CBR – Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova/Black Widow is reportedly set to lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of the Thunderbolts.

Marvel Studios evidently has big plans for Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova/Black Widow, with the fan-favorite Russian spy reportedly set to lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thunderbolts.

During a recent appearance on Matthew Belloni’s The Town podcast, Justin Kroll of Deadline discussed Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, describing the upcoming film as a Pugh-led spinoff. “[Florence Pugh] has got the Marvel superhero that’s already got a spin-off,” Kroll said. “Upcoming for her, actually, on that character is this Thunderbolts film, which is basically Marvel’s Suicide Squad. Hopefully, it has better results. But the concept is it’d be her leading the team of like Wyatt Russell’s [John Walker], Daniel Bruhl’s [Zemo], those anti-heroes that aren’t exactly good but aren’t exactly bad. So there’s that. And people seem to like the Yelena character.”

Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the original incarnation of the Thunderbolts first appeared in 1996’s Incredible Hulk #449. As Kroll mentioned, the team is essentially the Marvel equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad, consisting primarily of anti-heroes and reformed supervillains who work for the government. This past June, it was reported that Marvel Studios was developing a Thunderbolts film, with Jake Schreier attached to direct from a script by Eric Pearson. At San Diego Comic-Con in June, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Thunderbolts would premiere in theaters on July 26, 2024 to close out Phase Five of the MCU.

Pugh first portrayed Yelena, the adopted younger sister of fellow Black Widow agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), in the 2021 Marvel Studios film Black Widow, the bulk of which takes place prior to events of the 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. As a result of Natasha’s death in Endgame, Yelena has effectively become the MCU’s main Black Widow. Pugh most recently played Yelena in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ original series Hawkeye, which ran for six episodes in late 2021.

In Black Widow’s post-credits scene, which is set after Natasha’s death, Yelena is approached by one Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who blames Natasha’s death on Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) — a plot point that would later be resolved in Hawkeye. In the finale of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Val is also seen courting the aforementioned John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell). These appearances naturally prompted speculation that Marvel was positioning Val as a Nick Fury-like figure for a prospective team of anti-heroes and/or villains, such as the Thunderbolts or the Dark Avengers.

At any rate, Pugh certainly seems to be making waves in the world of genre films as of late. Yelena Belova has already become a beloved character among MCU fans and, from the look of things, she’s only going to become a bigger deal as time goes on. Meanwhile, Pugh is also expected to play the key role of Princess Irulan in the upcoming second part of director Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Dune: Part Two is currently slated to premiere in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

Comicbook – Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland has apparently talked with Black Widow and Hawkeye star Florence Pugh about doing a Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover between Spider-Man and Yelena Belova. Holland was doing a podcast show interview, where he was asked about rumors that he wants to work with Pugh in a big MCU crossover. The actor admitted that the idea hasn’t yet been pitched or discussed amongst Kevin Feige and the other big bosses over at Marvel Studios, but apparently, the two actors have talked out the kind of ideas they would love to participate in!

While appearing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Tom Holland took part in a quick-fire question segment that included the question about his desire for a Spider-Man and Black Widow II (Yelena Belova) crossover. This is what the Marvel star had to say:

“[A Spider-Man and Black Widow II crossover] hasn’t been suggested to the big bosses yet, but Florence and I have definitely spoken about it, and hopefully one day we can make that happen. That would be very cool.”

Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova has exploded onto the scene like few MCU stars before her. Not only was Pugh an instant breakout favorite in her debut Marvel film Black Widow, she’s also won over fans on the small screen, by becoming a huge scene-stealer in Marvel’s Hawkeye TV series on Disney+. What’s even more impressive is that Pugh’s character, Yelena, has far less history and development in the comic book source material than about 90% of other characters adapted for the MCU. It’s truly Florence Pugh who has built the character up into a mainstream icon.

So far, one of the best things about Florence Pugh is that she’s proven herself to be a great team player. While fans love Yelena on her own, it’s when Pugh has been paired with her fellow MCU stars (like Scarlet Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop) that she’s really shined. No doubt there are many (all?) Marvel fans jumping up and down with excitement at the mere thought of getting to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man be the next to trade banter (and action) with Yelena Belova.

But how to make it happen?

There have been a number of theories about where both Spider-Man and Yelena go next after they both (ironically enough) were last seen hanging around Manhattan’s Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas time. Peter Parker is having to rebuild his life from the ground-up after the spell cast by Doctor Strange in No Way Home; Yelena is theorized to be headed for either the MCU’s version of the Thunderbolts (under Valentina’s leadership) or a Young Avengers team with Kate Bishop and other young heroes. Yelena’s journey could also arguably include a stop on both teams, at different points.

0
COMMENTS
Either way, the path of good (Young Avengers) or not-so-good (Thunderbolts) is one that easily runs into Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. It could also be as simple as Spidey becoming the next contract Yelena has to fulfill, in whatever project that happens.