Credit: Sony Pictures / Marvel StudiosKevin Feige just surprised fans with the revelation that Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) will cross over with another Marvel franchise.
Nearly five years after the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day sees Tom Holland reprise the role of the friendly neighborhood superhero, privately known as Peter Parker.
Unlike his past three solo films, Spider-Man is something of a lone wolf this time around. Having asked Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to erase knowledge of his real identity from the universe to stop a multiversal infraction, early footage from the film shows Peter Parker living alone and keeping an eye on his former girlfriend, MJ (played by Holland’s real-life wife, Zendaya), and Ned (Jacob Batalon) from afar.
Despite their characters’ ignorance, we already know that the film sees both Zendaya and Batalon reprise their roles. We also know that Brand New Day will feature Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in an undisclosed role that many have theorized is X-Men member Jean Grey.
However, Kevin Feige has suggested that yet another Marvel icon could also factor into the plot: Yelena Belova.
‘Spider-Man’ May Overlap With *Thunderbolts
Feige teased the character’s cameo during an appearance at the Chinese festival Bilibili World.
The president of Marvel Studios confirmed that the character – who has been portrayed by British actress Florence Pugh since her debut in Black Widow (2021) – has a “big part” in Avengers: Doomsday, but that fans may see her before then.
Kevin Feige on Yelena's role in 'AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY'
"If you're a fan of Yelena, wait until Avengers Doomsday, Yelena plays a big part in that. But if you don't want to wait until then, you might see Yelena a little bit sooner in the movies"
(via: 艺东西 on RedNote) pic.twitter.com/4ws5aQD9np
— Avengers Updates (@AvengersUpdated) July 11, 2026
“If you’re a fan of Yelena, wait until ‘Avengers: Doomsday,'” Feige said, standing with a fan dressed as the character. “Yelena plays a big part in that. But if you don’t want to wait until then, you might see Yelena a little bit sooner in the movies.”
The only other theatrical release for Marvel Studios before Avengers: Doomsday (which premieres in December) is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so it doesn’t take much theorizing to guess which project Feige is referring to.
This also isn’t the first time the character has been linked to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Last August, rumors suggested that Yelena would star alongside Peter Parker in the project.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Yelena will play a large role in the film. While it doesn’t boast a mammoth cast list like Avengers: Doomsday (which, notably, Holland isn’t slated to star in), Spider-Man: Brand New Day already has a pretty bloated roster for a solo superhero movie.
Personally, we’d put our money on Yelena making an appearance towards the end of the film – or even in the post-credits scenes – as a way to tee up Spider-Man’s appearance in next year’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
When fans last saw Yelena in Thunderbolts* (2025), she had emerged as the emotional center of the team with the same name, leading them into the Void to reach Bob (Lewis Pullman) and help him regain control. After saving New York, she and her fellow antiheroes were publicly rebranded by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as the New Avengers.
Despite a positive critical response to the project (which has a critics’ score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes), Thunderbolts* failed to impress at the box office. It took home just over $382 million worldwide – small change compared to No Way Home‘s total of more than $1.9 billion. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is tracking for a domestic debut of $180 million to $190 million, meaning it will likely overtake Thunderbolts* within its first week.
If Marvel hopes to develop the Thunderbolts* franchise further, it’s not a bad idea to start tying its characters further into more established IPs (i.e. Spider-Man). Fans have also expressed a desire to see Holland and Pugh share the screen (although perhaps not to the extent detailed in recent ‘leaks’, which suggest their characters may see each other naked).
Would you like to see Yelena Belova in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
