The internet is in awe of Florence Pugh, who appears to have gotten away with breaching Marvel’s number one rule: no disclosing secrets or spoilers.
Following in the footsteps of spoiler king Tom Holland, Florence turned to Instagram to release a behind-the-scenes footage of her next project, Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
‘Hey guys, how you doing?’ the Dune star began as she exited her trailer – which had helpfully been labelled ‘Yelena’ – in full costume to the thrill of viewers.
Florence insisted spectators couldn’t ‘inform anybody’ about her’sneaky’ filming, and no cast member has ever given such a daring tour throughout the typically iron-clad set.
This is a sharp contrast to when Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man, was famed for often getting into trouble with superiors after leaking minor spoilers.
Ryan Toomey, a film analyst, argues that this ‘lackadaisical’ attitude to safeguarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s’magic’ is indicative of the franchise’s steady decline.
The creator of pop culture website Upbeat Geek stated: ‘Marvel’s previously hyper-secretive sets and doctored movie trailers to avoid spoilers produced from an intense fandom have now been reduced to nothing, with Florence Pugh gleefully showing up around the set of Thunderbolts in a way we’ve never seen before.
‘The fact Marvel is now so lackadaisical about protecting its “film magic” is such a stark contrast, and I think reeks of desperation as it tries to claw back some of its initial fanfare pre-Infinity War, giving the sneak peeks fans always wanted – but is now far too late.’
Just five years ago, fans were outraged at any cast member who dared to share any information about the franchise that could be seen as a spoiler.
Tom even acquired the nickname ‘Spoiler-Man’ after revealing details about Peter Parker’s future in ‘two more films’ and the Far From Home title.
He was thought to be extensively sanctioned by Marvel executives since he constantly joked about getting in trouble and was held in check during interviews.
‘Somebody’s going to come and rugby tackle me,’ joked Florence in her video, poking fun at this history of spoiler deterrent tactics.
The set tour video included sneak views at previously shot footage and set components such as a cylindrical lift, blinding lights, and grey hallways.
Despite her claims that she was’sneaking’ to film, the video was plainly approved by Marvel executives and uploaded on the franchise’s TikTok page.
Ryan stated that for many long-time Avengers fans,’something is now amiss’ despite the brand’s star power.
‘Fans are bored,’ he continued. ‘Marvel isn’t giving us enough time to get used to new dynamics, plotlines or even charters before moving on to the next, giving us whiplash in a way that is the polar opposite of the carefully crafted movies we saw emerge in the late 2000s.’
His sentiment was echoed in jokes made by fans online, such as user katesteinfelds who said: ‘Kind of insane they allowed her to do this at all😭 two years ago she would’ve been shot on sight just for posting a selfie.’
Another stan account on X, quakesbf, added: ‘They must be real scared for this movie if they are letting her post this to create hype…’
As she showed off her khaki-green military-style superhero suit, Florence had teased: ‘I can show you some things. Sneakily. As long as you don’t tell anyone.’
Switching to a whisper, she added: ‘I can show you a sneak peek at some of the sets, we’re in the studio right now. We’re in the studio that we’re shooting in on this movie that I can’t tell you much about. But look at that!’
‘That’s enough that’s it, that’s it!’ the Oppenheimer actress said as she panned to a computer screen before wrapping up her tour.
While Marvel films remain box office stalwarts, the blockbuster strategy has failed to match the excitement of the original Avengers.
It’s easy to forget that the original movie had daring casts, with Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr., who was on the verge of obscurity due to drug difficulties.
Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, who are now household names, were relatively unknowns when they landed Captain America and Thor in the mid-2000s.
The Avengers was a gamble that paid off, with new faces leading Marvel Comics’ least popular team-up series in well-written and produced films.
From humble beginnings, the MCU took almost a decade to meticulously construct into a monster, but officials are now counting on Florence’s devotion to fill seats.
As Ryan concluded: ‘Marvel made a glaring error – focusing on pumping out more content as opposed to ensuring that content was good.
‘Hopefully, this can be rectified, maybe with a reboot of some of their IPs, but I think Marvel would be wise to give movie fans a break and try to get back to what made films like Iron Man just so good.’
