With less than a year left before Avengers: Doomsday comes out on the big screens, speculations regarding which characters would join the team of Earth’s mightiest heroes, led by Sam Wilson, have started to take shape on the internet. In accordance, the latest theory to come out of the rumor mill seems to indicate that a Thunderbolts* member would be one of the candidates who will partner up with Anthony Mackie’s Captain America in the upcoming Avengers 5.
Yelena Belova could join Sam Wilson’s Avengers: Doomsday team
According to renowned industry insider Daniel Richtman, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, who recently made an appearance in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, will be joining forces with Sam Wilson’s team in Avengers: Doomsday.
In his latest X (formerly Twitter) update, Richtman noted that Florence Pugh’s character will become part of the Avengers squad that will formulate in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday. This may come as a surprise to fans, considering Yelena Belova was shown to be at odds with Mackie’s Sam Wilson towards the conclusion of the recently released Thunderbolts*.
Yelena, who effectively took charge of the Thunderbolts by the end of the film, shares a brief argument with Mackie’s character in one of the movie’s two post-credits scenes. This is after he sternly expresses his disagreement with the Thunderbolts using the label of ‘The New Avengers’ without obtaining permission from the original team.
Despite Yelena’s beef with Captain America, ongoing rumors suggest that she will eventually join Sam Wilson’s team in Avengers 5. Besides, Marvel has already confirmed Pugh’s involvement in the much-awaited Avengers sequel via its five-hour-long Doomsday cast reveal.
Moreover, MCU fans speculate that Yelena Belova’s ‘New Avengers’ teammates will follow suit, possibly after an initial conflict with Sam Wilson. They would also join Captain America’s team after realizing the gravity of the danger that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom poses to the planet.
If so, the Thunderbolts will fight alongside the likes of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, Letitia Wright’s Black Panther, and other iconic Marvel superheroes to neutralize the threat of Victor Von Doom.
Meanwhile, fans can catch Avengers: Doomsday in theatres on May 1, 2026.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on SuperHeroHype.
