*The Avengers are not available
With Captain America: Brave New World hitting the big screens on 14th Feb, now, everyone is waiting to see the mismatched team of misfits come together in Thunderbolts* on May 2, 2025. But, there’s one thing about this name that has had fans perplexed since day one. Everyone’s wondering what the asterisk in the title Thunderbolts* denotes. So, what is it!?
In the trailer too, when the Red Guardian declares “We are the Thunderbolts!” his teammates weren’t pleased. When many curiosity-filled fans asked Kevin Feige about the symbol’s relevance, at the SDCC ’24, he simply stated that fans can learn the meaning by seeing the movie in theaters.
This made the fans believe that this might be a code for a spoiler of the film. Many believe that due to others not liking the name, this might lead to a name change to Dark Avengers, maybe.
What does the asterisk mean?
One of the Thunderbolts* posters spilled the beans at the Super Bowl 2025 provides an official meaning. Working as an annotation, it means, *The Avengers are not available.
Now if we look at the way MCU is going, the Avengers don’t seem to be coming forth and it adds to the line said by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine at the beginning of the trailer, “Let’s talk facts, the Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?”
In the comics…
In Thunderbolts issue #1, Baron Zemo disguised as Citizen V says that they got the name from a line by 17th-century poet Thomas Randolph: “Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men’s ruin, but to all men’s fear.” And he further adds “Our hope is that we can be that lightning — that justice.” All these were a con as the original Thunderbolts were the Masters of Evil.
Maybe, maybe not
Now, with the poster having been revealed, the annotation deal seems to fit quite right, and with the team consisting of former assassins and killers, giving the team a humorous look compared to the actual Avengers, the gimmick just fits in. So, this is just a cute joke. But…
…this comes down to the truth in MCU that no one has seen the Avengers in action for the time being after the death of Tony Stark fighting Thanos and saving the universe.
| Upcoming MCU Flicks | Release Date | |
| 1. | Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025 |
| 2. | Thunderbolts* | May 5, 2025 |
| 3. | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | July 25, 2025 |
| 4. | Blade | November 7, 2025 |
| 5. | Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026 |
| 6. | Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 |
Pic Credits: Marvel/MCU
