Marvel’s Thunderbolts star Florence Pugh recently shared a set video, which may have given away some important details about her next MCU appearance. Pugh will be reprising her Black Widow role of Yelena Belova in Marvel’s Thunderbolts, and most of what her video revealed was new details about her character. However, there were some small glimpses of details that might hint at other aspects of the movie.
Pugh made it clear in her video that she was limited in what she could reveal about Thunderbolts, which is par for the course. Marvel is very tight-lipped about its upcoming projects. That likely goes double for Thunderbolts as it may have ties to the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, so any leaks could potentially spoil both movies. Although Pugh couldn’t say much directly, there were some interesting details shown in the video that could help predict parts of Thunderbolts.
As Florence Pugh makes her way onto the Thunderbolts set in her video, she approaches the director, Jake Schreier, as he is watching footage on some monitors. Schreier is sitting in a chair with a logo for the movie on it, which Pugh then takes time to show off for the camera. While doing so, it becomes clear that the movie has been given a slight title change.
Instead of simply being Thunderbolts, the movie is now called Thunderbolts*. While this change may seem small, it might actually be a huge giveaway for a future MCU plot point. The asterisk could indicate that “Thunderbolts” isn’t the real name of the team, just the one they are using as an alias. The team may actually be a precursor to the Dark Avengers, something many have speculated about the movie’s storyline.
The presence of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and the fact that there are several ex-villains on the team, have led some to believe that the Thunderbolts won’t be a very heroic team. They are also rumored to be facing the Sentry, who has been a Dark Avengers member before. The asterisk in Thunderbolts* may be yet another hint at the team’s dark future.
When lifting the camera above her head to show off some of the set, Florence Pugh reveals a new shoulder guard for her costume. On it, there is a strange yellow logo that is hard to make out. It’s unclear if this logo is the finished product or a placeholder that Marvel will replace in post-production. Keeping the logo off the actual costume could be one way for Marvel to keep it a secret until later in the movie’s production.
From what can be seen in the video, the logo is yellow and circular. Some fans online have thought it might be a globe, potentially referencing the “new world order” that Captain America: Brave New World was originally named after. It could also be a placeholder for the Thunderbolts’ lightning logo that has been used in promotional art so far. Or there may be another explanation for the logo that’s yet to be revealed.
Throughout the video, Pugh is seen wearing her new Yelena costume. Unlike her previous suits, she is now sporting a full army green outfit. This could reflect that she is working with the military, since the Thunderbolts will have ties to the US Government. It could be an official Thunderbolts uniform, which the rest of the cast might be wearing as well at some point. However, the green color combined with the yellow logo might suggest something even more sinister.
In Marvel Comics, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is known as Madame Hydra. Yellow and green are HYDRA’s signature colors in the comics, and their agents wear tactical jumpsuits much like the one Yelena is wearing in the set video. It’s possible that this color scheme could be indicating that the Thunderbolts are unwittingly working for remaining Hydra infiltrators in the US Government, led by Valentina. This could also explain the asterisk in Thunderbolts* as the team may just be the guise that HYDRA is now operating under in the MCU.
Florence Pugh’s new green tactical suit isn’t the only Yelena costume that is shown off in the set video. While talking to director Jake Schreier, there is footage from the movie displayed on the monitors behind them. At one point, Pugh approaches the monitor to show off a scene of Yelena in front of an elevator, pointing a gun at someone off-screen. In the scene, she is wearing a different costume than the one she is on set.
On the monitor, Yelena is sporting a black jumpsuit that looks a bit less padded than her new green one. It looks more similar to the suit Yelena wears in Hawkeye when attempting to take out Clint Barton. Yelena may start the movie wearing her original Black Widow gear, and then transition to the green jumpsuit later on. This could imply that the Thunderbolts won’t be a fully formed team at the beginning of the movie, and audiences will get to see them being assembled.
Yelena may even be starting the movie in conflict with Valentina. Their last interaction showed Valentina giving Yelena faulty information about Clint Barton killing Natasha. Yelena may be going to confront Valentina earlier in the movie, before eventually joining the Thunderbolts.
It seems as though Yelena will be taking after her sister in terms of her fighting equipment. Throughout the video, two batons can be seen sticking up from a holster on the back of Pugh’s new costume. These bear a strong resemblance to Natasha’s stun batons that she used during her time as Black Widow. This is a good way to visually connect Yelena to her sister and also makes sense in terms of the character.
Both Yelena and Natasha were trained to be Black Widow assassins in the Red Room. This means they were likely instructed on how to use the same types of weapons and fighting styles. Yelena using the same weapons as Natasha therefore makes sense in terms of MCU lore, as well as sets her up as the new Black Widow in the franchise.
Although Florence Pugh wasn’t allowed to actually step onto the set in her video, there are some small glimpses of it. One part of the set she shows, a large cylindrical tube, looks to be some sort of elevator shaft. This seems to be supported by the footage seen on the monitors, as Yelena is seen standing in front of an elevator door that looks very similar to the one on set.
The rest of the set is harder to make out, but it looks like a somewhat futuristic interior. The small glimpse Pugh gives through the set’s opening makes it look similar to the interiors of The Raft or the SHIELD Hellicariers from other MCU projects. Seeing as General Thunderbolt Ross is in charge of The Raft, it could be making a comeback in Thunderbolts*.
One of the first details that is seen in Florence Pugh’s set video is the riveted gauntlets on the wrist of her new Yelena costume. This gauntlet is very reminiscent of the ones Black Widow wore in earlier MCU movies, which were used to shoot her Widow’s Bite stunners. This could be another example of Yelena using a weapon that Natasha previously used in the MCU.
Having Yelena use multiple weapons Natasha used could give an indication of where her character is at in Thunderbolts*. Yelena might not just be trying to emulate Natasha’s fighting style, but also her heroics. Though she previously mocked Natasha for her role as Black Widow, this may be Yelena’s way to honor her sister’s memory. This could eventually cause conflict between Yelena and the team if they turn out to be more villainous than they first seem.
Apart from Yelena’s two jumpsuits that are seen in the video, Yelena herself seems to have two distinctly different looks in the movie. On the monitors, Yelena seems to have the same longer hairstyle tied up in the same fashion it was in Hawkeye. However, Florence Pugh is sporting a much shorter hairstyle in her set video. This could indicate that Yelena will have two very different looks in the movie.
While this may seem like a small detail, it could give away some plot details about the movie. Often, having a character sporting two distinct hairstyles is an easy way for filmmakers to distinguish between current events and flashbacks. This could mean that Thunderbolts* will be using some flashbacks to show what Yelena has been up to since her last appearance, or even delve further into her backstory.