Kevin Feige has hinted at the main character of Avengers: Doomsday — it is not one of the original Avengers
Marvel boss Kevin Feige has all but pointed at Avengers: Doomsday’s main character, teasing who’ll be front and centre without saying the name.
Marvel's gearing up for another round of superhero chaos with Avengers: Doomsday, and it looks like we might have a new anchor for the whole thing — or at the very least, someone a bit different in the driver’s seat. Turns out Kevin Feige has been dropping some rather pointed hints about who takes centre stage, and it’s not the obvious big-hitters this time.
Yelena steps up
So here’s what’s actually going on: in a Vanity Fair profile about Florence Pugh, Feige apparently made it pretty clear that her Marvel character, Yelena Belova, is set to be a major presence in the upcoming film. If you haven’t been watching absolutely everything Marvel churns out, Yelena’s the Russian assassin who first showed up in Black Widow and has since been making her way through Thunderbolts and Hawkeye as well — basically, Natasha Romanoff’s sharp-tongued adoptive sister, only now getting her own bit of the spotlight.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives December 18, 2026 — the very same day as Dune: Part Three.
We’re at that fun crossover point where Pugh herself is starring in both enormous franchises, although the timeline is a bit weird — she’s got a bigger part as Princess Irulan in Dune: Part Three, but even she wouldn’t fully commit to saying it’s much bigger, calling it, well… “Yeah. Ish.” That’s the official level of hype, apparently. Still, that Marvel anchor position is turning into something serious — especially with Feige suggesting Yelena isn’t just there for the jokes or family drama this time.
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The new face of the Avengers?
The most interesting bit is Feige’s belief that Yelena can basically ground the whole cosmic circus that Marvel’s running. Instead of being lost amongst gods, magicians, and mutants, Yelena’s supposed to be that relatable, slightly beleaguered human figure — not dissimilar to what we had with Hawkeye, but with more baggage and considerably more sarcasm. She’s not just another Avenger this time, either: in current Marvel continuity, Yelena leads her own government-backed team of Avengers. So, when Doomsday rolls out, she’ll have her squad in tow, plus, by the sound of it, we’re getting team-ups with Sam Wilson, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. That’s a fairly packed call sheet.
Worth mentioning: Yelena’s also popped up recently in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (the Tom Holland version), where she cracks a telepathic case for the Department of Damage Control — a nice nod that Marvel’s treating her as full-on connective tissue now, not just a Black Widow side character.
- Florence Pugh: returns as Yelena Belova, now reportedly the lead or main focus of Avengers: Doomsday
- Yelena leads a new government Avengers faction
- Other big teams featuring: Sam Wilson’s group, Fantastic Four, X-Men
- Links to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Yelena acting as crucial ally
- No word yet on Yelena’s precise screen time or how her story fits with the rest of the massive ensemble
- Dune: Part Three (also starring Pugh) drops the same day as Doomsday
Marvel’s kept the exact breakdown of cast and plot under wraps, so for now, it’s all eyes on Pugh and her increasingly pivotal Yelena. Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas 18 December 2026, and it’s bound to be a crowd (and cast) management challenge for everyone involved.