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Florence Pugh will return as Black Widow in Thunderbolts. On June 11, we scooped that Florence Pugh will star in the Thunderbolts film. Thus, this confirms our report. Deadline‘s Justin Kroll broke the news on The Town podcast.
In addition, Florence Pugh will lead the team. Kroll explained:
Upcoming for her, actually, on that character is this Thunderbolts film, which is basically Marvel’s Suicide Squad. Hopefully, it has better results. But the concept is it’d be her leading the team of like Wyatt Russell’s [John Walker], Daniel Bruhl’s [Zemo], those anti-heroes that aren’t exactly good but aren’t exactly bad.
Florence Pugh’s Black Widow To Lead Thunderbolts
Image: Marvel Studios
Pugh debuted as Yelena Belova in Black Widow. Specifically, she became the new Black Widow. With the death of her predecessor Natasha Romanova (Scarlett Johansson) in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios gives Pugh big shoes to fill. After all, Johansson elevated Black Widow to household name status.
Well, to some degree. 2021’s Black Widow grabbed more than $379 million globally. While that’s lower than the usual MCU blockbuster, the pandemic hurt the movie’s chances. Worse yet, Disney Plus simultaneously offered Black Widow Premier Access streaming at home for an additional price.
That was the final nail in the coffin.
Thus, Black Widow‘s box-office potential was never answered. Nevertheless, future projects will solidify Pugh’s popularity as the character.
After Black Widow, Pugh appeared on Disney Plus’ Hawkeye. From my perspective, Pugh truly found her own voice in Hawkeye. Her chemistry and banter with Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop lit up every scene.
Florence Pugh’s Black Widow To Lead Thunderbolts
Image: Marvel Studios
With Thunderbolts, Marvel Studios offers Pugh an opportunity to separate herself from Johansson. After all, they’re not the Avengers. They’re a group of villains. Therefore, Pugh can focus on Black Widow’s harder edges. Granted, Pugh’s participation in Thunderbolts shouldn’t be a shocker. Indeed, Black Widow set up the movie in a post-credits scene. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) introduced herself to Pugh. Fontaine is recruiting members for a group. At the time, fans wondered if it was Dark Avengers or the Thunderbolts.
On the surface, the Thunderbolts will be like the MCU’s version of DC Films’ Suicide Squad. On the contrary, Thunderbolts will develop its own vision.
Marvel Studios unleashes Thunderbolts in theaters on July 26, 2024.