprised her seeing her daughter having still kept her heart. Romanoff explained that what Vostokoff taught her kept her alive.[1]
Seeing a chance for redemption, Vostokoff told Natasha Romanoff that she had contacted the Red Room about their presence and that they would arrive to take them shortly.
Vostokoff and Romanoff began making a plan to destroy the Red Room, in which they would disguise themselves as the other by swapping clothes and using the Photostatic Veil to infiltrate the facility. Vostokoff instructed Romanoff on what to do once inside the facility, including informing her of Dreykov's pheromonal lock that prevented him from being attacked. Vostokoff, disguised as Romanoff, was then knocked out, brought onboard a helicopter, and taken to the Red Room Academy.[1]
Vostokoff awoke in a cell next to Alexei Shostakov, who believed her to be Natasha Romanoff, due to her still wearing the Photostatic Veil, and started apologizing for his mistakes. As he did, Vostokoff freed them from the cells and revealed herself to Shostakov. Vostokoff then contacted Yelena Belova to tell her she had a blade hidden in her belt, allowing her to free herself.
Vostokoff and Shostakov then began flirting as she explained how she was going to land the facility. Shostakov expressed his desire to be useful in the plan, wanting to break something, just as Taskmaster entered, so Vostokoff left the two to fight as she carried out the plan. Vostokoff made her way through the facility, and managed to activate the facility's landing system, but it was quickly suspended by Dreykov. Being trapped, Vostokoff found a way to escape through the vents.
Reaching one of the engines, Vostokoff stole a grenade launcher off of a guard, but became surrounded. Vostokoff walked across a bridge over a propeller and shot a grenade upwards, sending debris into the propeller. This destroyed one of the engines, sending the facility into a controlled crash, and Vostokoff grappled herself to safety. She then informed Belova of their current situation and quickly returned back to Shostakov, who was still fighting Taskmaster, who Vostokoff locked in one of the cells.
Vostokoff and Shostakov rushed to the aircrafts so they could get away before the facility crashed. They waited for Romanoff and Belova to join them before taking off, but the ground under them collapsed and caused the aircraft to fall. Vostokoff managed to get the aircraft flying and headed back to the facility to pick up her daughters. But when a guard landed on their aircraft, Shostakov threw a shield at him, causing him to hit the tail, destroying it, sending them plummeting towards the ground.[1]
Surviving the crash landing, with Vostokoff breaking her left leg, she and Alexei Shostakov shared a kiss inside the aircraft. They got out and regrouped with Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. The four shared a moment together, but when they spotted Thaddeus Ross arriving, Romanoff told them to all to leave, but they wanted to stay and fight. Romanoff pursuaded them to go, and they left with the liberated Black Widows, with the mission of freeing the rest once Vostokoff copied the Red Dust.[1]
Melina is shown to be very compassionate and sweet to others such as Yelena Belova or Natasha Romanoff when she and Alexei Shostakov were looking after them while trying to access data from S.H.I.E.L.D. She has also show signs of loyalty to the "Family" and towards the Red Room and Dreykov, having served under them for a long time, but was willing to listen and be persuaded by Natasha that Dreykov needed to be killed.
Abilities[]
Master Martial Artist: Vostokoff is an extremely skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, having gone through the Red Room training process four times. She was able to dispatch the soldiers in the Red Room with ease, even able to use a typical head-scissor throw to catch Taskmaster off guard and fling her into a cell, whereas Natasha failed to subdue her with the same technique.
Master Marksman:
Vostokoff aiming her sniper rifle
As a Black Widow, Vostokoff is highly skilled and well-trained in the use of firearms. She is proficient with sniper rifles, as she prepared to take down the people approaching her farm, until she realized they were her surrogate family. She later easily used a rifle's grenade launcher to demolish one of the Red Roomaerial facility's engines.
Master Acrobat: As a Black Widow, Vostokoff is highly skilled in incorporating gymnastics and acrobatics into her fighting style as she battles opponents, such as when she used a head-scissor throw to force Taskmaster into a holding cell.
Master Spy: Vostokoff is a highly skilled spy, being able to go undercover in the United States of America, and pretend to be Alexei Shostakov's wife and the mother of Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova perfectly for three years without arousing suspicion. She was able to deceive Romanoff, Belova and Shostakov and set them up to get captured by the Red Room before she turned sides.
Master Assassin: Vostokoff is a highly skilled assassin. She has been indoctrinated by the Red Room four times to become an elite assassin.
"She was the scientist, the strategist. I was the muscle. She worked directly for Dreykov far more than I ever did."
Master Scientist: Vostokoff was able to make a chemical that could control pigs' minds, which was employed by Dreykov as a way to ensure the loyalty of his Widows. She demonstrated knowledge in entomology and chemistry when she identified a species of fireflies and explained the concept of bioluminescence to a young Yelena.
Expert Engineer: Vostokoff is highly skilled at engineering, claiming to have designed the holding cells of the Red Room Academy herself.
Expert Tactician: According to Shostakov, Vostokoff is a skilled tactician who is able to make strategies on the fly and adapt to different situations.
Pilot: Vostokoff is able to fly a plane, and was the designated pilot in their escape plan. She later taught a young Romanoff how to fly it to escape. When infiltrating to destroy the Red Room, Vostokoff was able to fly a jet after the Red Room's destruction.
Bilingualism: Vostokoff is fluent in her native Russian, as well as English.
Vostokoff armed herself with a sniper rifle when people approached her farm, but lowered her sights when she recognized them as her surrogate family and returned the rifle to her hidden armory.
Uniform: It is a suit with black and grey patterning, and a gold Widow's Bite and belt. The uniform also contains a back holster for her batons, with a strap across the front, padding for the shoulders, knees, and elbows, and also thigh holsters. During the Destruction of the Red Room, Natasha and Melina swapped uniforms when they disguised as each other.
Winter Uniform: It is a white suit, to fit and blend with the snow environment that her mission took place in. The rest of the costume remains similar to all her previous ones, with shoulder, knee, and elbow pads, as well as a holster on the back for her batons, her Widow's Bites, and a belt with two thigh holsters. Melina was wearing that uniform while she was disguised as Natasha.
In the comics, Melina Vostokoff is an agent of the Russian Government who eventually left Russia to become a freelance mercenary and assassin, codenamed Iron Maiden.
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}
.jpeg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
