Yahoo Movies Marvel fans think they know what Thunderbolts' asterisk means
Marvel fans seem to think they know the meaning behind Thunderbolts' asterisk.
Inspired by the comics of the same name, the upcoming MCU blockbuster tells the story of a group of Marvel anti-heroes, who are brought together for a high-stakes mission by government agent Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
The film's official title is Thunderbolts*, with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige recently revealing that he won't elaborate on its meaning until after the film is released next year.
In the meantime, many MCU fans have taken to social media to share their theories on what the asterisk could represent.
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One eagle-eyed fan took to Reddit on Monday (September 23) to explain why they thought the asterisk could possibly unveil a fresh set of Avengers.
"So let's take bets of what the asterisk's reveal will be," they wrote, before listing: "The New Avengers, The Dark Avengers, The Secret Avengers."
Taking inspiration from the film's first trailer, which was recently unveiled, the theory continued: "When you've got Val buying Avengers Tower, the trailer stating, 'Be Careful Who You Assemble', and Marvel being very deliberately secretive on the asterisks, I feel like it 100% has to be one of those options.
"If it reveals anything other than an Avengers variation, I'd be dumbfounded. Right now, I think 'New Avengers' might be the choice I'm going with. But I could see the other two just as easily."
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Another fan took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain that the asterisk could signify a "trap" for the anti-heroes, as opposed to working as a team.
"Oh I get it, the meaning of the asterisk in the title is because Ross 'assembled them' as a trap, not as a team... that's actually brilliant if that is the way they're going," the post read.
Others have suggested that the asterisk could reveal that the film isn't really a Thunderbolts story, but instead might be a Dark Avengers re-telling that has a "dark analogue vibe" – similar to the comic book series. Only time will tell.
The speculation comes after David Harbour, who plays Alexei Shostakov in the film, recently revealed when he learnt about the asterisk.
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"I mean, they retroactively put the asterisk [in]. The asterisk was an idea that someone had," he told Comic Book.
"What can I say that's not going to get me in trouble? The asterisk is very cool. I understand why people might put an asterisk there. I'm excited for the viewers to see that as well. But, again, I just can't say anymore."
Thunderbolts* has been directed by Paper Towns filmmaker Jake Schreier from a script by Eric Pearson (Black Widow), Lee Sung Jin (Beef) and Joanna Calo (The Bear).
Its star-studded cast also includes Florence Pugh, Geraldine Viswanathan, Lewis Pullman, Harrison Ford, Sebastian Stan, Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Weisz and Laurence Fishburne.
Thunderbolts* is released in cinemas on May 2, 2025.
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