Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*.
The asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title was the biggest mystery in the lead-up to the Marvel movie. Now that Thunderbolts* is now in theaters, the symbol’s meaning has been revealed.
After the Thunderbolts save the city, the group plans to arrest the mastermind behind the conflict, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Right before they can apprehend her, de Fontaine holds a press conference and announces the Thunderbolts will be known as the New Avengers.
Marvel Studios is now officially changing the title to The New Avengers in all of its branding and marketing. Members of the New Avengers include Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, and Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost.
The ending post-credits scene jumps ahead 14 months into the future, with the New Avengers and Bob (Lewis Pullman) living at the Watchtower, the old Avengers’ tower. The New Avengers are in a legal battle with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) over the copyright ownership of the Avengers trademark.
After the comedic moment, the big reveal comes toward the end of the scene, when the New Avengers learn that a ship with the Fantastic Four’s logo is heading toward Earth. This meeting sets up the eventual team-up between the New Avengers and the Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday, which is now filming in London.
Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* registered an opening weekend of $76 million domestically, which puts it in the neighborhood of 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75 million).
Thunderbolts*/The New Avengers is now in theaters nationwide.
