Marvel's New Thunderbolts* Posters Reveal The Asterisk's Meaning (And It's A Huge Spoiler)

Warning: this article will contain spoilers for "Thunderbolts*."

At the very end of Jake Schreier's new Marvel picture "Thunderbolts*," the titular antiheroes have saved the day, convincing their depressive, superpowered friend Bob (Lewis Pullman) that he doesn't need to suck all of New York into an alternate dimension of despair. Bob, it is explained throughout the film, is deeply traumatized by a childhood full of abuse, and an adulthood full of desperation and addiction. When he learns he had been granted godlike powers by the corporate hero-wrangler Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), he instantly lets the power go to his head, using shadowy psychic abilities to suck human beings into living dioramas of their own unhappiest memories. 

But the Thunderbolts win out in the end, pulling Bob back into reality with, of all things, a hug. The Thunderbolts aren't a ragtag group of misfits, so much as a wounded group of sad people. "Thunderbolts*" seems to be arguing that superheroism isn't a cut-and-dry philosophy of righteousness, but a bleak profession replete with violence and murder. Being a hero requires a degree of emotional and moral detachment that only comes through inner rage, inner sadness, and inner pain. It's worth noting that "Thunderbolts*" is one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Once the day is saved, however, de Fontaine, who was responsible for the mess, managed to hoodwink the heroes. Right when the Thunderbolts were about to apprehend her, she swiftly brought them on stage in front of the press. The heroes are stymied, unable to do anything in front of the cameras and reporters. De Fontaine puts on a smile and announces that the heroes next to her are the New Avengers. 

The film's title is then shown, and it revealed what the asterisk was for. The Thunderbolts* are actually ... *The New Avengers. 

Until then, the "New Avengers" angle had been kept secret by the press. Now that the film is out, however, the spoiler is now being used openly in all its advertising. Including some very public posters. 

Discussing Film posted a photo of a building-sized "Thunderbolts*" poster on their Twitter account. One can see that the film's original title is being taken down in favor of "The New Avengers." There is now a concerted effort to re-brand, or possible even re-title the movie. Marvel Studios' own Twitter account also posted openly on May 5 "Presenting Marvel Studios' #̶T̶h̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶b̶o̶l̶t̶s̶* #TheNewAvengers." They no longer have to be coy in their marketing. The character from "Thunderbolts*" are now going to be the New Avengers. Other posters have already been spotted in other major cities denoting that, yes, these characters are the New Avengers. 

To remind readers of the obvious: the "Avengers" name central to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with each of its "phases" climaxing with an Avengers team-up movie. Since "Avengers: Endgame" in 2019, however, the subsequent MCU movies have merely introduced new characters without implying that they are aiming to team up. There was no implication of a steady-growing threat across all the released films. A lot of the older Avengers either died or retired, and it was unclear as to whether or not replacement characters from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," "The Marvels," or "Eternals" would take their place. Are there going to be new Avengers? 

"Thunderbolts*" sneakily introduced each of its characters in other films, only to surprise audiences with its new conceit: we've been seeing the New Avengers assemble all along. Yelena (Florence Pugh) and the Red Guardian (David Harbour) are from "Black Widow," the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and U.S.Agent (Wyatt Russell) were from "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) was from "Ant-Man and the Wasp." The thought of New Avengers galavanting about cinemas for another generation may seem a tired in 2025, but at least the heroes themselves seem equally tired. For people who don't like the idea of a New Avengers, well, the film is still called "Thunderbolts*."