Kevin Feige comments on why Thunderbolts* includes an asterisk in its title, stating that it will only be revealed after the movie’s release.

Thunderbolts* recently underwent an official, but puzzling name change when Marvel introduced the asterisk to the title, but Kevin Feige has refused to explain the change. Thunderbolts* is currently slated to release on May 5, 2025, after Captain America: Brave New World releases on February 14 of the same year. Story details are still relatively scarce, but it will feature a group of established MCU antiheroes joining forces under the purview of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

The title change has raised many eyebrows since it was introduced, but Kevin Feige himself has refused to elaborate on the change in an appearance at CinemaCon 2024, attended by Screen Rant, stating:

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.

This at least rules out some theories about the sudden name change. Florence Pugh revealed in a video of the Thunderbolts* set that the title had made its way onto on-set furniture, which was the first indication that the change was the movie’s official title and not a placeholder. Feige’s confirmation cements this notion, and his refusal to elaborate offers further clues.

Why Kevin Feige Won’t Explain The Thunderbolts* Movie Title

It’s Likely A Major MCU Spoiler

Kevin Feige’s secrecy is understandable if one thing is true: explaining it would spoil the movie. This all but confirms that the official title of the movie is directly tied to the narrative, and contradicts notions that an asterisk was added as a placeholder ahead of a more drastic change further down the line or that it was added purely for production purposes. Instead, Feige’s confirmation that it is “official” opens the floor to theories surrounding why an asterisk would be tagged onto the titular team’s name in-universe.

An asterisk suggests that the name comes with an as-yet unrevealed footnote. This isn’t so surprising considering the cinematic team differs substantially from the comic book team they’re based on, which was originally headed up by Baron Zemo, suggesting that it’s the same team in spirit, but not in their traditional composition. Reports about the original plans for Thunderbolts* stated that the team would be sent on a suicide mission, which could’ve led to a massive team-shakeup either in the middle or at the end of the movie. Even if that doesn’t happen, it seems likely there will be some roster changes throughout the film.

Another motive could be to differentiate the team from Thunderbolt Ross, who will play an important role in Captain America: Brave New World just a few months before Thunderbolts* releases. In that MCU movie, Ross will be the President of the United States, and will ask Sam Wilson to rebuild the Avengers. However, since the Thunderbolts* team bears his name, it’s likely he’ll be involved in some capacity, which may be set up in Brave New World. In any case, as Feige asserts, we won’t know for sure for another year when Thunderbolts* hits theaters.

Thunderbolts* Movie Title Theory Points To The MCU’s Dark Avengers

Some Have Speculated The Team Will Actually Become The Dark Avengers

The Thunderbolts appearing in the MCU previously made an adaptation of the Dark Avengers, a similar team comprising morally gray antiheroes established by Norman Osborn in the comics, less likely. But by adding an asterisk to the name, Marvel has hinted that theThunderbolts may emerge as the Dark Avengers after all, changing their name after the release date. The absence of the Avengers makes this theory even more compelling as the MCU’s public looks for a new team to fill that void.

This also ties in with the footage revealed for Captain America: Brave New World, in which President Ross expressed his desire to form a new team of Avengers. This lines up with the movies being in such close proximity and gives Thunderbolts* even greater narrative heft as it will become a starker version of the Avengers movie that the Multiverse Saga has thus far been lacking. The Dark Avengers team itself would look markedly different from the founding members of the comics, but the same can be said of the MCU’s Thunderbolts.

It is hard to ignore that the Dark Avengers were initially composed of ex-Thunderbolts members from the jump. Meanwhile, Sentry’s involvement in Thunderbolts* makes a lot more sense given he is a founding member of the Dark Avengers in the comics. While there is no hint that Norman Osborn will finally enter the MCU to form the new team, there are reasonable replacements like Fontaine or Ross who could fill that role in Thunderbolts*.