Yelena Belova has had only two major appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far, but it appears the new Black Widow has a long future ahead of her in the superhero franchise, even after the upcoming, villain-focused Thunderbolts film.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed star Florence Pugh is set to earn an eight-figure salary in the MCU over the course of not just the Thunderbolts film, which she will lead, but a second, currently unknown project. When it comes to official announcements, Marvel Studios has not confirmed which films Belova will appear beyond the villainous ensemble film.

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Pugh made her debut in the MCU in 2021's Black Widow and seemingly took Natasha Romanoff's place following her demise in Avengers: Endgame. Driven by a desire for revenge and misled by the mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Belova appeared in Disney+'s Hawkeye series, attempting to kill Clint Barton. Since then, Pugh has not appeared in the MCU and Yelena Belova's activities remain unknown.

At this year's D23 event, Disney revealed Thunderbolts will have the new Black Widow leading a team consisting of Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).

Details concerning the upcoming project are scarce, though it has been reported the film will cap off Phase 5 of the MCU. Jake Schreier is attached to direct the film and Eric Pearson is penning the script. The film does not yet have an official release date and it is uncertain when filming will commence.

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The biggest films waiting ahead in the MCU are the two ensemble films Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, both of which were announced at San Diego Comic-Con this year. While there is strong potential for the inclusion of Yelena Belova, the cast of the upcoming films has not yet been confirmed. In fact, it's currently unknown how much of a role the Thunderbolts will have in the overarching storyline, currently referred to as the Multiverse Saga.

Who Are the Thunderbolts?

Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the team known as the Thunderbolts were introduced in the comics in 1997's The Incredible Hulk #499. The team's first solo series saw the team attempt to replace the Avengers and Fantastic Four after they were declared dead. There has been a multitude of supervillains that have joined and left the team. Led by Helmut Zemo, the team's original roster included Beetle, Fixer, Screaming Mimi, and Moonstone; however, the villains wore disguises to make the world think they were a new team of heroes, with Zemo operating under a false 'Citizen V' codename.

Thunderbolts is scheduled to hit theaters on July 26, 2024.

Source: THR