Movies

The True Meaning Behind Thunderbolts’ Asterisk Revealed by Director

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Jake Schreier, the director known for Thunderbolts, recently revealed the reason behind the asterisk in the title of his MCU blockbuster. The film was renamed with an asterisk over a year ago during pre-production in March 2024. Marvel Studios has been hinting at a secret regarding the symbol, suggesting it would be unveiled when the movie is released in theaters on May 2, 2025.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Thunderbolts squad assembles an unconventional lineup of antiheroes and morally ambiguous characters from Marvel Comics. Yelena Belova, portrayed by Florence Pugh, and Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, are among the leading figures, with Red Guardian (David Harbour), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) joining them. Their mission is to confront Sentry (Lewis Pullman) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).

Warning – The rest of this article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.

In the end, following the confrontation with The Void, Valentina skillfully deceived the remaining Thunderbolts (except Taskmaster) and Bob/Sentry into attending a press conference. She claimed responsibility for putting together New York’s newest superheroes and publicly unveiled them as the New Avengers to the world.

Find out why Taskmaster died and missed out on joining the New Avengers.

In essence, the asterisk in the title signifies that this squad isn’t known as the “Thunderbolts”, but rather the “New Avengers”. They will base their operations at the old Avengers Tower, which was previously owned by Tony Stark, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.

With Thunderbolts now officially hitting the big screen, director Jake Schreier sat down with Brandon Davis from Phase Hero for an exclusive chat about the significance and narrative behind the asterisk in the title of this Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. The unique viewpoint provided by the MCU director sheds light on why last-minute renaming was a logical decision for the Thunderbolts team.

The interviewer noted that the title “Thunderbolts” lacked an asterisk, and Schreier was inquired about whether the New Avengers surprise was intended from the start. Swiftly, he explained that while the script for the movie initially differed greatly, the ending had been consistent since the very first draft he read.

From the initial concept of the movie, that’s how it was supposed to end, and the original script was significantly different from what we eventually produced. However, from the earliest version I read, that element was already included, and it was clear that this would be their introduction, as originally planned by Val.

Initially, Schreier suggested a single advertisement titled with an asterisk. However, the Marvel Studios team adopted this idea and their marketing department took it on board as well.

In my previous pitch session, I proposed an idea: “Why not add a bit of humor by putting an asterisk on the ad title and writing ‘until we come up with something better’? To their credit, Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito] found it amusing, and they decided to go ahead with it. The marketing team also seemed to appreciate the idea.

He narrated an incident where he arrived at a photoshoot set, which was being used for creating posters and promotional materials. Upon seeing the use of some symbol or mark, Schreier expressed his surprise by saying, “‘Wow, it seems you’re actually utilizing this star-shaped symbol, isn’t it?’

I recall attending a day on set that’s part of the photo shoot process. It takes place during your shoot at some point, usually on weekends. All the actors show up to take photos for posters and other early concepts, and I was there too. I remember thinking, ‘It looks like you’re using this asterisk symbol quite a bit, huh? Quite interesting. Here’s hoping it works out.’

The director believes it takes a studio of such caliber to execute a last-minute title change on premiere day, as the asterisk transformed the film from “Thunderbolts” to “The New Avengers” during the closing credits.

Furthermore, the title of the film might change on its release day. Such a move could only be executed by a studio with a strong enough standing in the industry. Since we are discussing this before its premiere, we’ll know the outcome soon… To be honest, I feel compelled to predict the outcome one way or another.

Schreier pointed out that the mysterious asterisk enabled them to leverage the point that these were secondary characters, not well-known ones, as a benefit instead of relying on name recognition.

Instead of immediately facing criticism about the cast or the franchise not being as well-known as others, like Superman or Fantastic Four, let’s embrace this situation as a chance to showcase something fresh and exciting. How might we playfully reimagine these supposed B-list characters and surprise audiences with an unexpected twist?

Initially, Marvel Studios encountered criticism regarding the Thunderbolts team composition due to the absence of regular comic characters like Baron Zemo and Songbird. However, Schreier posits that the movie’s ending upholds this concept as these characters might not be traditional villains but individuals who are deemed “out-of-place” in the Avengers Tower.

In a sense, when individuals exclaim, “This isn’t… Not my Thunderbolts!” It implies a comparison to the original group, known as the Masters of Evil. However, our ending doesn’t directly follow that initial storyline. Adapting this concept in a movie setting could be challenging, but I believe our conclusion somehow acknowledges and pays tribute to that notion. The characters end up in a position where they might not belong, although they may have the potential to prove themselves worthy. However, their future roles will likely be an uneasy fit given their transformation.

The director concurred that the Thunderbolts team would inevitably face challenges on the internet, implying he might want to reconsider his focus on the subject.

Davis additionally noted that Valentina’s declaration of the Thunderbolts as her New Avengers bore a striking resemblance to the instance in Marvel Comics where Norman Osborn put together the Dark Avengers following the “Secret Invasion” story arc.

Or, more informally:
Davis also mentioned that Valentina’s announcement of the Thunderbolts as her new team was very similar to how Norman Osborn formed the Dark Avengers in Marvel Comics after the Secret Invasion storyline.

Responding to this, Schreier pointed out that “Thunderbolts” is rich with numerous references, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has a strong affinity for unexpected plot twists.

It appears we’ve accumulated numerous references during my tenure here, with Eric Pearson and Brian Chapek setting them up. I believe Kevin Feige enjoys adding unexpected twists to these collections.

Currently, “Thunderbolts” is showing in cinemas, and as director Jake Schreier explained, it features a star-studded ensemble, well-known faces who comprise the MCU’s new version of the Avengers leading up to next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” It has been confirmed that all the New Avengers will appear in “Avengers 5,” which was part of the official cast announcement in March.

The New Avengers squad might harbor some competition with another Avengers group led by Captain America, portrayed by Anthony Mackie under Sam Wilson’s leadership. There are notable disparities between the two teams.

By that time in 2026, it will be necessary for both teams of Avengers to overlook their disagreements as they join forces with the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and other Marvel superheroes to confront the danger posed by Doctor Doom, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.

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2025-05-02 18:35

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