Marvel Kept The Real Thunderbolts Title A Secret With A Clever Trick

The following contains spoilers for Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts*."

It's no secret that Phases 4 and 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had their ups and downs. Since the unprecedented success of the Infinity Saga, particularly after "Avengers: Endgame," it's been an uphill battle for Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who, in many ways, became a victim of his success. While there have been some standout home runs, such as "WandaVision" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the post-"Endgame" MCU has spawned some of the most uninspired entries in the franchise, including the abysmal "Secret Invasion" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

James Gunn, whose swan song with Marvel Studios came in the form of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," has shared his thoughts on why he believes the MCU's woes speak to the struggles of the greater movie industry. Ultimately, a quality script is the top concern, and despite the property's missteps, the MCU's final Phase 5 film, "Thunderbolts*," is, without a doubt, one of its best movies in a hot minute, much of which can be attributed to the screenplay credited to Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. Along with its character-driven focus, working in tandem with Jake Schreier's confident direction, "Thunderbolts*" stands out as a refreshing chapter in a franchise that has been spinning its wheels.

On top of the film's quality (in her review for /FIlm, BJ Colangelo called it "one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, namely because it doesn't feel like something from the current era of MCU cinema), "Thunderbolts*" has been making waves due to the revelation of its real title. Given that Phase 5's cinematic finale has been promoted with an asterisk in its title, the movie concludes by giving both the titular team and the film around them a different moniker: "The New Avengers." This surprise title has been the source of much of the movie's marketing since its theatrical release and teases exciting things to come when "Avengers: Doomsday" arrives in 2026. With such a bombshell reveal, one can only imagine how Marvel Studios kept it under wraps. Thankfully, two of the film's actors have now revealed how they pulled this neat trick off.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her first appearance as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," where she recruits John Walker (Wyatt Russell) to become U.S. Agent. She also had a cameo in the post-credits scene of "Black Widow," where she directs Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) towards Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to avenge her sister Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). This, in turn, paved the way for her supporting role as the new director of the CIA in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which further reveals that Valentina is Everett K. Ross' (Martin Freeman) ex-wife.

Following some small appearances in a couple of MCU projects, Valentina finally gets her chance to play a more significant role in "Thunderbolts*" opposite the likes of Yelena, U.S. Agent, Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Red Guardian (David Harbour). As it turns out, Louis-Dreyfus already knew about the true nature of the asterisk in the film's title for years, and the big reveal of "The New Avengers" was part of Feige and Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito's pitch to her. As she told Entertainment Weekly:

"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!"

Such a bold secret calls for some extra measures to preserve the surprise for audiences. As Pugh revealed to EW, an alternate ending was even shot to prevent leaks from circulating beyond the production:

"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."

Harbour is particularly pleased with how the film's ending commits to the major narrative shift in the MCU. He also expressed a fondness for the film's end credits to EW, reflecting on the skepticism that both characters within the franchise and audience members may feel, given the title update:

"I think they do an incredible job in the credits sequence with all the articles about how people [in the MCU] have varying opinions about it. Because I know that audiences are probably going to have various opinions about these various rejects taking up that beloved mantle of theirs."

Although the film wasn't a smash-hit at the box office, "Thunderbolts*" has marked a much-needed win for the MCU. Given that the film centers on the franchise's biggest outcasts (with Winter Soldier being its biggest name), its inspired and surprisingly touching story came as all the more pleasant of a surprise. By the end of the movie's unconventional climax, the audience is already immediately invested in what's to come for this newfound family of "New Avengers," now that they have been unwittingly elevated to that title (which bears significant baggage). Here's hoping their contributions in "Avengers: Doomsday" measure up to that potential.

"Avengers: Doomsday" opens in theaters on December 18, 2026.