The MCU’s Thunderbolts* movie receives a subtle title change in the form of an asterisk, which suggests several possible meanings and implications for the Phase 5 movie. Directed by Jake Schreier, Phase 5’s upcoming Thunderbolts is the Multiverse Saga’s first full-fledged team-up movie, gathering a group of anti-heroes that serve as a more ambiguously moral version of the Avengers. Although the MCU Thunderbolts’ line-up is very different from most of its comic-book counterparts, it still draws inspiration from the source material for its name.
In Marvel Comics’ original Thunderbolts comics, founding member Baron Zemo (in his Citizen V persona) chose the team’s name because he wanted it to sound, as he describes, “something cryptofascist — but friendly”. Publicly, Zemo argued that he was inspired by a 19th century poem by Thomas Randolph, which reads, “Justice, like lightning ever should appear to few men ruin, but to all men fear”. Since Zemo isn’t a member of the Thunderbolts in the MCU, the explanation for the team’s name is still a mystery. However, a bigger mystery is why Marvel Studios suddenly added an asterisk to the title during production.
On March 27, 2024, Yelena Belova actor Florence Pugh shared a behind-the-scenes video on the Thunderbolts set. Pugh made it clear that she couldn’t reveal too many details about the project, but still managed to show a frame of the movie in the editing bay, as well as a chair with the film’s title on it. Curiously, it reads “Thunderbolts*”, and Marvel Studios‘ official X account also included the same asterisk in the video’s caption. Naturally, this detail has sparked speculation among fans, who have come up with multiple theories.
One possible explanation for the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title is that it will play a role within the story. For instance, the general public and the media could start calling the team “the Avengers” or “the Dark Avengers”, leading Yelena and her colleagues to correct their official name publicly, with an asterisk denoting this elucidation. Otherwise, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine could give the team an inconspicuous name, which would motivate the heroes to find their own identity and brand themselves as an actual superhero team.
Another possibility is that Thunderbolts*‘ asterisk is only used by Marvel Studios to label the original title as a placeholder. While this could sound like Thunderbolts will be completely rebranded as a different project than the comic-book team it originally took inspiration from, it would likely mean that the Thunderbolts title will get expanded or receive a subtitle similar to the MCU Spider-Man trilogy or the Thor sequels. Some examples would be Bucky Barnes and the Thunderbolts or Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning.
Alternatively, the asterisk in Thunderbolts* could be an exclusive addition to the film production’s set. Movie titles, regardless of whether the studio considers them likely to be final or not, usually have official-looking designs during production. MCU projects like Echo and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have had very different title designs, for example. If Marvel decides to keep the original title right before release, the asterisk could be removed. But while it’s normal to see last-minute changes in movie titles, the asterisk in Marvel Studios’ X post caption leaves more questions open.
Just like MCU movie title designs tend to change during production, the titles themselves are subject to change in Marvel productions. Captain America: Brave New World is the most recent example before Thunderbolts, with Captain America: New World Order being the original title. Previous to that, Eternals was referred to as The Eternals for a long time before the final name was confirmed. Agatha has changed titles three times already, holding the record for the Marvel project with the most titles announced: Agatha: House of Harkness, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, and finally Agatha.
While any explanation could be true, it seems unlikely that the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title is a placeholder, as Florence Pugh’s behind-the-scenes video would have been the perfect opportunity to reveal a major rebrand if the movie received a subtitle or a new name altogether. However, the fact that Marvel Studios is including the asterisk on social media posts suggests the change isn’t temporary either. Therefore, at this point, it’s possible that the asterisk has a narrative meaning, similar to how DC’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice used “v.” instead of “vs.” to highlight the movie’s legal subplot.