As Yelena Belova gets ready to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Florence Pugh looks at the progression of her character’s arc from Black Widow to Thunderbolts*. Ever since her debut in Phase 4, The Multiverse Saga has been focusing on establishing Yelena Belova as the new Black Widow. Since Pugh is a key member of the Thunderbolts* cast, but with an ensemble of new and returning Marvel actors, it marks the biggest progression in Yelena’s character journey since her initial debut.

ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier recently caught up with Pugh to discuss Thunderbolts*, and she was asked what she sees as the biggest differences for Yelena in the Phase 5 movie compared to her appearances in Black Widow, and her return in the Hawkeye TV show. While Thunderbolts* won’t be a direct Black Widow sequel, this movie is honoring where Yelena came from, which was why it was important for Pugh to see her character have a new side be explored while staying true to where her character began, as she stated the following:

I think there’s a huge difference between where she is now and the last time we saw her, even in Hawkeye.

Something that I loved playing and I loved really introducing with her was just how she was just so excited for life, and she was so thrilled that she got to make her own choices. In Black Widow, she’s someone that is really excited about pockets that she has on her vest. She can’t wait to get a dog, Fanny Longbottom. She can’t wait to explore the world. She’s just so ready to experience life. But then losing her sister really, really kneecaps her. It completely cuts off her savoring of life. She doesn’t have purpose anymore, she doesn’t know why she’s here anymore, and I really think she’s struggling to understand what she’s doing here.

One of the things that was so important for me to play was that we had to see that light in her a little bit dimmed. We have to see that she’s no longer the excitable girl that she was in Black Widow. That’s also a really exciting thing for me to get to do; to actually show change in someone. What does grief look like? What does trauma look like? What does abandonment feel like? What does loss of pᴀssion and purpose look like? That was just a very cool thing to come back to and know that they trusted me to play that.

What Florence Pugh’s Comments Mean For Yelena’s MCU Arc

As it has been a while since fans saw Yelena in the MCU timeline, there may be a lot to catch up on for her story by the time the world sees her in Thunderbolts*. But from Pugh’s comments, it’s clear that Thunderbolts* is meant to showcase that Yelena has grown as a person. From the sounds of it, Thunderbolts* is seemingly going to show some of her humanity being more developed compared to what was seen in Black Widow and Hawkeye.

This is also one of the core themes of the Thunderbolts* story, which focuses heavily on characters that are, more or less, broken, and looking for purpose, as Pugh pointed out herself about Yelena. It wouldn’t be shocking if the end of Thunderbolts* sees Yelena even more three-dimensional than ever, paving the way for her to take on bigger challenges in the MCU. That is why it will be fascinating to see how Thunderbolts* also impacts Yelena for her return in Avengers: Doomsday, as that will be the next MCU project where fans get to see her.

Our Take On Florence Pugh’s Comments About Yelena’s MCU Story

From everything Pugh shared with ScreenRant, Thunderbolts* sounds like it will be the most important installment in Yelena’s MCU arc. With Yelena continuing to be a fan-favorite out of all the new players who have joined the MCU through The Multiverse Saga, it will be exciting to witness her growth in Thunderbolts* and beyond. As Thunderbolts* gets ready to wrap up Phase 5, time will tell what the film will add to Yelena’s character journey.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

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  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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