Marvel Studios pulled a rare post-release marketing move with Thunderbolts. The asterisk in the title wasn’t just for show — it signaled a deeper identity for the film’s team. Now, with posters updated and in-theater ads calling the movie The New Avengers, Marvel is making sure audiences know where this group is headed next.
What the Asterisk in Thunderbolts Really Means
For weeks, fans speculated about the meaning of the asterisk in Thunderbolts. Marvel never officially changed the title, but they did something clever — they spelled out the asterisk in marketing campaigns after the film’s debut. The official explanation came not through a press release, but through action: billboards in Los Angeles and New York were revamped mid-weekend. The in-theater promos followed suit.
The asterisk stands for the team’s real name — The New Avengers. This isn’t just a subtitle. It’s a rebranding of the team’s place in the MCU. What started as a group of misfits and morally gray operatives now positions itself as the next iteration of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
How Thunderbolts Sets Up The Next MCU Team
Inside the movie, the reveal comes late but lands hard. After being manipulated and used by CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the team claims the Avengers name for themselves. And not just any Avengers — a new version. One that includes Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Bob (Lewis Pullman), who surprisingly turns out to be Sentry.
This lineup may feel like a step down from the original Avengers, but that’s the point. These are Thunderbolts — a name borrowed from a kids’ soccer team. They’re scrappy, flawed, and unproven. Yet by the film’s end, they own the Avengers legacy. And Marvel is clearly betting on fans following them there.
Marketing That Worked Without Spoiling The Film
Marvel’s decision to change the Thunderbolts posters after release was bold. Some have called it a spoiler, but director Jake Schreier says it was planned. The asterisk had been in the title for over a year. “We built up to it,” Schreier said. “Hopefully it doesn’t feel sweaty — it feels like this was a plan.”
In a world where studios try to avoid leaks at all costs, Marvel embraced the fact that this reveal might not have been as tightly guarded as they'd hoped. Instead of fighting the narrative, they turned it into a late-stage marketing push. And it clearly resonated. Seeing the cast tear off the Thunderbolts logo to reveal The New Avengers created a fun, meta moment for audiences.
What The Post-Credits Scenes Mean For Avengers: Doomsday
The film’s post-credits scenes go even further in teasing the future. The New Avengers are shown living in the old Avengers HQ, now called the Watchtower. They’re already in a legal battle with Captain America (Anthony Mackie) over use of the Avengers name. It’s a small but clever touch that adds realism to the superhero brand identity — and playful friction to what’s coming next.
More importantly, the team is shown preparing for bigger threats. And one scene drops the Fantastic Four into the mix. Their spaceship enters Earth’s orbit from another dimension, accompanied by the iconic theme. Schreier didn’t direct this scene — it was the Russos’ work on Avengers: Doomsday. But he called it “a handoff to a grander scale.”
Marvel Is Bridging Its Cinematic And Multiverse Futures
With Thunderbolts now effectively retitled in the eyes of the audience, Marvel has created a bridge between its grounded character work and the larger, more cosmic threats on the horizon. The New Avengers aren’t just a team for the next few films — they’re a link between the old guard and the new wave of heroes, including the Fantastic Four and whatever role Tony Stark’s Skrull Doctor Strange will play.
And with Avengers: Doomsday arriving in 2026, these connections will matter. Whether the original Avengers and the new ones will team up smoothly — or clash over what it means to be an Avenger — is now one of the MCU’s most exciting questions.
What Fans Should Watch For Next
Marvel fans should keep an eye on how The New Avengers are used in Doomsday. Will they be allies, antagonists, or something in between? And how will Valentina’s plans evolve now that her puppets have become self-aware enough to claim their own brand identity?
Also, the trademark battle over the Avengers name could be more than a joke. It might signal a future where superhero teams are brands, licensed properties, or even government-controlled forces. That’s a level of world-building that Marvel hasn’t fully explored yet, but now seems ready to.
For now, Thunderbolts — or rather The New Avengers — gave Marvel something it hasn’t had in a while: a team film that feels like a start, not a middle. And that’s enough to make the next few years of the MCU genuinely interesting.