The cast of Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* is bigger than fans initially thought.
Days ahead of Thunderbolts* theatrical debut, an MCU actress announced Florence Pugh and David Harbour won't be the only Black Widow veterans reuniting in the MCU's final Phase 5 film.
Black Widow Star Confirms Her 2025 MCU Return
Actress Violet McGraw (M3GAN, The Haunting of Hill House), who played young Yelena Belova in 2021's Black Widow, surprised fans by revealing her Thunderbolts* role on social media.
The actress posted a photo of a chair bearing the title of "Young Yelena" on Instagram, captioning the post with "coming soon" and tagging Marvel Studios while including the Thunderbolts* hashtag.
Florence Pugh, who plays adult Yelena, replied to Violet's post with the following:
"You are so so good in the movie Violet. I’m so proud of you. Xx"
Despite Violet playing a young version of one of Thunderbolts* main stars, her role was never confirmed or even rumored ahead of the film's release, making Violet's reveal an unexpected surprise.
What Young Yelena's Thunderbolts* Role Means
Thunderbolts* may be an ensemble film, but the movie's marketing has mainly focused on Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and her personal inner struggle.
Therefore, a flashback or two featuring Violet just makes sense, especially given Yelena's childhood history with David Harbour's Red Guardian and what audiences saw in Black Widow.
What's likely to be different, however, is young Yelena's perspective and potentially her experience in the Red Room, something fans have mainly seen through Natasha Romanoff's eyes alone thus far.
Whether that has anything to do with the young actress' presence being kept underwraps remains to be seen.
Regardless, Violet McGraw's role as young Yelena confirms Marvel Studios' direct ties to Black Widow and that her emotional journey is expected to be the heart of the MCU's latest film.
Check out Thunderbolts* post-credits scenes count here!
Thunderbolts* arrives in theaters on Friday, May 2.
