Thunderbolts*’ Yelena Belova is working a few things out in her personal life.
A sneak peek at the upcoming Marvel film showcased Yelena’s Red Room skills as the ex-Widow jumps off a tall building before parachuting safely below. In a voiceover, Yelena also contemplates her current mental health crisis, fearing, «There’s something wrong with me,» and worrying this particular depression has grown worse since Natasha Romanoff’s death before joking «or maybe I’m just bored.» The promo then concludes with a reminder that Thunderbolts* tickets are on sale before showing off more of Yelena’s fighting skills, even rescuing a guinea pig before completing one of her missions.
Earlier this week, Marvel released a behind-the-scenes video confirming the aforementioned drop wasn’t done with a greenscreen but actually had Yelena actor Florence Pugh jump off the Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On putting the scene together with Pugh, director Jake Schreier said, «Disney Health and Safety just said «No,» and that was a very reasonable thing to say. It’s not a zero-risk thing to attempt and it’s only because she believed in it so much she took it upon herself to elevate it because she trusts our amazing team.» The film marks Pugh’s third time playing Yelena in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Black Widow and Hawkeye, reuniting with her co-star David Harbour as Red Guardian in Thunderbolts*‘ ensemble cast. Both actors will also reprise their roles in the upcoming animated series Marvel Zombies, with other confirmed voice actors including Iman Vellani, Hailee Steinfeld, Simu Liu, and more.
team facing off against Sentry’s dark alter ego from the comics, The Void. Other trailers, meanwhile, decided to lean into more offbeat marketing, redesigning Thunderbolts* as an A24 production and referencing not only Pugh and Stan’s A24 films, but Schreier’s work directing several episodes of the indie company’s hit Netflix show Beef.
Test Screenings Have Been Positive
Early test screenings for Thunderbolts* have been reportedly positive, though no official movie score has been announced yet. Marvel also confirmed that Pugh, Stan Harbour, Russell, and Pullman will return for Avengers: Doomsday next year, revealing the entire cast —including several original X-Men stars — via an infamous five and a half hour Livestream of their casting chairs.
Thunderbolts* releases in theaters on May 2.
