In true Marvel style, Jake Schreier‘s Thunderbolts* has viewers staying through the credits for a fantastic reveal. The thrilling Thunderbolts* post-credits scenes reveal a lot about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which the new team of antiheroes plays a crucial part. The second scene left fans in awe of the Thunderbolts’ connection with the Fantastic Four and Avengers: Doomsday, unveiling an exciting new phase in the MCU.
The final film of Phase Five of the MCU, Thunderbolts*, stars an ensemble cast in leading roles, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, and Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds / Sentry / Void. David Harbour also reprised his role as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian. Thunderbolts* hit the theaters on April 22, 2025, receiving generally positive reviews. It is also a financial success, earning the title of the fifth highest-grossing film of 2025. Despite the outstanding cast performances and breathtaking plot, the climax is the Thunderbolts* credit scenes.
What is Thunderbolts* About?
Thunderbolts* follows a group of antiheroes forced to work as a team on a life-threatening mission. Yelena, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) invade a covert facility belonging to O.X.E. Group as ordered by CIA director Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). They soon discover she set a trap for them, pitting them against each other to cover her involvement in the O.X.E. Group’s project on superhumans. During their struggle to escape captivity, a superhuman named Bob is released from a suspended animation pod.
They are later rescued by Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian and father figure to Yelena). Aware of the details of de Fontaine’s crooked plot, Alexei joins the team. He also came up with the name “Thunderbolts” for them, inspired by Yelena’s childhood soccer team. A series of interesting plot twists follows, with the team trying and failing to show the public who Valentina really is.
Thunderbolts* Ending Explained
One of the major things Thunderbolts* ending reveals is how the asterisk got entangled with the title. In the last scene of Thunderbolts*, the team comes after Valentina, but she pulls a PR spin on them by rebranding them as The New Avengers during a press conference. Once again, Valentina manipulates public perception of her character, and the Thunderbolts flow with it, but not without issuing a warning to her. Rebranding the Thunderbolts as The New Avengers suggests their former title was temporary, hence the asterisk.
When the credits hit the screen, Thunderbolts* appeared briefly before The New Avengers replaced it. After her part in awakening Sentry’s alter-ego, the Void, in addition to attempts to have the team killed to cover her secrets, the Thunderbolts would rather not work with Valentina. However, her plans to make them great heroes sound rather appealing to the misfits.
Thunderbolts* Post-Credits Scenes is a Sneak Peek Into the Future of the MCU
One special thing about Thunderbolts* post-credit scenes is that they were shot on the Avengers: Doomsday (2026) set and directed by the Russo Brothers, who are helming the film. As such, the post-credits scenes can pass as a sneak peek into Avengers: Doomsday. In the first post-credit scene, Red Guardian sports a mustache instead of his signature bushy beard. He is seen in a supermarket, trying to convince a shopper to buy cereal boxes with The New Avengers photo on them. This suggests the team is still struggling to gain recognition from the public. They also have new looks, mostly fancy hairstyles.
The much longer second post-credits scene is set 14 months after the movie’s events. The New Avengers are seen bickering in their headquarters (former Stark Tower) about the tension over their name as Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, claims to own the rights to it. Red Guardian suggests they rebrand themselves again as The New Avengerz with a ‘z.’ In the heat of the moment, the screen in their chamber flashes a warning of an approaching extra-dimensional craft. The spaceship appears on the screen with the Fantastic Four’s logo.
If the post-credits scenes are anything to go by, fans of the MCU are in for a treat. Thunderbolts* post-credit scenes not only set up the future of the MCU but highlight a major shift in the franchise. The interpretation puts the Thunderbolts (now The New Avengers) in an important position in the franchise, yet Pugh doesn’t think they are ready to take on the high stakes. As The New Avengers, the team has some big shoes to fill, but they are still learning to work as a team.
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