Marvel Reveals Reason for Asterisk on ‘Thunderbolts’ Billboard – and It’s a Major Spoiler

The big spoiler around “Thunderbolts” is finally out of the bag. Marvel has officially revealed what that haunting asterisk means on the advertising for its latest film.

A newly revised billboard off of Sunset Plaza Drive in Los Angeles has completely removed the word “Thunderbolts*” and replaced it with “The New Avengers.” The new text – and apparently, new film title – appears above the photo of a cereal box featuring the seven leading ensemble characters.

Marvel’s marketing campaign around “Thunderbolts” has been one of the most experimental ones the studio has tried in years. In addition to the asterisk, which prompted months of speculation after it first appeared in March of 2024, the movie also released an A24-style trailer as well as a limited edition collaboration with Wheaties. Star David Harbour even dressed as his character Red Guardian during a panel for the movie that took place at San Diego Comic-Con.

Now that the film’s been out past its no-spoilers date, the studio revealed a new title for the film, a nod to its big reveal: These are now the New Avengers.

The 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Thunderbolts” is directed by Jake Schreier with a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. “Thunderbolts” is more like “The Suicide Squad” than “The Avengers” as the movie follows a group of unconventional antiheroes who are forced to team up to take down a dangerous threat.

The movie stars Florence Pugh (“Midsommar,” “Little Women”) as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy,” “A Different Man”) as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour (“Stranger Things”) as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen (“Black Mirror,” “The Stranger”) as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko (“Quantum of Solace,” “Treason”) as Taskmaster and Wyatt Russell (“Black Mirror,” “Lodge 49”) as John Walker.

The movie saw $76 million over its opening weekend, which is in line with pre-release projections for the movie but is less than the $89 million “Captain America: Brave New World” made during its three-day opening.

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