Thunderbolts* managed to pull off a genuinely surprising plot twist, and this behind-the-scenes fact makes the feat feel even more impressive. Although the film’s box office numbers ultimately fell below average for an MCU film, the overwhelmingly positive reception from fans and critics is enough to make up for it. The franchise needed an original, fun film to revive audience interest, and Thunderbolts* did exactly that for the MCU. It is one of the most grounded yet touching stories that the MCU has featured in a long time, even with an unconventional hero team at the center of it all.

The Thunderbolts are a team of MCU anti-heroes who weren’t necessarily considered outright villains, but they had a lot of work to do before being considered heroes by the public. Even by the end of the film after the team helped save New York, the credits showed how the general public is still weary of their presence. The in-universe doubt was only fueled by Valentina’s announcement of their new name, and it’s like the studio knew that was going to be a big plot twist with how they handled filming the moment on set.

Thunderbolts*’ Ending Is One Of The MCU’s Best Plot Twists In Years

The Thunderbolts* Twist Will Actually Be Expanded On

The MCU has attempted its fair share of plot twists, and the majority of them have been successful for the most part. However, no recent plot twist has hit as hard as the one in Thunderbolts*. At the end of the film, Valentina takes credit for the team’s formation in order to evade their wrath. She then shockingly announces the team’s rebrand as the New Avengers, which is the name they will be using going forward. Although it’s not a big, flashy plot twist, it can be considered one of the MCU’s most effective.

The Avengers are a name that everyone in the MCU knows, and the in-universe general public has a very specific image of them in their minds. They were already weary of putting trust in the Thunderbolts, considering each character’s past, and them seemingly taking over the Avengers’ name clashes with the Avengers’ reputation. What made the twist even more shocking was that Sam Wilson confirmed that he was going to start rebuilding the Avengers just months prior in Captain America: Brave New World, so the New Avengers comes with built-in stakes and tension.

How Thunderbolts* Hid Its Ending From Even Its Own Actors Makes Its Plot Twist Even More Impressive

Two Versions Of The Final Scene Were Filmed

Not only was the announcement of the New Avengers a shock to the audience, but it was actually a surprise to the Thunderbolts* cast themselves. Marvel had the team film two versions of the end scene in order to prevent the big twist from leaking, which Bob actor Lewis Pullman revealed in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz. According to Pullman, they initially sH๏τ a version of the scene where Valentina called them the Thunderbolts, then followed up with the scene that made the film’s final cut. Read his full quote below:

“We had to shoot that two different ways because we had so many background actors who were there. It was a potential leak risk. We sH๏τ it where Valentina said ‘the Thunderbolts,’ and then they all left, and they turned it around on us, and she said her actual line with a locked and sealed, secure set. It was pretty amazing.” (via comicbookmovie.com)

When Valentina announced her rebrand of the Thunderbolts to the New Avengers, even the team seemed surprised about their new idenтιтy. The fact that the actors were actually equally surprised on set makes this little detail even more fun to watch, and it shows Marvel’s dedication to a good plot twist. They clearly succeeded considering how nothing about the New Avengers name leaked before the film’s release, and it allowed them to capitalize on some interesting marketing tactics.

I’m So Fascinated To See How The Thunderbolts* Ending Plot Twist Plays Out For The MCU’s Future

There Are Now Two Avengers Teams In The MCU

There are already consequences following the Thunderbolts rebrand to the New Avengers, which is why the film’s plot twist feels so effective. Bucky’s involvement with the team has already set up tension between him and his good friend Sam, who is ᴀssembling his own Avengers team. Considering that both teams are slated to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, they’re likely going to clash upon their first meeting before deciding to work together to face Doctor Doom.

With how positive the reception has been for the Thunderbolts, the smartest move for Marvel would be to capitalize on that popularity. The New Avengers are already being set up to cross paths with the Fantastic Four as the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene showed them observing their ship crashing, so some characters’ first impressions of the team will genuinely be as the New Avengers. A name rebrand is such a simple move, but it’s going to have an immediate effect on the imminent MCU that will make the Avengers dynamic even more interesting.

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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