The mysterious asterisk in Thunderbolts* continues to dominate the conversation about the next MCU movie, and in the lead-up to its release, director Jake Schreier and actress Florence Pugh have teased what they know. It isn’t long before answers to all the mysteries surrounding Thunderbolts* are revealed as the movie nears its May 2 release date. Until then, fans can only speculate over how the titular team will deal with the challenge of the Void in the apparent absence of the comparatively more powerful Avengers.
Regarding the asterisk mystery, Jake Schrier and Florence Pugh have remained tight-lipped – though Schrier assures audiences that “It means something,” in a recent interview with Empire Magazine. Their comments come just over a month after a Japanese poster for the movie added the tagline “*The Avengers are not available,” leading prospective audiences to wonder if this was all it was supposed to denote. Neither Schrier nor Pugh outright deny this possibility, while Executive Producer Brian Chapek added further reasoning behind adding the asterisk. When asked about the nature of the asterisk, they each had this to say:
Brian Chapek: “We wanted to do something very different, and capture people’s attention.”
Florence Pugh: “I actually know. But I’m not gonna tell you. I hold all the power.”
Jake Schrier: “I don’t think I can say anything. I can say that it means something. There’s some general sense of what an asterisk means.”
The Filmmakers Certainly Didn’t Reveal Much
The filmmakers’ comments are frustratingly vague. It is worth noting that the cryptic asterisk was added to the title well after the movie’s initial announcement, which could suggest that it doesn’t have story-changing connotations. Schrier’s comments about there being a “general sense of what an asterisk means,” meanwhile, hardly puts any of the prevailing theories to bed. Among the most prominent of these theories are the following:
- It is a placeholder for the team becoming the Dark Avengers or the Secret Avengers.
- It hides a secret extra member.
- It denotes that the Thunderbolts are not (initially, at least) supposed to be a team.
Related
What Does The Thunderbolts* Asterisk Mean? 8 Theories About The Marvel Movie’s Title
Marvel’s Thunderbolts* movie was rebranded to feature an asterisk in the title, with several theories being crafted as to what it could mean.
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing for sure what it means until the movie’s release. This was asserted by Kevin Feige soon after the asterisk was added in April 2024. Speaking at CinemaCon 2024, Feige stated:
“That is the official title of Thunderbolts and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.”
This suggests that the asterisk is directly tied to the narrative, as he is presumably suggesting the nature of the asterisk will be revealed upon watching. It also explains why Schrier and company are remaining tight-lipped until the eleventh hour. This, at least, gives rise to some hope that the meaning behind it will amount to more than the simple tagline “The Avengers are not available.”
I Just Hope There Is A Significant Payoff
I’m quite happy that the asterisk will remain a mystery until Thunderbolts* is finally released, though it does put pressure on Marvel Studios to deliver on the build-up. While the latest Thunderbolts* trailer has supercharged my excitement, I fear I’ll be bitterly disappointed if the payoff isn’t substantial. Whatever the case, as a marketing ploy, I think it works wonders, as I’m now champing at the bit to discover the truth as soon as possible.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
- Director
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Jake Schreier
- Writers
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Lee Sung-jin, Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
Upcoming MCU Movies
Sources: Empire & CinemaCon 2024