The big reveal that the asterisk that was added to the Thunderbolts* title shortly after the release of the first trailer referred to "The New Avengers" probably didn't come as a shock to many here on CBM, but it would have been a surprise for general audiences who haven't been keeping up with rumors relating to the movie.
For this reason, the decision to officially rebrand the movie as The New Avengers just three days after its theatrical release was seen as a bit of a head-scratcher.
Some believe the marketing campaign kicked off a little earlier than planned when the opening weekend box office numbers came in, but it sounds like it was always set to begin shortly after the movie hit the big screen.
“It felt like, if Val is also trying to pull a switcheroo and sell the New Avengers to the world, we could do that, too,” director Jake Schreier explains to The New York Times. “Especially given that the asterisk has been on the movie for a year, hopefully it doesn’t feel sweaty — it feels like this was a plan and we built up to it.”
“It’s very fun [Marvel was]open to embracing that,” the filmmaker added. “It’s so interesting in this world, and Kevin [Feige] talks about it sometimes, where sometimes they wanted things to leak and they don’t. I think we all assumed that it would be a bigger part of the conversation already, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”
It's worth clarifying that Marvel Studios hasn't actually changed the movie's title to The New Avengers, and is simply "spelling out the asterisk" as part of a new marketing push. It remains to be seen if it pays off, buy the switch is sure to gain the film at least a little more attention as we head into its first week in theaters.
In Thunderbolts*, 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?
Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.