If you thought Florence Pugh was just a passing torch-bearer for the Black Widow mantle, think again. According to a fresh report from industry insider DanielRPK, Yelena Belova isn’t just surviving the multiversal chaos of Avengers: Doomsday—she’s being positioned as one of the primary anchors for the grand finale, Avengers: Secret Wars.
Pugh’s Yelena is reportedly one of the modern MCU characters who will actually drive the core of the story, which is slated to begin production later this year.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2025 MARVEL.
After beginning the film in the dumps, Yelena ended Thunderbolts* not as a reluctant assassin, but as the de facto leader of a new, albeit dysfunctional, team of Avengers. RPK’s report suggests that her leadership role will somehow extend into the Secret Wars.
Interestingly, DanielRPK also noted that Pugh and David Harbour (Red Guardian) are currently scheduled for additional photography during the Avengers: Doomsday reshoot window. The insider recently shared the word that the reshoots were largely planned to be “character-dricen” scenes, intended to add emotional beats and narrative clarity to the film.
In a post-Iron Man MCU, the franchise has struggled to find a human center. Pugh’s performance has been a consistent bright spot, blending high-stakes trauma with the kind of dry wit that fans used to associate with Tony Stark. By making her a major player in Secret Wars, Marvel is betting on her star power to help carry the franchise into whatever comes after the soft reboot.