To call Avengers: Doomsday the most heavily-anticipated movie of the year would be an understatement. The upcoming film is the 39th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is set to unite an array of heroes and villains from across the Marvel multiverse. We're not just talking about the MCU either, as the larger-than-life event will see the cast from Fox's X-Men reprise their roles in one of the biggest group returns in movie history.
Speaking of which, the very first trailer for the film featured a shocking moment that had fans very quickly dissecting it. That moment featured Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, but it was also particularly relevant to the X-Men as the character was momentarily replaced by... herself? And ever since, fans have continued to talk about that moment - and how it's all a perfect example of what Avengers: Doomsday (and the multiverse of madness that awaits in it) is capable of.
How Mystique momentarily replaces Yelena Belova in Avengers: Doomsday, explained
Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova has very much become one of the faces of the MCU. Easily one of the most successful arrivals of the Multiverse Saga, she has evolved from a Black Widow assassin to an independent contractor for hire (a.k.a. Shadow Ops for Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) and, finally, the leader of the New Avengers. So it's only fitting that she is at the forefront of the very movie that is going to kick off the ending of that very saga: Avengers: Doomsday.
She makes quite a significant appearance in the film's first trailer as the Avengers encounter the X-Men on an alternate world that has seemingly been decimated by an incursion. However, it turns out that very few of these clips actually belong to the real Yelena, as it looks like - for a moment at least - she has been replaced by none other than Mystique.
X-Men fans will know that Mystique plays quite the presence in the world of Marvel's Mightiest Mutants. A shapeshifter, the character is an antihero who can take on the form of anyone that she encounters. And yes, as we can see in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, that includes the Avengers as the masterful mistress of disguises takes on the form of Yelena upon encountering Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Will she attempt to infiltrate the Avengers on the behalf of the X-Men? It's certainly possible; Mystique has served as a short-term "replacement" for Marvel characters throughout the X-Men movie series, taking on the form of Wolverine, Storm, and more iconic heroes in an attempt to dupe the others. And considering that this Earth's X-Men don't know whether the Avengers can be trusted, it's likely that Mystique will be sent to handle the problem.
All that being said, it looks like her best laid plans won't come to fruition as we actually do get to see Yelena vs. Yelena take place in the X-Mansion, meaning that the real version of the character will attempt to stop her fro infilatrating anything - leading to an epic hand-to-hand battle between two of the best fighters that any Marvel cinematic universe has ever seen. This also results in another epic X-Men vs. Avenger battle as Gambit (Channing Tatum) squares off against Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).
It's undoubtedly going to make for an awesome sight to see the Avengers battle the X-Men, but it's going to make an even greater sight when the two teams unite (along with the Fantastic Four) to battle Doctor Doom. So, yeah, believe it or not, at some point in time Yelena and Mystique are probably going to have to get along.
But that will only happen when she learns that there is only room for one Yelena Belova in the MCU.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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