The sneaky asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title officially has meaning.
On Monday, Marvel unveiled the true name of the rag-tag group of superheroes as “The New Avengers,” now that the film is officially in theaters.
“Presenting Marvel Studios’ #̶T̶h̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶b̶o̶l̶t̶s̶* #TheNewAvengers,” Marvel Studios wrote in a social media post, which included a video of the film’s cast, led by Florence Pugh, ripping away the word “Thunderbolts*” on the movie poster to reveal the words “*The New Avengers.”
According to Marvel, the video was shot discreetly backstage at the film’s Hollywood premiere.
Another video shows star Sebastian Stan covering up a publicly displayed movie poster featuring the updated name.
The film features a collaboration of former Marvel Cinematic Universe baddies and anti-heroes: Pugh’s Yelena and her adoptive father Alexei aka Red Guardian, played by David Harbour; Stan’s Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier; Hannah John-Kamen‘s Ava Starr/Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp; Olga Kurylenko‘s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster from Black Widow; and Wyatt Russell‘s John Walker/U.S. Agent from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The group is brought together by Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who also appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and in a post-credits scene in Black Widow.
“After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts,” a synopsis for the film reads. “Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
