'Black Widow' set photo hints Florence Pugh will replace Scarlett Johansson as top spy

Avengers: Endgame saw Steve Rogers pass the Captain America mantle to Sam WIlson and now the Black Widow solo movie may set up something similar.

Scarlett Johasson will be making her final MCU appearance in the new movie, set before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, and the cast includes Florence Pugh.

Her character’s name has been kept under wraps for weeks but a set photo taken of a couple of boxes suggests she will play Yelena Belova, as “Yelena” was written on one.

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Belova is a Russian spy who first appeared in the Marvel comics in 1999 as an adversary of Natasha Romanoff's but later becomes an ally.

Like Romanoff, Belova was trained under the same spymasters at the Red Room and takes on the mantle of Black Widow.

She undertakes a mission to put her at odds with Natasha, believing she is the rightful successor to the codename, but meets her match.

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Her Marvel journey has seen her work both with HYDRA and SHIELD as well at the vigilante group, the Vanguard, and if Pugh is playing her in the movie that could mean she is set become Black Widow too.

It would certainly make sense given the events of Endgame which saw Natasha sacrifice her life in order for the team to claim the Soul Stone on Vormir.

As Pugh is just 23, she’s well placed to begin a long-running Marvel career like Johansson who joined the MCU at the same age in 2010’s Iron Man 2.

Black Widow is currently being filmed in Budapest under the guidance of Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland, best known for Nazi drama Lore,

She is directing a script penned by Captain Marvel’s Jac Schaeffer.

Rachel Weisz and David Harbour are also in the cast as well as Ray Winstone.