Much has been said about Thunderbolts*'s mysterious asterisk, and Marvel Studios' decision to add it to the movie's title has certainly gone a long way in increasing interest in the team-up.
Social media scoopers have repeatedly said the asterisk stands for "*New Avengers," suggesting that's what this team of misfits will become after defeating The Sentry (remember, it's already been confirmed that they'll appear in Avengers: Doomsday).
However, an international poster for Thunderbolts* suggests the mystery isn't quite as exciting as we first thought. As you can see below, it reads...
"*The Avengers Are Not Available"
Could that really be it? The Super Bowl trailer confirmed The Avengers are no more, something we know Captain America: Brave New World will also address when President Ross tries to get Sam Wilson to reassemble the team.
While we don't doubt that the Thunderbolts will be considered "Avengers" after saving New York City, perhaps they'll keep their own identity with the point being that they're not The Avengers.
We'll have to wait and see, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that this international poster for Thunderbolts* has spoiled the surprise. You can watch the new Super Bowl trailer by clicking here.
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."
Marvel Studios, and a crew of indie veterans, who definitely sold out, present Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 5, 2025.