After The Thunderbolts* Early Reactions, I'm Relieved Marvel Is Embracing The MCU's Best Post-Endgame Character -

Early reactions to Marvel’s Thunderbolts* are here, and I’m really glad to see that one post-Endgame character has been embraced by Marvel Studios. On the whole, Thunderbolts* is a big ensemble film as some of the MCU’s most fascinating characters join together for the first time as a brand-new team. However, it seems as though one new Thunderbolt is specifically receiving the bulk of the movie’s early praise.

Bringing together some of the most unlikely allies, Thunderbolts* will see Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, John Walker’s U.S. Agent, Yelena Belova, Ghost, and Taskmaster joining forces. Together, they’ll be trying to stop the new threat of The Sentry/Void in New York City. However, early reactions to Thunderbolts* have me very excited for one member of the new MCU team in particular: Yelena Belova.

The Thunderbolts* Reactions Are Praising One MCU Actor More Than Others

Florence Pugh As Yelena Belova

As seen in various social media posts about Thunderbolts*, Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts* is being highlighted by most, if not all, of the movie’s early reactions. Yelena is said to be carrying most of the film’s best dramatic moments, while also being a notable fan-favorite character alongside Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. Pugh is also described as being the MVP of the new MCU movie with a truly superb performance.

10 Best Yelena Belova Quotes From All Of Florence Pugh’s MCU Appearances

Yelena Belova is quickly establishing herself as one of the next great heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the lines to prove it.

Yelena Belova first debuted in 2021’s Black Widow as a former Widow trained in the Red Room and the younger sister of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanov. Since then, Yelena also made an appearance in the Hawkeye series the same year, where she tried seeking vengeance on Clint Barton for her sister’s death in Avengers: Endgame. However, Thunderbolts* is Yelena’s first real opportunity to have a leading role in the MCU, so it’s exciting to see how popular she is based on the movie’s early reactions.

Why I’m Glad Marvel Is Embracing Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova

An Entertaining & Tragically Complex Character Played By A Fantastic Actress

Yelena Belova looking at herself in Thunderbolts*

On the whole, Yelena Belova is truly one of the MCU’s greatest current characters. A breakout star and one of the best parts of the Black Widow movie, Yelena continued to be a fan-favorite when she appeared in Hawkeye, providing some of the best scenes both comedically with Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and dramatically when she finally faced Clint Barton to have her reckoning over Natasha’s death in Hawkeye’s finale. She’s arguably the best MCU character introduced since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

The main reason Yelena is so great is largely due to Florence Pugh’s continually strong performance as the former Black Widow, who herself can easily be considered one of Hollywood’s best current actresses. As a result, I’m very glad to see that Marvel Studios is embracing Pugh’s talent. Likewise, Yelena being such a fan-favorite character in the upcoming MCU movie also bodes well for the franchise’s future beyond Thunderbolts* itself.

I’m Relieved Florence Pugh’s Yelena Is Already Confirmed For Avengers: Doomsday

She’ll Hopefully Help Lead The Next MCU Crossover

The Thunderbolts team in a new poster for the Phase 5 movie

It’s important to note that the cast of Thunderbolts* has already been confirmed to appear in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. Additionally, one can guess their roles might continue into 2027’s Secret Wars to close out the Multiverse Saga. With that in mind, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova will hopefully have a leading role in the next two MCU crossovers, helping to save reality and fight Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.

Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, Yelena Belova, Bucky, US Agent and Bob In Front of the Thunderbolts Poster

12 Marvel Movies & Shows To Watch Before Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* is scheduled to hit theaters on May 2, but you may want to rewatch these past MCU projects to better understand the new crossover movie.

When Thunderbolts* more than likely performs well at the box office, it stands to reason that Marvel will want its stars to be meaningfully involved in Doomsday and likely Secret Wars too. There’s a huge cast already confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, and Marvel Studios is not even done announcing actors for the upcoming crossover. However, Yelena Belova being confirmed after being the ostensible lead of Thunderbolts* likely means she’ll have an important role to play going forward. As such, it’s a pretty good thing that Florence Pugh’s MCU role is already receiving such high praise in these early reactions for Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* releases in theaters May 2nd from Marvel Studios.