Thunderbolts follows a group of former villains and anti-heroes—including Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—on a covert mission that turns into a fight for survival after a betrayal
Florence Pugh says she’s “grateful” to portray a character battling inner turmoil in the upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts.
The 29-year-old reprises her role as Yelena Belova, a former Widow agent, and revealed she values the chance to explore themes like depression and loneliness. Speaking with Collider, she said, “I loved that I was allowed to play someone who was struggling and was suffering. That, to me, is what I’m grateful I get to put my mark on where we’re going with the MCU.”
Pugh added that Thunderbolts feels “textually different,” offering a story that’s less about good vs. evil and more rooted in shared emotional experiences. “It hopefully has many different parts of it that we can all see ourselves in, and that’s a very cool honour,” she said.
She also spoke about shaping Yelena’s personality, aiming to “create a woman that maybe we weren’t expecting.” Pugh noted, “I didn’t want her to be a silhouette. I wanted her to be unique and bizarre… and be strangely comic.” In this third appearance—following Black Widow (2021) and Hawkeye—Yelena shows a changed side. “She’s still funny, but she’s lost that excitement,” Pugh admitted. “And I loved that I was allowed to do that.”
Thunderbolts follows a group of former villains and anti-heroes—including Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—on a covert mission that turns into a fight for survival after a betrayal.
Pugh also touched on Yelena’s enduring bond with her sister Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson. “Natasha was her hero and her idol. She’s her big sister,” she said, reflecting on their emotional arc. “You’ve got to allow these characters to be human. And also, the fans wouldn’t have liked it” if that grief was ignored.
