Kevin Feige Teases Appearance from Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova in Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Marvel Studios president and Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) organizer Kevin Feige seems to have teased that Thunderbolts*' Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) will show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The comic book movie-making expert offered a brief tease for what's to come during a special appearance at Bilibili World 2026 in Shanghai. Along with the reveal of some new concept art, he planted some seeds regarding a surprise appearance from a character who has become increasingly important in the MCU.

"If you're a fan of Yelena, wait until Avengers: Doomsday," Feige said. "Yelena plays a big part in that, but if you don't want to wait until then, you might see Yelena a little bit sooner in the movies."

Feige doesn't explicitly say Yelena will show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but it's pretty easy to see why fans are already expecting as much. Tom Holland's Spider-Man is the only Marvel hero set to grace the silver screen with a standalone film before the next Avengers movie premieres this December.

Even if Yelena could show up in a Marvel TV show, the list of potential projects she could show up in is quite short, with only X-Men '97, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2, and VisionQuest on the schedule for the rest of 2026. It's for this reason that fans are now expecting the Black Widow side character and Thunderbolts* lead to show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, even if it's for little more than a cameo in an already-stacked production.

The latest Holland-led Spidey flick is confirmed to feature appearances from Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, and Michael Mando as Scorpion. Sadie Sink, who will appear in the movie, is also heavily rumored to play a new incarnation of X-Men regular Jean Grey. With trailers and marketing materials showing no sign of Yelena thus far, it might be safe to expect her rumored role to be quite small.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day's July 31, 2026, release date will put the film out in a little less than three weeks. While we wait to see how Pugh may fit in, you can read about how Holland is doing his best to bring Miles Morales into the MCU.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).