The final Thunderbolts* trailer hints at a possible cameo by one of the MCU’s original six Avengers. Marvel Studios has done a great job keeping Thunderbolts*‘ spoilers under wraps, as many questions surrounding its plot are reserved for the movie’s May 2 release. From Taskmaster’s suspicious absence in Thunderbolts*‘ promotional material to the team’s strategy against the Void, all the Thunderbolts* trailers and clips have provided more questions than answers.
Only two weeks before its release, Marvel Studios’ final trailer for Thunderbolts* presents a few new shots from the movie, including a brief shot of the Avengers Tower’ letter “A” in storage, a shot of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine looking scared, and a shot of Geraldine Viswanathan’s mystery character sporting a bird necklace. Notably, the final Thunderbolts* trailer also reveals Yelena will walk straight into the Void. What Yelena will experience inside the Void is yet to be seen, but it might be connected to an original Avenger.
The Final Thunderbolts* Trailer Suggests A Scarlett Johansson Cameo Is Possible
Yelena Belova May Revisit Her Memories Of Natasha Romanoff
The final Thunderbolts* trailer puts special focus on Yelena Belova’s struggle to leave her painful past behind. Yelena hasn’t fully recovered from Natasha Romanoff’s death, and she seemingly finds some comfort in her assassin ventures. At some point in Thunderbolts*, Yelena revisits her darkest memories, including one where she’s a scared child. The shot in the Thunderbolts* trailer where Yelena willingly enters the Void suggests that these memories are illusions created by Sentry’s alter ego. Yelena may be able to interact with people from her past, including younger versions of herself. Likewise, the Void may be able to reunite Yelena with Natasha Romanoff.
Yelena’s trial inside the Void could involve her real parents, as well as a younger version of Alexei Shostakov, Melina Vostokoff, and Yelena’s adoptive sister, Natasha Romanoff
Little is known about the Thunderbolts’ plan to stop Sentry and the Void, but the final Thunderbolts* trailer suggests Yelena Belova will sacrifice herself to the Void in order to achieve it. By coming to terms with her deepest fears and regrets, Yelena might be able to defeat the Void and bring all of its victims out of the darkness and back into the world. If this theory is accurate, Yelena’s trial inside the Void could involve her real parents, as well as a younger version of Alexei Shostakov, Melina Vostokoff, and Yelena’s adoptive sister, Natasha Romanoff.
A Natasha Romanoff Cameo In Thunderbolts* Fits Yelena Belova’s MCU Arc Perfectly
A Proper Farewell To Natasha Romanoff Would Close A Chapter In Yelena Belova’s Life
As of Thunderbolts*, Yelena Belova hasn’t adjusted to her life without Natasha Romanoff. If the Void’s shadow powers are based on grief and suffering instead of literal darkness, Yelena might have the chance to see Natasha one last time and finally come to terms with her death. After all, Yelena couldn’t say goodbye to Natasha properly, as Natasha had to escape the authorities due to the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords at the end of Black Widow. Before Yelena and Natasha could reunite, Thanos’ Snap affected Yelena, and Natasha traded her life for the Soul Stone.
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The Void may cast an illusion where Yelena reunites with Natasha. Of course, this Natasha Romanoff wouldn’t be the original one, and Natasha’s death would remain definitive and irreversible. While the actual Natasha Romanoff wouldn’t cross paths with Yelena after her own death, Yelena would get the opportunity to overcome her grief and end the most tragic chapter of her life by venting out to a false but very believable version of her adoptive sister.
A Thunderbolts* Cameo Suits Scarlett Johansson More Than A Multiversal Doomsday Or Secret Wars Role
Scarlett Johansson’s Thunderbolts* Cameo Could Be More Dramatic Than A Multiversal Natasha Romanoff Variant’s Return
Thanks to the multiverse, Chris Evans played a pruned variant of Johnny Storm a.k.a. the Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine, and Robert Downey Jr. is set to play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While Scarlett Johansson could play a different Marvel character or an alternate variant of Natasha Romanoff in the MCU’s multiversal Avengers movies, Johansson has made it clear that Natasha Romanoff’s MCU story is over, and the star has moved on from the MCU after Black Widow. Seeing Johansson return in a similar capacity to Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. is unlikely.
Natasha Romanoff’s cameo in Thunderbolts* would be much more thematically involved than a simple multiversal return
Instead of playing what would essentially be a brand-new character, Scarlett Johansson could play the original Natasha Romanoff one last time in a Thunderbolts* cameo. Natasha’s Void illusion wouldn’t undo her sacrifice, and it wouldn’t extend her MCU story unnecessarily. Instead, it would help Yelena Belova take the next step in her MCU journey and take up the Black Widow mantle just in time to become an honorary Avenger in Avengers: Doomsday. While brief, Natasha Romanoff’s cameo in Thunderbolts* would be much more thematically involved than a simple multiversal return.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
- Runtime
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126 Minutes
- Director
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Jake Schreier
- Writers
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Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo