The marketing ofThunderboltshas placed a big focus on one element of the film, changing the way I see an MCU scene from 2021.Thunderboltsmarketing has been incredibly effective of late, be it the teases of theassembled Thunderbolts teamor the hints at a powerful new MCU villain. Naturally, with acast as popular asThunderbolts*possesses, Marvel Studios is leaning into the likes of Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour as focal points of the movie, capitalizing on their previous MCU successes.
Of all the cast members, however, it seems that Florence Pugh’s Yelena will be a focus ofThunderbolts*MCU story. This much has been hinted at by the film’s director, Jake Schreier, and other stars like Stan, who claimed during San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that witnessing Pugh’s performance was a highlight of his experience. Based on what has been shown of Yelena in the trailers for theupcoming Marvel movie, this is evident and provides me with a deeper understanding of a Marvel scene from 2021.
Thunderbolts* Has Already Really Underlined Yelena’s Fighting Skills
Yelena Is One Of The MCU’s Best Hand-To-Hand Combatants
The element ofThunderboltsmarketing in question concerns Yelena’s fighting skills. Firstly, the trailers have really underlined just how strong Yelena is in hand-to-hand combat. Be it the scenes involving her casually taking out squads of soldiers in almost boredom or her fending off other MCU characters like Ghost and John Walker,Thunderboltsis making it clear how deadly Yelena is.
Black WidowandHawkeyealso made it clear how strong Yelena is, especially the latter when she almost killed Clint Barton.
In other scenes, Yelena’s survival skills are shown too. One focus of the trailers has been Yelena, again casually, walking off the top of a high building or vaulting through a building that is being destroyed. Overall,Thunderbolts*is making it abundantly clear how Yelena’s fighting skills, be they against others or survival-based, are some of the best in the entire MCU.
Seeing Yelena In Thunderbolts* Changes Hawkeye’s Yelena & Kate Bishop Scene Substantially
Thunderbolts* Explains Yelena’s Demeanor
Interestingly, this depiction of Yelena throughoutThunderbolts*marketing campaign changes how I seeHawkeye. One of the standout elements ofHawkeyewas the depiction of Kate Bishop’s budding friendship with Yelena, which is perhaps best summed up during their first conversation in the former’s apartment. This scene shows Yelena being overly friendly, casual, and almost blasé when meeting Kate, despite having tried to kill Hawkeye previously, which could cause anger from his apprentice.
Although the scene still has that comedic undertone, this threat from Yelena becomes a lot more real after seeing how casual she can be about murder…
While this could have been to set up their future friendship,Thunderboltsalmost makes this scene slightly darker. As it is, it features a lot of comedy, including Yelena joking that she could have killed Kate as soon as she entered her apartment. Although the scene still has that comedic undertone, this threat from Yelena becomes a lot more real after seeing how casual she can be about murder and espionage inThunderbolts. In the way any good interconnected universe should, Marvel’s upcoming efforts are changing how I see past projects, even if it is only in subtle ways such as this.
