A new promotional still of Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, and Red Guardian in the Watchtower with the Avengersrvel Studios has flipped the script once again. What began as Thunderbolts—the much-hyped antihero film—has now been rebranded as The New Avengers. This was confirmed on May 5, 2025, when Marvel dropped updated posters across social media platforms. The film’s cast followed suit, unveiling the new title at the Hollywood premiere. And as it turns out, the asterisk that puzzled fans was more than clever design—it foreshadowed a major narrative turn.
In the film, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine capitalizes on the team's chaotic success, repackaging the group of misfit operatives—Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Ghost, and Sentry—as the MCU’s next big thing: the New Avengers. This announcement drops during a press conference scene, reshaping the group’s legacy right before the credits roll.
The title change isn’t just a marketing stunt. It’s a story beat. The asterisk, which fans initially linked to the team’s disdain for the “Thunderbolts” name, ties into Yelena’s backstory as a youth soccer player. That playful footnote becomes central in a post-credits scene where Valentina relabels the crew as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes—now headquartered in the old Avengers Tower, newly dubbed the Watchtower.
Critically, the rebrand serves a dual purpose: to deepen the ongoing Multiverse Saga and to introduce a new class of Avengers that bridges legacy and evolution. These aren’t fresh faces thrown into costumes—they’re characters who’ve been molded by trauma, war, and manipulation, making their elevation to “Avengers” both earned and ironic.
With The New Avengers, Marvel essentially ends Phase Five with a bold pivot. The film’s $76 million opening weekend speaks to the weight the Avengers name still carries. More than that, it signals Marvel’s awareness of audience nostalgia—and how to subvert it. The antiheroes aren’t meant to replace the originals outright; they’re a chaotic placeholder for a world in flux.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll go unchallenged.
In a post-credits stinger set over a year later, the legal fallout begins. Sam Wilson, now Captain America, sues the New Avengers for copyright infringement. His own Avengers team is hinted at, and the conflict sets up what appears to be a hero-versus-hero civil tension ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Red Guardian jokes they could rebrand again—as the “Avengerz”—a moment of levity layered over real narrative stakes.
The rest of the film leans heavily into individual arcs. Taskmaster (Antonia Dreykov) is shockingly killed off in the opening act, taken out by Ghost in a brutal sequence. Director Jake Schreier explained her death wasn’t just for shock—it reminded viewers that none of these characters are safe, especially in a world where consequences finally mean something.
Meanwhile, Sentry’s arc is more psychological. Played by Lewis Pullman, Bob Reynolds withdraws from battle, terrified of unleashing his dark alter ego, the Void. He remains in the tower—washing dishes, helping with logistics—but refuses to fight. It’s a choice that adds humanity to a character often portrayed as godlike. Whether he’ll step up in Doomsday remains an open question.
Valentina’s role is also worth noting. Initially seen as the manipulative mastermind, it’s revealed she never planned to assemble a superteam. She simply wanted to dispose of liabilities. But when the Thunderbolts turn the tables, she leverages the chaos to save her own skin—naming them heroes to curry favor with the public and her government handlers.
The film also subtly explores the rise of parallel Avengers teams. Sam Wilson has his own crew. Valentina has hers. And the public? They’re not entirely sold on either. The closing credits flash fake news segments and online chatter, showing a divided fictional world that mirrors real-world skepticism about changing legacies.
Then, there’s the cliffhanger: a spacecraft marked with a giant “4” approaches Earth. Fans immediately linked it to the long-awaited debut of the Fantastic Four, possibly fleeing a Galactus-ravaged dimension—or worse, pursued by Doom himself. Either way, the New Avengers are the first to respond, marking their place in the MCU’s cosmic escalation.
In all, Marvel’s decision to rebrand Thunderbolts as The New Avengers wasn’t just cosmetic—it was cultural. The studio tapped into the power of branding while enriching the franchise’s mythology. And with Avengers: Doomsday looming, this team’s messy, improvised unity might just be what the MCU needs.