The MCU Chose The Perfect Character To Anchor Doomsday & They Should Be The Avengers’ Main Star Going Forward

Skip to content The Marvel Cinematic Universe was rolling along with a ton of momentum heading into Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The main storyline to that point was wrapping up and although Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson were pretty much finished with the franchise, the future looked bright. Characters like T’Challa, Peter Parker, and Carol Danvers felt like they could lead the next generation. It has now been seven years, and the MCU has lost its consistent quality, old stars are coming back to reignite interest, and it feels like nobody is truly set to lead the way going forward.

Carol hasn’t appeared much as the MCU has basically wasted Captain Marvel, while Sam Wilson was given lackluster content as the new Captain America. Spider-Man is as popular as ever, but we don’t know how many more projects Tom Holland will do and there’s the Sony side of things that makes it hard for him to be the MCU’s focal point. However, when hyping Avengers: Doomsday, Kevin Feige said someone would act as an anchor during that movie and it’s the person who should be the face of the MCU from here on out, even though it’s a character nobody expected to become as popular as they have.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige came out and noted that Yelena Belova will be an anchor character in Avengers: Doomsday. Years ago, nobody likely would’ve expected this. Yelena had the tough job of replacing Natasha Romanoff as the franchise’s Black Widow. While Natasha wasn’t the star of a solo film until after she died, she was a beloved part of the MCU who fans still miss. Those are big shoes to fill and the fanbase hasn’t been all that accepting of new takes on the original heroes, like Sam as Cap, Riri Williams as Ironheart, or Jennifer Walters as She-Hulk.

However, Yelena endeared herself to audiences immediately in Black Widow and the rest is history. The anchor character is an interesting way to phrase things. It doesn’t mean that Yelena will be the protagonist, but it feels more like she’s the one connecting characters and maybe acting as the person we follow most. It helps that Florence Pugh has remarkable chemistry with everyone, so she’ll be great in scenes with every other character, whether hero or villain. It’s hard to think of another character in the MCU currently who can pull this off other than maybe Thor.

It might seem odd to say that a person without superpowers should be the focal point of the MCU, but that just goes to show how great Yelena is as a character. The reception to her has been fantastic, with critics appreciating Pugh’s performance and audiences gravitating towards her. She’s funny, charming, tough, and we’ve grown to care for her. Yelena is well-written in a way that not many other MCU characters are. We have explored her dark past, her tragic upbringing, her battle with depression, her grief over her sister, and her desire to ultimately be good. As much as we all loved Natasha, she wasn’t given the kind of dedication and care in terms of writing.

The MCU is also in dire need of a new face of the franchise. Tom Holland could do it, but the Sony contract stuff complicates the matter. Chadwick Boseman certainly could’ve done it before his untimely passing. Brie Larson was lined up to do it, but The Marvels flopped, and while Chris Hemsworth is an established star, we don’t know how many more movies he will do. Yelena could be the glue that holds things together because she’s universally loved.

Yelena has ties to so many key characters. She is the leader of the Avengers, giving her a close connection to the likes of Bucky, and she is clearly important to whatever will happen with Sentry/Bob. She has grown close to Kate Bishop, has a complicated relationship with Clint Barton if he returns, and now she knows Spider-Man as well. Yelena is the kind of character who can fit into any scenario seamlessly, which the MCU needs for its connectivity to work.

The MCU obviously understands that it struck gold when Florence Pugh was cast. They have made sure to showcase her more and more. It started with a scene-stealing debut in Black Widow before she popped up in Hawkeye. Her scenes in that show, whether alongside Clint or especially with Kate, were the highlights of the series. We have also seen her in Marvel Zombies. Her most important part came in Thunderbolts* and that was a great look at what she will be like as an anchor.

While Thunderbolts* is an ensemble piece, Yelena is basically the protagonist. It’s her journey that we mainly follow and it has set her up to be the leader of the Avengers. It’s hard to imagine anyone saw that coming a few years ago. Even in the latest blockbuster, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Yelena is shown to be the face of the Avengers and the one who Spider-Man communicates with. Again, that scene and all of Thunderbolts* worked so well because of Pugh’s ability to be great on screen with just about anybody, and it’s why she’s ideal as the MCU’s anchor.

Do you think Yelena is the right choice for the MCU’s anchor? Let us know in the comments.