The upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, marked with a mysterious asterisk in its title, will serve as the grand finale of MCU Phase 5. The film features a ragtag team of reformed MCU villains — Ghost (Hannah Dominique E. John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), US Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) — working for the CIA, led by Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). While the team is intriguing, the addition of a single, mysterious asterisk to the movie title has sent the fanbase into a frenzy. On March 28, 2024, Pugh shared a behind-the-scenes video from the Thunderbolts* set, where fans noticed a secret asterisk on the set furniture, sparking widespread speculation.
Marvel Studio president, Kevin Feige, later confirmed the asterisk was intentional, but he wouldn’t elaborate further until the film’s release. Traditionally, an asterisk suggests that there is an unrevealed footnote with a hidden message associated with the title. In this article, we’ll explore the most popular theories floating around the internet about what this cryptic symbol could really mean!
The Full Title May Be a Spoiler for Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World is set for release on February 14, 2025, just a few months before Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2, 2025. In Brave New World, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) is the President of the United States and will reportedly ask Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to rebuild the Avengers. Considering that the Thunderbolts team literally carries Ross’ moniker, he is most definitely involved in some way. The asterisk in Thunderbolts* could be a sneaky spoiler for the events of Brave New World. For example, the full title may hint at the true nature of Ross’ government-sanctioned team that’s only revealed in the previous movie.
Thunderbolts* May Be a Placeholder for Dark Avengers
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One popular theory is that the asterisk signifies a placeholder title that will be changed once the movie is released. Fans believe that by the end of Brave New World, Ross will form an Avengers-esque team, and their name will be the title of the film. They are quite convinced that this new title will be Dark Avengers.
This theory gained even more traction with the confirmation of Lewis Pullman playing the Sentry in Thunderbolts*. In the comics, Sentry is a founding member of the Dark Avengers. Plus, the two teams in the comics are intrinsically linked, as Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts eventually went on to become the Dark Avengers. The absence of the Avengers in the current MCU timeline makes this theory even more compelling. The Dark Avengers, a team posing as heroes but with potentially villainous motives, could be the perfect way to fill that gap.
I’m telling you that Thunderbolts* will probably be renamed as the Dark Avengers pic.twitter.com/ZtvNruIsag
— The_RealStraw_Hat_Ryan (@RyanSeghetti) April 12, 2024
The Asterisk May Reveal That the Film is Part of a Series
The asterisk could be a creative way of indicating that Thunderbolts* is just the beginning of a larger story. It’s been highly theorized that Thunderbolts* will be a series of movies instead of a standalone installment. The asterisk might signify Part 1, Part 2, and so on. Attaching a Part 1 to a film’s title before release can sometimes backfire, as fans may decide to hold off on watching the first part until the second part is released. The asterisk, in this case, could be a clever way to generate excitement for the film without explicitly announcing a series.
The Title May Just Be a Joke in the Movie
It just clicked… The asterisk is there not because the title is changing for us but because the anti-heroes in the team hate the name… That’s the joke, not that Marvel are looking to change the title but that the team are reluctant about it.#MarvelStudios #Thunderbolts pic.twitter.com/5wx0L9cQ0L
— Dan Barker (@SpookyBarker) April 12, 2024
Marvel being Marvel, there’s also a high chance that the asterisk won’t bear much weight on the actual story itself. It could just be a hilarious running gag throughout the movie. Imagine a scenario where Thunderbolt Ross demands they be called the Thunderbolts, only to be met with eye rolls and groans from the team. The asterisk could be a playful jab at this working title that never quite sticks. You can also check out this concern with the rumored direction of Kevin Feige’s X-Men.
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