The "Black Widow" star had already been announced as part of the cast and the episode had already dropped, but she says a complaint led to a surprising response.
It's no surprise to anyone that's been paying attention to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that "Black Widow" star Florence Pugh was heading to the current "Hawkeye" Disney+ series.
Not only was it announced publicly multiple times over the past year, but anyone who stayed through the end credits scene in "Black Widow" could have predicted what was coming, as well. In that scene Pugh's Yelena Belova was led to believe that Hawkeye was to blame for the death of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson).
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View StoryAs "Hawkeye" viewers know, Natasha's death has been a major through line of the series, coming up in every single episode so far as to how it's impacted Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton. And this week, things to a whole lot more personal ... and dangerous.
Everyone knew that Pugh was going to appear on "Hawkeye" this season, but they didn't necessarily know when she would appear. But those among her 5.6 million followers who maybe checked her feed just a few hours before the premiere of Episode 4 found that information spoiled.
In a dramatic rooftop battle, Clint discovered that the assassin he was sparring with was none other than Yelena herself. It was a big reveal in the episode, so apparently some fans felt spoiled that Pugh had posted screenshots with the caption, "...She's here," before the episode dropped.
According to Pugh, someone was so upset that she had spoiled her appearance before they'd had a chance to watch the episode for themselves that she was subsequently blocked from posting similar content to her own feed.
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View StoryThe "offending" post is still live, but media reports indicate she's claimed to be blocked from posting similar content in the future. She had shared video footage of her fight scene tagging her co-stars and the show's official IG page, as well as a reaction video, to her Instagram Stories.
"I never thought me posting love about a show in which I appear on would get taken down... but here we are," she wrote later on her Instagram Stories, per Buzzfeed. "Someone on here complained so I’ve been blocked from posting my own appearance on a show that I’m very much in. Beyond ridiculous."
She went on to note that "being in 'Hawkeye' is a privilege and thank you to all who welcomed me on set and off and all who are watching."
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View StoryAs of this writing, the only "Hawkeye"-related content still on Pugh's page is her initial "...She's here" post with two screenshots from the episode.
A new "Villains"-based teaser for the rest of this season of "Hawkeye" features way more footage of Pugh, so fans haven't seen the last of her. In it, she pointedly declares that she's here to kill Clint, as if he doesn't have enough problems on his hands right now.
But they may well have seen the last of Yelena on Pugh's Instagram Feed. We'll have to check it out when the new episode drops next Wednesday on Disney+ to see if she backs off sharing her enthusiasm.