Back in March, after star Florence Pugh shared our first behind-the-scenes look at the movie, Marvel Studios announced a minor but significant change to the title of Thunderbolts* with the addition of a mysterious asterisk.
Fans have been speculating ever since, and the most popular theory seems to be that the characters will ultimately form a completely different team.
Several cast members have been asked about the asterisk, and David Harbour came closest to at least hinting at its significance during a recent interview.
“Yes, they retroactively put the asterisk (in). The asterisk was an idea that that someone had. What can I say that's not going to get me in trouble? The asterisk is very cool. I understand why people might put an asterisk there (laughs) I'm excited for the viewers to see that as well. But I, again, I just can't say anymore.”
Possible spoilers from this point on.
So, will the Thunderbolts actually be revealed to be the Dark Avengers? According to MTTSH, they're actually going to be the New Avengers.
This doesn't necessarily mean that these characters alone will make up the next incarnation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but it seems the plan is for them to form the basis for a new, most likely government-sponsored (we'll see how long that lasts) team that would officially activate after (or maybe during) the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
What do you make of this rumor? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below.
Though other characters might well join up during the movie, the Thunderbolts roster currently consists of Red Guardian (Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Kurylenko).
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis Dreyfus) will put the team together, and rumor has it that she may also be partially responsible for Sentry's creation.
As for Sentry, Lewis Pullman (Salem's Lot, Top Gun Maverick) joined the cast as the powerful, unstable character after The Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun was forced to step away due to a scheduling conflict.
There were rumors that Harrison Ford's Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross would be involved, but that seems to have been debunked. Black Widow's Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz) and Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) from Ant-Man and the Wasp are also rumored to appear.
Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.