I"m Relieved That The Thunderbolts* Director"s Recent Comments Confirm Marvel Is Embracing The MCU"s Best Post-Endgame Character

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The MCU has introduced many new characters after Avengers: Endgame, and I"m happy that Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier"s latest comments suggest Marvel is embracing its best new hero. Thunderbolts* is a collection of many of the MCU"s best antiheroes, several of whom were introduced in Phase 4. A few MCU veterans are returning, such as Bucky Barnes and Ghost, and many newer faces are also joining the fight, including Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, and Taskmaster.
Thunderbolts* is similar to DC"s Suicide Squad, where a group of antiheroes come together to complete a dangerous mission using unorthodox methods. The characters are seen as expendable, making them the perfect candidates for the assigned task. It"s safe to assume that not every team member will survive this film, and Marvel could have plenty of surprises up its sleeve. However, Schreier"s latest comments suggest one character has high odds of surviving. Fortunately, it"s the MCU"s best new character since Endgame.
Jake Schreier's Comments Suggest Yelena Will Likely Live Through This Film Yelena will be a main focus of Thunderbolts* Close Thunderbolts* has an incredible cast, with many fantastic actors returning as their respective Marvel characters. One character audiences are excited to see again is Yelena, Natasha Romanoff"s sister, who first appeared in Black Widow played by Florence Pugh. While she is joining a stacked cast, she has a leading role in the team. In an interview with Empire, Schreier confirmed that Yelena is a centerpiece of Thunderbolts* and will go through a significant arc.

"She"s front and center. Yelena is in a certain place at the beginning of the film, and how she finds her way out of that place, and who she finds herself out of that place with, is at the heart of the story."

Since Yelena is undergoing an important character arc, it"s hard to believe Marvel isn"t setting her up for future MCU projects. Anyone could get killed off in Thunderbolts*, but Yelena has been a fan-favorite since Endgame, and Marvel isn"t likely to kill her off this early in her MCU tenure. Pugh is also a rising star that Marvel hopefully doesn"t want to lose. Schreier"s comments that she"ll be "front and center" in this film further cement that Marvel has plans for Yelena that they want to expand on following this film.
Yelena Belova Is The Perfect Choice For The Centerpiece Of Thunderbolts* Yelena will benefit the film's story and box office

The two most popular characters in Thunderbolts* are Yelena and Bucky Barnes. However, Bucky has already had his moment in the spotlight in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Marvel needs to develop more of its newer roster, and Yelena is a perfect hero to utilize. She has a connection to previous eras of the MCU as Black Widow"s sister, and she has won over viewers in her few appearances. Her roles in Black Widow and Hawkeye showed off her advanced fighting skills, but many related to her because of her dry humor and wit.
Certainly, the Thunderbolts* movie"s team is made up of returning Marvel characters, but even Yelena and Bucky were predominantly side characters in the past MCU movies and shows in which they appeared. Since the Thunderbolts team is named after another lesser known character - Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, played by Harrison Ford in Captain America: Brave New World and William Hurt before him - it doesn"t have the same name recognition as the Avengers team now does in the MCU.

Related Marvel's Thunderbolts*: Cast, Release Date & Everything We Know With an MCU Thunderbolts* movie officially in development, here"s everything that"s known so far including potential cast, story, & release date.
As such, Yelena is arguably the most recognizable character on this team, same with Pugh as the most recognizable actor. Placing her front and center will benefit the story and could boost the film"s box office results. Audiences don"t know what the Thunderbolts are, but they do know Pugh, and her inclusion in the cast could attract more casual viewers who don"t know the other members of this team.
Yelena Is On A Similar Path As Black Widow Yelena is following her sister's MCU journey Close Yelena and Natasha were part of The Red Room, the Black Widow program. Fortunately, Natasha escaped and forged her own path, but it took longer for Yelena to break free from Dreykov"s control. Once Natasha escaped, she did act as a solo operative before teaming up with Hawkeye, working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and eventually joining the Avengers. She later sacrificed herself to give Hawkeye the Soul Stone in a final act of true heroism, showing her willingness to support her team and fight for the greater good.
Yelena is on a similar path as her sister. She works solo but is looking for a place where she can have a purpose. The Thunderbolts may be more morally ambiguous than the Avengers, but joining a team could show Yelena what it means to be part of something bigger than herself. Working with her father, Red Guardian, again could also help her to open up more to others. She could join the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars and Thunderbolts* is a good first step for her.

Thunderbolts*
Director Jake Schreier Release Date May 2, 2025 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Cast Florence Pugh , Sebastian Stan , David Harbour , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , Hannah John-Kamen , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Geraldine Viswanathan , Lewis Pullman , Joshua Mikel Upcoming MCU Movies