Yelena Belova’s White Widow Stars in a New Marvel Series

Marvel fans that fell in love with Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Yelena Belova will be happy to hear that the hero will headline her own Marvel solo series. Pugh debuted as Yelena Belova in 2021’s Black Widow movie, playing the sister of Scarlett Johansson’s titular Avenger. She later returned to reprise the role in the Hawkeye Disney+ series and is also set to join Marvel’s Thunderbolts movie. While Marvel has pushed back the release date of Thunderbolts, a new White Widow miniseries from Marvel Comics is on the horizon to whet the appetite.

White Widow #1 comes from writer Sarah Gailey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eat the Rich) and artist Alessandro Miracolo (Obi-Wan, Yoda) and promises “a groundbreaking new chapter in the life of one of Marvel’s most enigmatic antiheroes.” White Widow will set Yelena Belova off on her own path that’s not tied to her more popular sister, Black Widow. 

“I am beyond exhilarated to launch White Widow into her own series!” Gailey told The Mary Sue. “Yelena Belova is an incredible character who deserves independence, community, and the opportunity to kill on her own terms. Getting the chance to work with this team at Marvel is a thrill. I can’t wait for the world to see what Alessandro and I have in store!”

Thunderbolts Director and Cast Tease Marvel Film

Fans finally learned who will be a part of the Thunderbolts team at D23 Expo in September. The ultimate fan convention for all things Disney was full of surprises, including trailers for Secret Invasion and Werewolf By Night. On the movie side, the biggest reveal came in the form of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announcing the cast of Thunderbolts, a new superhero team being introduced in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thunderbolts was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con, though the roster was held until D23 Expo. With the cast and director Jake Schreier on hand, they discussed what fans can look forward to when the Marvel film premieres on Dec. 20, 2024.

“I obviously feel incredibly lucky to even have a cast like this, and to get characters that have such richness and depth and to see what happens when they square off,” Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier said backstage at D23 Expo.” Stranger Things actor David Harbour, who plays the Russian super-soldier Red Guardian, added, “They might lose,” to which Schreier replied, “Yeah, success is not guaranteed.”

“It’s actually going to be really nice to play the kind of painless strengths of Ghost and see where that takes her.” Harbour added that he will get a new suit in Thunderbolts, at least that’s what he was told, which will hopefully fit him a lot better than the costume he wore in Black Widow.

“You watch that Captain America and you see him in all these different movies, with the white star, the black star… I just want a full closet of suits, so I’m well on my way.”

White Widow #1 goes on sale November 1st.

• WHITE WIDOW #1 (OF 4)
• Written by Sarah Gailey
• Art by Alessandro Miracolo
• Cover by David Marquez
• On Sale 11/1
• Superspy. Rogue agent. Shadow of the Black Widow. Yelena Belova has been many things, but striking out as a hero in her own right is new to her. Now that she’s finally free to choose her own path, who will she become?