In an intriguing development at Marvel Studios, a pivotal detail may have inadvertently slipped from the lips of its president, Kevin Feige, concerning the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie.
While speaking at the BiliBili World event in Shanghai on a recent Saturday, Feige dropped an enticing hint regarding the popular character Yelena Belova, portrayed by Florence Pugh. His words suggest that Marvel fans might get to see Yelena grace the big screen much earlier than anticipated.
Feige excitedly revealed, “If you’re a fan of Yelena, wait until Avengers: Doomsday. Yelena plays a big part in that.” He further fueled anticipation by adding, “But if you don’t want to wait until then, you might see Yelena a little bit sooner in the movies.” This revelation has certainly stirred excitement among fans awaiting the next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Given the schedule of upcoming films, it seems there’s only one potential slot for her earlier return. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day poised as the only MCU movie set for release before Avengers: Doomsday, Feige’s comments strongly hint at Yelena’s possible appearance alongside Peter Parker in his newest cinematic escapade.
Florence Pugh first brought Yelena to life in the 2021 film Black Widow, where she played the adoptive sister of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. Pugh reprised her role in the series Hawkeye and later joined the team of antiheroes in Thunderbolts in 2025. By the conclusion of that film, her character and her teammates had evolved into the New Avengers, setting up for a major presence in Avengers: Doomsday alongside heroes from Fox’s X-Men series, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and several well-loved characters from Avengers: Endgame.
One of the biggest returns will come from Robert Downey Jr., who is trading Iron Man’s armor for the role of Victor Von Doom. Feige also shared the line that sold him on Downey’s latest MCU chapter.
“His exact words were: ‘I played the best hero. I can play the best villain,’” Feige recalled.
Before Marvel’s next massive ensemble event, though, Brand New Day will bring together its own impressive roster. Tom Holland is back as Spider-Man, joined by Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner/Hulk and Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle/Punisher. Returning cast members Zendaya and Jacob Batalon reprise their roles as MJ and Ned, while Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman, Liza Colón-Zayas, Eman Esfandi, and Marvin Jones III round out the cast in undisclosed roles.
Marvel has kept story details tightly under wraps, but Entertainment Weekly recently revealed annotated script pages that offer an early glimpse at Peter Parker’s state of mind after Spider-Man: No Way Home. The notes describe Peter as “completely alone” at the start of the film and mention “a small, sharp headache,” providing “our first inkling that living completely in the shadows is taking its toll on Peter — something is changing, and maybe not for the better…”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens exclusively in theaters on July 31.