Ever since the Thunderbolts* movie title was revealed, the mysterious asterisk at the end of the word has kept fans guessing. It makes sense that the asterisk has been an object of much curiosity. After all, movie titles don’t often come with caveats. And a hidden Easter egg tease often has major implications when a movie is an MCU movie. So why does Thunderbolts* have an asterisk at the end of its title? And what exactly is the meaning of the asterisk in Thunderbolts*? These are good questions that we didn’t expect to have an answer to until well after the movie. But now, a new poster for the Thunderbolts* teases one possible meaning for the asterisk. Here’s the first asterisk annotation reveal.
What Is the Meaning of the Asterisk in Thunderbolts* Title? A New Poster Offers Answers
Up until now, we’ve only seen the asterisk portion of the Thunderbolts* mystery. But a new poster for the Thunderbolts* movie reveals the annotation or the text that the asterisk points to, as well. And we’ve never seen that happen before.
So what does the asterisk in Thunderbolts* actually mean? Well, at the bottom of the poster, we see that the asterisk in Thunderbolts* points to the words “*The Avengers Are Not Available.” In fact, in case we have any doubt, the official post copy from Marvel Studios actually asks, “What is the hidden meaning behind the asterisk in the title?” and replies with “The Avengers Are Not Available.”
This new Thunderbolts* poster is also all about the asterisk, so we know it means business. The six members of the Thunderbolts team, Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Ava Starr/Ghost, and John Walker/U.S. Agent, are in fact placed inside the asterisk in this poster, giving it center stage. (Bob [or Sentry] is also peeking into the picture.)
If the Asterisk Means “The Avengers Are Not Available,” What Does THAT Mean?
Okay, so according to this poster, the Thunderbolts* asterisk is here to tell us that the Avengers are not available. We actually hear Valentina Allegra de Fontaine say something similar to those words in the Thunderbolts* latest trailer. She tells the government, “Let’s talk facts, the Avengers are not coming.”
An asterisk, by definition, is used to share additional information that may help clarify the text it is appended to. We’re unsure what the addendum “The Avengers are not available” reveals to us about the Thunderbolts* team. We do know that President Ross wants Sam Wilson to help him build a new Avengers team in Captain America: Brave New World. Is this Thunderbolts* asterisk meant to communicate to us that this attempt failed? Or maybe it succeeded, but the Avengers are busy elsewhere? For now, it sounds more like a catchy marketing phrase than something actually meaningful.
Why Does Thunderbolts* Have an Asterisk in Its Title? Does the Asterisk Actually Matter?
But that leads us to ask again: why does the Thunderbolts* have an asterisk in its title? Is it just a catchy conceit to keep fans buzzing during the lead-up to the movie? Well, Kevin Feige has said otherwise in the past. He revealed the the asterisk does matter beyond just a few fancy words. Speaking at CinemaCon 2024, Feige offered this about the Thunderbolts* asterisk, “Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts*. That is the official title of Thunderbolts*, and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.”
Hrm. That secrecy and refusal to discuss seems to imply that the meaning of asterisk in the MCU movie’s title is actually important. But here we are discussing it before Thunderbolts* has released, based on information from a movie poster, with a reveal that doesn’t exactly wow us. It makes us feel like there’s more to the story.
Could the Asterisk in Thunderbolts* Mean More Than One Thing?
In the Thunderbolts* trailers, the discussion of what the team should be called is a recurring theme. And that makes the idea of an asterisk fit right in. Maybe Thunderbolts is a temporary name, but the real one is still on the way. While this latest poster from Marvel Studios has given us one meaning for the asterisk, we have a feeling something more substantial will pop up to explain the asterisk. And “The Avengers Are Not Available” version is just a present distraction.
But what could other meanings of the Thunderbolts* asterisk be? Some speculation has leaned toward the idea of the Thunderbolts becoming the Dark Avengers. This Marvel Comics team is basically what it says on the label, a superhero team comprising of villains and anti-heroes. U.S. Agent, a member of the MCU’s Thunderbolts, has actually led this team before in the comics. Meanwhile, it’s possible that, for a time, the Thunderbolts will actually become the Avengers themselves. Since the Avengers are not available, someone has to step into the role.
One way or another, we probably haven’t seen the last of the asterisk yet. We’ll find out why the Thunderbolts* title has an asterisk and what exactly it means when Thunderbolts* releases in theaters on May 2, 2025.