Florence Pugh teases epic return to MCU in 'Thunderbolts*'

Florence Pugh expressed her enthusiasm for her upcoming return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Speaking to People magazine at San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, the actress admitted that Marvel Studios has created something special with her movie, Thunderbolts*.

She acknowledged that "the reason why it took so long to come together is [that] there would be no point in doing this story unless we did it properly," highlighting the care and dedication that went into making the film, which "has been years in the making."

Pugh will once again play Yelena Belova, the Russian Black Widow, a character she first portrayed in the 2021 film Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson.

In the upcoming movie Thunderbolts*, she will be joined by a talented ensemble cast, including Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier), David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

“There'd be no point in letting these characters come together and having their character arcs unless we actually spoke the truth about how they'd be feeling — and to come and make this movie in the way that we made it,” Pugh said.

The film, directed by Jake Schreier, is still in the early stages of development, but it will include a fresh cast of superheroes who were all once thought to be villains.

“I feel like this is something that we've never seen before from Marvel,” noted Pugh. “I feel like it's a very open and honest and truthful idea. And I'm just really excited for people to watch it.”

Indicating to her castmates, she added, “This is why we can't stop laughing together because we genuinely just had such a wonderful time with each other and we've loved working with one another.”

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* will premiere in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.