Florence Pugh Spoils Thunderbolts* Movie’s Exciting Opening Scenes

Marvel Studios spoiled the opening moments of Thunderbolts* in a behind-the-scenes video featuring the film's leading actress, Florence Pugh.

Before Pugh joins the star-studded cast of 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, she will take lead billing in the MCU's final film of Phase 5, Thunderbolts*, this spring. Yelena Belova will be back for a third appearance in the MCU after Black Widow and Hawkeye, taking on her biggest role in a movie to date.

Thunderbolts* will put Yelena in a new position as she tries to figure out her place in the world, all before leading a team of misfits and outcasts on a new, undisclosed mission. 

Florence Pugh's Opening Scene in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts

A new behind-the-scenes video from Marvel Studios revealed the opening scene of Thunderbolts*, which comes to theaters on May 2.

The scene highlights Florence Pugh performing a massive stunt on the film's set. In it, Yelena Belova jumps off of Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the second-tallest building in the world at 2,227 feet tall.

Attached to a rig and wiring, Pugh steps off the side of the building in a massive fall, which later shows Yelena opening a parachute and floating safely to the ground.

This same scene is shown in multiple Thunderbolts* trailers and later leads to a floor of an undisclosed building being blown up while Yelena holds a gerbil. The video confirmed this will be the opening scene of Thunderbolts*.

This sneak peek at Thunderbolts* comes shortly after fans learned that test screenings for Marvel's next theatrical release yielded impressive results.

The full behind-the-scenes video can be seen below:

What This Scene Tells Us About Yelena at the Start of Thunderbolts*

When fans last saw Yelena Belova in 2021's Hawkeye, she came to an understanding with Clint Barton over Natasha Romanoff's death, ending her pursuit to kill him. While she still works for Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, things are going to be different for her moving forward.

This scene appears to place her on another assignment for Val, where she ends up with the aforementioned gerbil in her possession. However, the gerbil might only be an extra get for Yelena, as she is more likely on the hunt for something much more valuable to bring back to the director of the CIA.

Eventually, this will lead to her joining the rest of the Thunderbolts team as they try to stop Lewis Pullman's Sentry from unleashing hell on Earth. Sentry must be confronted as the team learns that Val initially wants the Thunderbolts to kill one another.

With many plot details still being kept secret, finding out the full scale of this mission will be part of what makes the start of Thunderbolts* exciting.

Where the film goes from that point (particularly with it setting up some of what comes in Avengers: Doomsday) will increase the drama as the MCU's Phase 5 ends.