It’s finally Thunderbolts* week, and the movie has been met with highly positive reviews from critics, with many stating that Florence Pugh is the standout of the film. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) finally gearing up towards an Avengers movie, audiences need key characters to latch onto while our heroes team up to face off against Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After the praise for Florence’s performance in Thunderbolts* in addition to her comments at the film’s global press conference moderated by Kevin McCarthy, it’s clear Yelena Belova needs to be a central figure in these upcoming Avengers films.
Florence Pugh Made Suggestions While Filming To Help Enhance Her Character
At the beginning of Thunderbolts*, Yelena is lost and without purpose. When speaking about showing the audience the headspace her character is in, Pugh brought up a good point about her attire to further drive that point home.
“In early fittings, I was going to be in my super suit and I was like, no, no, no. If she’s actually asking herself to be put in all of these situations to potentially get killed, she needs to be in something that doesn’t protect her. So then we open up the discussion of her being in a tracksuit.”
—Florence Pugh about her character during Thunderbolts* global press conference
This type of attention to detail is how fans fall in love with characters, and while Yelena has been a beloved addition to the MCU since her introduction in 2021’s Black Widow, Thunderbolts* puts the character front and center, providing another anchor to hold onto moving forward in this vast multiverse of heroes.
‘Thunderbolts’ Puts Mental Health Front and Center
The main theme of Thunderbolts* is mental health. Depression, anxiety, self-worth; it’s all something people struggle with daily. Seeing this displayed in something like a superhero film is a testament to how far people have come in discussing mental health and how important it is to share these feelings with others to help get through it together, rather than suffering on your own.
“I think it’s just a very, very impressive thing to see in a Marvel movie that is going to be seen by plenty of people, a message that we all need to constantly learn from, and see that we all need to be there for each other. And essentially that’s how she gets saved. She gets saved by this new family. So yeah, I was hugely grateful to have something to really sink my teeth into”
—Florence Pugh during Thunderbolts* global press conference
It certainly seems like the MCU has established its new unlikely found family to root for. Lucky for us, we don’t have to wait long to see them again, as most of the cast of Thunderbolts* will return in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.
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