Marvel studios Finally Reveals What the Asterisk Means in "THUNDERBOLT*"

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Thunderbolts—now in theaters!

Marvel Studios isn’t waiting around to drop bombshells. By the end of Thunderbolts’ debut weekend, the studio had already flipped the script. A massive billboard in Los Angeles, once boldly displaying Thunderbolts, got a dramatic makeover—peeling back its title to reveal The New Avengers. To make things even more official, Marvel shared a clip online showing the film’s stars physically tearing off the old title from the poster, unveiling the new one underneath. Even ticketing sites like Fandango have updated the movie’s title to reflect this big reveal: The New Avengers.

Fans had been scratching their heads for months over that mysterious asterisk in the film's title. All becomes clear during the movie’s climax, when Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) steps up and declares the squad’s true identity: the New Avengers. This fresh lineup includes Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Sentry (Lewis Pullman).

Director Jake Schreier opened up to The New York Times about the marketing sleight of hand. "It felt right—if Val's out there trying to rebrand her team for the world, we could mirror that in real life," Schreier said. “The asterisk has been hanging there for a year now, and we hoped people would see this as a long game, not just a gimmick.”

Schreier praised Marvel’s willingness to play along with the twist. “It’s fascinating,” he added. “Kevin Feige always mentions how sometimes they want things to leak and they don’t. We thought this twist would have sparked more buzz by now, so it'll be interesting to see how the conversation unfolds.”

In an even juicier post-credits sequence, viewers learn that the New Avengers have taken up residence in the former Avengers base, now rebranded as the Watchtower. But it’s not all smooth sailing—they’re caught up in a legal squabble with Sam Wilson’s Captain America (Anthony Mackie) over rights to the iconic Avengers branding. In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam was last seen setting out to bring the classic Avengers back together. And with Avengers: Doomsday looming next summer, expect the New Avengers to join forces with the OG team and the Fantastic Four to face off against Robert Downey Jr.’s powerful new villain.

And speaking of teases—the post-credits scene doesn’t stop there. As the camera pans to the sky, the Fantastic Four's ship emerges from another dimension, accompanied by their unmistakable theme music. Schreier revealed to Variety that this sequence was a late addition. “We shot that just about a month ago, and it wasn’t me behind the camera—that was the Russo brothers on the Avengers: Doomsday set. But being there was a blast, watching friends take the story to the next level.”

He added, “We all collaborated to make sure it felt true to our characters, even as they’re stepping into this much larger universe. It was incredible to see them handled on that bigger stage.”

Next up on Marvel's release slate: Fantastic Four: The First Steps, landing in theaters on July 25.