The marketing of Thunderbolts* has placed a big focus on one element of the film, changing the way I see an MCU scene from 2021. Thunderbolts* marketing has been incredibly effective of late, be it the teases of the ᴀssembled Thunderbolts team or the hints at a powerful new MCU villain. Naturally, with a cast as popular as Thunderbolts* possesses, Marvel Studios is leaning into the likes of Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour as focal points of the movie, capitalizing on their previous MCU successes.

Of all the cast members, however, it seems that Florence Pugh’s Yelena will be a focus of Thunderbolts* MCU story. This much has been hinted at by the film’s director, Jake Schreier, and other stars like Stan, who claimed during San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that witnessing Pugh’s performance was a highlight of his experience. Based on what has been shown of Yelena in the trailers for the upcoming Marvel movie, this is evident and provides me with a deeper understanding of a Marvel scene from 2021.

Thunderbolts* Has Already Really Underlined Yelena’s Fighting Skills

Yelena Is One Of The MCU’s Best Hand-To-Hand Combatants

The element of Thunderbolts* marketing in question concerns Yelena’s fighting skills. Firstly, the trailers have really underlined just how strong Yelena is in hand-to-hand combat. Be it the scenes involving her casually taking out squads of soldiers in almost boredom or her fending off other MCU characters like Ghost and John Walker, Thunderbolts* is making it clear how ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Yelena is.

In other scenes, Yelena’s survival skills are shown too. One focus of the trailers has been Yelena, again casually, walking off the top of a high building or vaulting through a building that is being destroyed. Overall, Thunderbolts* is making it abundantly clear how Yelena’s fighting skills, be they against others or survival-based, are some of the best in the entire MCU.

Seeing Yelena In Thunderbolts* Changes Hawkeye’s Yelena & Kate Bishop Scene Substantially

Thunderbolts* Explains Yelena’s Demeanor

Interestingly, this depiction of Yelena throughout Thunderbolts* marketing campaign changes how I see Hawkeye. One of the standout elements of Hawkeye was the depiction of Kate Bishop’s budding friendship with Yelena, which is perhaps best summed up during their first conversation in the former’s apartment. This scene shows Yelena being overly friendly, casual, and almost blasé when meeting Kate, despite having tried to kill Hawkeye previously, which could cause anger from his apprentice.

While this could have been to set up their future friendship, Thunderbolts* almost makes this scene slightly darker. As it is, it features a lot of comedy, including Yelena joking that she could have killed Kate as soon as she entered her apartment. Although the scene still has that comedic undertone, this threat from Yelena becomes a lot more real after seeing how casual she can be about murder and espionage in Thunderbolts*. In the way any good interconnected universe should, Marvel’s upcoming efforts are changing how I see past projects, even if it is only in subtle ways such as this.