What does the asterisk mean in Thunderbolts*? Mysterious title explained

Can the MCU return to its glory days after a number of recent duds? Will the Fantastic Four finally be brought to the big screen successfully at the third time of asking? And, perhaps most pressing of all, what on earth does that asterisk mean at the end of Thunderbolts*?

Well, the newly released film can't quite definitively answer the first two of those questions (although the signs for the first seem a little more positive than before), but it can put our minds at ease with regards to the third.

Ever since it was first announced back in March last year that the asterisk would be an official part of the title, it has caused much speculation among fans, especially after Kevin Feige explained that: "We won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out."

So, now that the film is out – and we can discuss it without irking Mr Feige – you'll no doubt be desperate for answers. Read on for everything you need to know, but be warned of spoilers ahead...

What does the asterisk mean in Thunderbolts*?

The reason for the asterisk is actually fairly straightforward: at the end of the film, we learn that they will no longer be going by that name – which they had only ever actually casually adopted – but are now known as the New Avengers.

This name was bestowed upon them by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) after she desperately tries to take the credit for their heroics when they save New York City from The Void and become understandably popular with the public as a result.

And so that's it – the asterisk simply denotes the fact that they have changed named from the Thunderbolts to the New Avengers.

Still, it seems likely that the group's name could change again in the future.

In the film's post-credits scene, we learn from Bucky Barnes that Sam Wilson aka Captain America – who has been attempting to put together his own new Avengers team – is not especially happy about this new group, and is even considering copyrighting the Avengers name.

As a workaround, Alexei Shostakov suggests subtly rebranding themselves as The New Avengerz – with a z – but that idea doesn't seem to win much support from his colleagues. It seems they may have to bring that asterisk back again in the future...

Thunderbolts* is now showing in UK cinemas.

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