The secret is out: Thunderbolts* is really New Avengers.
Marvel Studios has already updated billboards and standees with the New Avengers branding, and an officially released video showcases that big asterisk reveal first featured in Thunderbolts*'s end credits.
The question now is whether the plan is to officially retitle the movie; Marvel Studios was likely cautious about releasing Thunderbolts* as New Avengers because they want to protect the Avengers branding heading into Doomsday and Secret Wars.
However, with Thunderbolts* receiving widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike, it makes all the sense in the world for it to be titled New Avengers heading into its second weekend at the box office. How better to boost interest among moviegoers?
Studios have been known to do this, with Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) becoming Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey and Edge of Tomorrow evolving into Live Die Repeat when it hit Blu-ray.
Whatever happens next, the MCU has its New Avengers and that's going to have a huge impact on the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.
During a recent interview with Variety, Florence Pugh was asked if she freaked out upon learning she'd star in Avengers: Doomsday with some Hollywood heavy-hitters.
"100%! Oh, god, there’s too many people in it [to choose]!" the Thunderbolts* star enthused. "Pedro Pascal, obviously, always and forever. Paul Rudd, yes, so funny. Genuinely, the idea that all of those people are going to be in the same movie is nutso sauce."
Asked about exploring Yelena Belova as a "front-facing" superhero, Pugh added, "I hope that she’s happy now. I hope that she feels fulfilled, like she has purpose. And I hope that we get to see some of her light and her charm and her color again, because I loved playing that before."
Check out this new promo for Thunderbolts* New Avengers below.
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?
"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."
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 now playing in theaters.