If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Move over y'all, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova is the star of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*

Marvel has released its first Thunderbolts* teaser trailer, starring Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova as the MCU's Lana Del Rey

Thunderbolts* poster
Image credit: Marvel Studios

Life is tough for moody kids. These are the sensitives, the emos, the hair-long-and-dark rejects that have been eating alone in the metaphorical cafeteria of life since day one. And Marvel, shockingly, seems to be aware of their plight. At least, that's what one gleans from the newly-released teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*, which puts Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova at the center of an existential crisis with superpowers. Watch it here:

"Are you fulfilled?" asks the depressed Yelena (from the studio that brought you dialogue like "The lllumiwhati?" and "Are you Tony Stank?"). In response, Where is My Mind by the Pixies begins to play in the background, making the mood of the rest of the trailer as existentially conflicted as it is action-packed - we see characters like John Walker and Bucky Barnes get their own moments of grim self-reflection. But this is Yelena's party, and she'll cry if she wants to.

Or beat the hell out of a SWAT team, whatever she needs.

To be fair, Yelena's time in the MCU has been a tragic one. Originally brainwashed by the Black Widow program, Yelena regained her identity but lost the one beacon of hope in her life when Natasha Romanoff died. She tried confronting the man she blamed for her death, Clint Barton, but when she went looking for revenge, she only found another broken soldier. Yelena has every reason to be the MCU's goth kid, and f they're making a movie for the same type of person, she has every reason to star.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some depressing lyrics to write in a journal.

Thunderbolts* saunters its way to theaters May 2025.


Learn all about Marvel's melancholy misifts as Popverse explains everything we know about Thunderbolts*.

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy