Florence Pugh has addressed her hilarious cameo in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Pugh's Yelena Belova has become an important piece in the MCU following her leading role in Thunderbolts*, which also cemented her as a key player in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. While many expected the next time Yelena would be seen was in the next Avengers, Pugh made an appearance much sooner with a surprising cameo in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
In the film, when Spider-Man (Tom Holland) needs answers regarding a mysterious body-jumping, mind-controlling villain, he turns to the new Black Widow, Yelena Belova, for help. This leads him to meet Yelena in her "office," which turns out to be a bathhouse in New York City. Yelena is happy to assist Spider-Man on the proviso that he joins her in the water, which requires him to take off his clothes (but leaves his mask on). The scene–and one that takes place later in the film, also in the bathhouse–are some of the more comedic moments in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and very on-brand for Pugh's character.
Pugh has since recognized her Spider-Man: Brand New Day scenes by sharing some fan art on her Instagram story. The artwork, created by @zegtineo and captioned with "spider dogs", depicts Spider-Man and Yelena in the bath, recreating a particular moment in which Peter embarrassingly lets his bare feet poke out above the water between himself and Yelena.
Pugh's role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day was rumored for some time, and it marks the first time that Pugh and Holland's MCU characters have interacted with each other. Yelena Belova is a fairly recent addition to the MCU, appearing first in the Multiverse Saga's Black Window, before cameoing in Hawkeye and then taking more of a leading role in Thunderbolts*.
Yelena's latest appearance in Spider-Man: Brand New Day fits nicely between the events of Thunderbolts*, in which Yelena and her teammates were proclaimed the New Avengers, and Avengers: Doomsday, which was released in December and will put the new team to the test.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was released in theaters on July 31. The fourth solo Spider-Man film in the MCU stars Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, and Sadie Sink, with Destin Daniel Cretton directing.
Spider-Man and Black Widow's MCU Future
Spider-Man and Black Widow's interactions in Spider-Man: Brand New Day set up an intriguing partnership and potential ongoing friendship between the two heroes, particularly as both are based in New York City.
It's well known that, going into Avengers: Doomsday, Yelena and the New Avengers will be up against a rival Avengers team as Sam Wilson/Captain America forges his own group of heroes, attempting to be the true successors to the Avengers. However, now that Yelena and Spider-Man have a connection, the New Avengers may end up benefiting from Spider-Man's support if he joins their side.
It's likely these rival teams will be settled in Avengers: Doomsday, as the heroes come together to fight an even greater threat in Doctor Doom, but it's not yet confirmed whether Holland will have a role in Doomsday or its successor, Avengers: Secret Wars.
