When Nat (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) decide to break Alexi Shostakov (David Harbour) out of prison in Black Widow, we jump to a scene with The Red Guardian arm-wrestling some of his fellow inmates. Alexi refers to the huge man who winds up having is wrist snapped as Ursa, and actor Olivier Richters has now confirmed that his character is indeed Ursa Major.
"The Dutch Giant" shared an Instagram post making it very clear that he played the Winter Guard member, who has the mutant ability to transform into a huge bear in the comics. The movie never establishes this (obviously), but Richters believes this officially makes his character the first mutant to appear in the MCU.
"Marvel Black Widow is out," Richters captioned his post. "After two years I can finally tell who my character is: Ursa Major 🐻: the first mutant (X-Men) to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (SWIPE photos). Ursa is part of the Winter Guard, noted for being "Russia's answer to the Avengers". His power transforms him into an incredible bear, transcending The Hulk in size. Ursa appears many times in the comics fightning Wolverine and The Hulk."
"When production on set told me who I really was in Black Widow I let some tears in my hotel room, because my movie dream became true: being a official comic super Hero. I can only hope Marvel will bring back Ursa in full form."
Technically, he's right - but just because the comic book version of Major is a mutant, doesn't mean this big-screen take on the character is! Still, if Marvel Studios ever decides to do something with The Winter Guard, there's a good chance we will see Ursa again, so hopefully Richters gets his wish.
Black Widow is now playing in theaters and on Disney+ Premiere Access.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.