Did The New THUNDERBOLTS* Movie Poster Reveal the Meaning Behind the Mysterious Asterisk?
Marvel fans have been speculating about the asterisk in Thunderbolts* for months, trying to figure out what it means and why Marvel Studios tacked it onto the title.
The mystery has fueled plenty of theories, with some scoopers insisting it stands for "New Avengers," hinting at the team’s eventual evolution after facing The Sentry. After all, we already know they’re set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday.
But a newly surfaced international poster may have given us a much simpler answer. At the bottom of the poster in small lettering it reads:
*THE AVENGERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE
That very well could be the meaning of the asterisk.
The Super Bowl trailer for Thunderbolts* already made it clear that The Avengers are not around, and Captain America: Brave New World is expected to dive even deeper into that. We know President Ross is trying to convince Sam Wilson to reassemble Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Of course, we won’t know for sure until the movie hits theaters.
The plot summary reads: “A world without Avengers doesn't mean there's not a group of superheroes. There is a group and they're called the Thunderbolts. A group of supervillains from the MCU are recruited to go on missions for the government.
“Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker.
“After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
“Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”
Recently, Sebastian Stan described Thunderbolts* as "its own thing" and said: "I don’t feel you can compare it to any previous Marvel movie, and that’s because of the group of characters in this film and these actors. I couldn’t have had a better time than I did with David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus."
"I mean, every single one of these people are funny, they’re generous, and so I think a lot of that chemistry did make it into the movie, and I’m excited for people to see that. It’s a little bit like The Breakfast Club. It has its own vibe, and it’s funny, and it’s real, and we did actual real stunts, like when you’re watching a truck blow up, it’s a truck blown up. It’s not CGI."
"Marvel really wanted this to have its own - there were many things in the movie that were actually done practically, and I think that does go a long way, because people are just smart," Stan added. "I think audiences just, they know."
The cast of Thunderbolts* also includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Lewis Pullman as The Sentry, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster.
The film is being directed by Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Kidding) and was written by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and Kurt Busiek.
Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.
