With Thunderbolts* set to hit the theatres in a few months, fans finally have some explanation about the meaning of the asterisk in the film’s title. The addition occurred shortly after the project began filming, but has remained an active topic of discussion due to a lack of information regarding its significance. Nevertheless, a recently released international poster for the movie has finally given MCU enthusiasts an insight into what the star-shaped symbol could denote.
Here’s what the asterisk in the Thunderbolts title means
One of the Thunderbolts* posters released at the 2025 Super Bowl finally provides an official meaning to the asterisk included in the film’s title. Working as a reference mark to an annotation, the symbol points to “*The Avengers are not available.”
The aforementioned poster also showcases the different members of the antihero team-up stationed at the various legs of an enlarged asterisk that constitutes the background. This marks the first time that Marvel Studios has provided any sort of official meaning to the asterisk curiously added at the end of the Thunderbolts* title.
Check out the latest Thunderbolts* poster below:
Interestingly, Kevin Feige previously dodged the question about the symbol’s relevance during his appearance at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. Instead of giving an explanation, he simply stated that fans can learn the meaning of the asterisk upon viewing Thunderbolts* in theatres.
This has led fans to believe that the mark could actually contain a spoiler for the film. Many have theorized that the inclusion of the asterisk could denote that the Thunderbolts* title for the team, including Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian, among others, might not be a permanent name for the group. Instead, the title could transition into Dark Avengers after the events of the film, as seen in the pages of Marvel comics.
That said, the true meaning of the asterisk should reveal itself once the movie comes out in theatres. Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is currently on track to hit the big screens on May 2, 2025.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on SuperHeroHype.
