One of the stars of Marvel's Black Widow has revealed that they are set to make an unexpected appearance in the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie. The film is set for release on May 2 and it already features a multitude of stars from Black Widow and now it can add another one to the mix in Violet McGraw.
Thunderbolts* will feature a team of unlikely heroes as familiar faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, led by Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, will look to save the world from an all-powerful threat known as The Void. During a time when the MCU is without the Avengers, they are more necessary than ever. And early reactions and reviews to the film suggest that they get the job done as well as the Avengers themselves, as critics are calling it one of the MCU's best in years.
It's set to feature some surprises for sure, but now we know that one of them will be another returning MCU star.
Black Widow star Violet McGraw confirms comeback in Thunderbolts*
Violet McGraw surprised fans when she revealed that she will be returning to the MCU in Thunderbolts* to reprise her role as young Yelena Belova. The star previously portrayed the role in 2021's Black Widow during the film's first act, which was set in 1995 and showcased the relationship between sisters Yelena and Natasha Romanoff. Her return in Thunderbolts* had not been officially confirmed, which is why her announcement surprised people so much.
The actress took to Instagram to share a set photo of her Young Yelena chair, tagging Marvel Studios in the caption that also read "Thunderbolts coming soon". Check it out below:
Florence Pugh herself commented on the photo, saying: You are so so good in the movie Violet. I’m so proud of you. Xx.
It makes sense that McGraw reprise the role as Thunderbolts* will be partially delving into Yelena's backstory, meaning that there will be a storyline featuring a younger version of the character. A younger version of Yelena does appear in the most recent trailer for the movie, but it hadn't been confirmed who would be playing her.
McGraw's inclusion makes her the fifth Black Widow star to appear in Thunderbolts* as she joins Florence Pugh, David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Olga Kurylenko's Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in reprising their roles. It's not surprising given how many storylines from that movie are carried over into Thunderbolts*, which makes Black Widow arguably the most important movie to watch ahead of the new release.
Granted, the upcoming film does feature characters from - and the continuation of plot threads from - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Ant-Man and the Wasp but it relies most heavily on its ties to Black Widow given that Yelena is essentially the main character and she made her MCU debut in the 2021 movie.
McGraw has enjoyed a very successful career since her appearance in Black Widow, starring in Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House and the uber-successful horror film M3GAN.
Thunderbolts* arrives in movie theaters on May 2, 2025.