Florence Pugh Reveals the Secret Measures Behind THUNDERBOLTS*'s Big New Avengers Twist

Marvel fans are still unpacking the Thunderbolts* twist that confirmed what many suspected… the Thunderbolts are the New Avengers. The moment came late in the film, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina standing before cameras to give her squad a flashy new label.

According to Florence Pugh, who was awesome in the film as Yelena Belova, the secrecy on set regarding this twist was intense. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Pugh explained just how far they went to keep the reveal under wraps:

“We shot a version where she was like, 'The New Thunderbolts!' And everyone was like, 'Woo!' And then we took all of the background [actors] out and shot Julia's line, which was kind of cool.”

That second take, the one with the “New Avengers” name-drop, was the version that made it into the film. It’s clear Marvel wanted to hold onto that moment until the last possible second, and the effort paid off.

That fun reveal lands with a punch not unlike Tony Stark’s “I am Iron Man” back in 2008. It’s funny, though, because a couple days after the film was released, Marvel Studios spoiled it for everyone anyway as the rebranded the film, The New Avengers.

But it wasn’t just the cast keeping things quiet. Louis-Dreyfus had known about the twist long before cameras rolled… years before. In that same EW interview, she shared:

“I met with Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito many years ago, when they first pitched me this whole idea of playing Val, and they pitched me this. So, I've really known for a long time. I haven't said a thing to anyone!”

While Louis-Dreyfus didn’t clarify exactly when she was let in on the secret, she’s been in the MCU fold for over five years now, meaning she could’ve known as early as Black Widow or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

With Thunderbolts* landing on digital July 1 and on physical media July 29, fans will soon have a chance to rewatch the reveal and debate its implications all over again.