How to Use Russian Names. Instruction for Marvel Studios
#1. Do not use OFF in Russian surnames.
The use of the suffix -off instead of -ov/ova in Russian surnames is an outdated form of French transliteration.
It was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Russian emigrants in Europe and the United States, but is no longer used (yes, for several decades now). So unless the character comes from a family that immigrated due to the Russian Revolution (1917–23) or earlier, giving them -off instead of ov/ova doesn't make sense.
How these Russian surnames actually work: there are a few different suffixes in Russian surnames. The most common are -in/ina (e.g. Kalinin/Kalinina) and -ov/ova (e.g. Smirnov/Smirnova). Why two options for each: in Russian, words change according to gender. So typical Russian surnames (with the aforementioned suffixes) have options for each traditional gender: ov/in for males and ova/ina for females.
Example: Natasha Romanoff shouldn't be a Romanoff at all. She's not from a family of immigrants who came to the United States in 1918. She was born in Russia. Her legal last name on her birth certificate is "Romanova." That's her correct last name.
P.S. No, there is no information that she officially changed her name after defecting from the Red Room. This is simply a gap in the knowledge of people working at Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. It is long overdue for this error to be corrected. Also note that Yelena's last name is Belova, not Beloff.
The same applies to another victim of this absurdity - Melina Vostokoff. She is Vostokova.
What about other suffixes that we see in Russian characters? They are also used, but less common and usually indicate foreign origin (for example, -ko indicates Ukrainian origin), and some of them are not gender differentiated.
By the way, "Vanko" is a made-up name derived from the Russian name "Ivan" that is overused in the US. It sounds weird to a Russian speaker. Please, don't make up names. At least Google the real ones.
#2. Use short names.
Yelena Belova, Alexei Shostakov... They are always called by their full names: "Yelena" and "Alexei". Even among family and friends.
In the real world it would not be like this. In Eastern Europe, people use shortened versions of names more often than full ones. "Natasha" is a "shortened" version of "Natalia". It is not a different name. The same applies to Yelena. The shortened version of the name is "Lena". This is what her friends and family would call her. Or those who do not respect her very much, like Dreykov. Alexei's shortened name is "Lyosha" (Melina would call him this) or "Lekha" (his male pals would most likely use this version).
By the way, Marvel put the stress in the name "Alexei" incorrectly. It's not AlExei, it's AlexEi.
Here are other variations of the name Natasha that can be used: "Nat", "Nata", "Natalie", "Natashka".
For Yelena: "Lenka", "Lenochka".
But be careful when using versions whose specifics you are not familiar with.
In addition: in official settings among Russians, patronymics are used. For example, Ivan Antonovich Vanko or Natalia Alianovna Romanova (by the way, Alian is also not a real Russian name).
P.S. Natasha's real father's name was Ivan, so it would be more correct to use Natalia Ivanovna Romanova and forget about this terrible "Alian".
#3. Learn surnames other than those of famous people.
It's not only Marvel's issue, but of other companies too (recall Chekov from Star Trek, for example).
Stop using names like Rasputin, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Lermontov, etc. for Russian characters in movies. When Russian speakers hear these names, they think they are watching, for example, Russian mafia AU with famous writers of the 19th-20th centuries. It's just ridiculous. These are not common Russian names. Google more common ones, those that gang members might have (but try to avoid the most common, like Ivanov, because they are overused).
And no, changing one letter won't fix it.
#4. Avoid rare and foreign names.
Marvel uses too many names for Russian characters that aren't actually Russian. Often they're made up or so rare that you'd never hear them in the country itself.
I have already mentioned a few made-up names, such as Vanko or Alian. Illyana is another one (the mutant Magik). Names like Melina or Antonia are real, but not of Russian origin and are not commonly used in Russia (instead, there are local versions of them, such as "Antonina").
