After hearing the latest comments about what the asterisk means in the Thunderbolts* тιтle, I’m both more exciting and less sure about what its significance could actually be for the MCU film. With the MCU timeline thus far having understandably but undeniably focused on more conventional depictions of Marvel superheroes, Thunderbolts* is an especially exciting prospect for the franchise. Depicting a team of antiheroes and reformed Marvel villains, Thunderbolts* holds a lot of potential for the MCU and its ability to tell different stories while staying loyal to the parts of the franchise that have worked all this time.

Given the Thunderbolts* cast is all comprised of pre-existing characters bar the mysterious “Bob” – who appears to be that of the MCU’s Sentry – it’s safe to say that there are a lot of questions Thunderbolts* is set to answer, mainly regarding what the members of its new team have been up to since we last saw them, which for some was now many years ago. However, this is by no means the most pressing mystery for Thunderbolts* to answer, as the matter of what the asterisk at the end of its тιтle means has been a major point of fan curiosity since it was first revealed in 2024.

There Are A Lot Of Exciting Theories About What The Asterisk In The Thunderbolts* тιтle Means

Following the reveal that Thunderbolts* would have the mysterious asterisk at the end of its тιтle, discussion about what this could signify immediately emerged, resulting in several theories that seem as though they could come to fruition when the film releases in May 2025. The biggest of these theories is that the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* тιтle is actually because the team will be revealed to be the Dark Avengers in the MCU, with the Thunderbolts тιтle instead being used as a placeholder to not give this major plot point away.

While this certainly still seems possible to me, it’s not the only Thunderbolts* тιтle theory I think could end up being the correct one. The theories that this asterisk is actually to denote that the members of the team were supposed to be on a hit list rather than recruited for a team makes sense given the motley and unlikely group of allies that is created here, and the theories this could tie into Sentry or the Void’s MCU debuts in the movie – or even just denote the six questionable or redacted records of all the members involved – all have their own seeming supporting evidence.

The MCU has even offered its own potential bonus reading of the тιтle, as a February 10, 2025 social media post from Marvel Studios Japan featured a poster with the group, and another asterisk at the bottom of the poster, reading “*The Avengers are not available“. Given the Thunderbolts appear to form as a team to deal with an onslaught being carried out on New York while the Avengers are nowhere to be seen, it certainly seems possible this is the answer that will be provided in the movie, with the group possibly having their own caveat about why they are helping instead of Marvel’s main hero team.

Even more straightforward theories – like the team simply adding the asterisk because they don’t like the name but haven’t come up with another one – seem like they could end up being the case in the film, though they would be less exciting for the movie and its story than some of the other bigger theories. As it stands, the latest comments about the film and the mystery of its asterisk leave a lot of possibilities open still, even as the movie heads towards its final months of promotion before its release.

The Latest Comments About The Thunderbolts* Asterisk Make Several Theories Possible (But Leaves Exactly Which Even More Unclear)

In an interview with Empire Magazine, several significant figures involved in Thunderbolts* discussed the movie and its place in the MCU landscape. Naturally, this included some commentary about the matter of what the asterisk means for Thunderbolts*, though carefully handled so as to not give the much-discussed topic away before it can encourage audiences to see it in cinemas.

Executive producer Brian Chapek explained that the decision behind the asterisk in the тιтle was because “We wanted to do something very different… and capture people’s attention.” On a similar note, Yelena Belova actor Florence Pugh joked about the matter, saying “I actually know… But I’m not gonna tell you. I hold all the power.” Director Jake Schreier’s comments are the most salient here, though, as he stated: “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.“

While the fact the asterisk means something isn’t surprising, it is worth noting that Schreier’s comments suggest it is being used to denote something like a footnote or another traditional use of an asterisk, supporting the theories that have explored these ideas versus the ones that have focused more on unconventional concepts that could link to this part of the тιтle. However, since this category includes several major theories, we’re still seemingly a long way off learning the concrete answer to the matter – especially since this comment makes many of them seem equally likely based on what we definitively know.

I Can’t Wait To Find Out What The Asterisk On The Thunderbolts* тιтle Really Means

The MCU is no stranger to giving projects mysterious тιтles for fans to speculate over or find themselves unclear about – as charming working тιтles for MCU projects like Group Hug for The Avengers or the Thunderbolts* working тιтle of Oops All Berries can attest to. However, when it comes to final тιтles, usually the only matter to theorize about is what exact parts of the comic world the тιтle is alluding to adapting – which can be a tricky matter itself, as shown with Avengers: Infinity War, since the film actually adapts The Infinity Gauntlet story, not the Infinity War comic.

As such, it’s been genuinely enjoyable to be able to savor the mystery of what the тιтle of Thunderbolts* actually means, especially since there have been so many unique and interesting theories that have emerged from the clever minds of invested fans that would add to the plot of the movie and the MCU at large were they to turn out to actually be true when the film releases. With that said, though, a mystery is often more enjoyable in hindsight, and I look forward to being able to consider everything again with a fresh eye once the actual answer to the Thunderbolts* тιтle mystery is made clear to us.

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  MCU Spider-Man 4

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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