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The ongoing speculations regarding the asterisk in the title of Marvel's Thunderbolts* have finally been addressed by director Jake Schreier, as the film continues to delight audiences in theaters, reportedly being one of the most grounded films Marvel has released in recent years.
For a long time, fans have pointed out the unusual punctuation mark in the title, and that has led to various theories about its possible meaning. For some, the asterisk could mean a placeholder for a team still in formation, while others said it might be a nod to the group's potential to evolve into the new Avengers.
As the film hit theaters on May 1, 2025, the hidden meaning behind the asterisk became pretty clear after a confirmation from director Schreier, who revealed the meaning behind this idea.
As fans predicted, the asterisk in Thunderbolts* was a revelation to the team, being known as the New Avengers in the end, and the newer version of Earth's mightiest heroes as they take on their protective duties in saving the world. For Schreier, even though the script changed voices, the ending never did. Talking about it in the Phase Hero podcast, the director recently opened up on how the idea came to be. He shared:
"From the moment I pitched on the movie, that was the ending, and the script was very different than what we ended up making. But from the very first draft that I read, that was in and that stayed. So I think that was part of my last pitch meeting, and I said, 'I think it'd be fun to maybe do one ad somewhere where we put an asterisk on the title, and we say until we come up with something better."
Schreier then added that on photoshoot day, he saw that the team was using the idea to their full potential. He went on:
"I went and was like, 'Oh, you guys are really using that asterisk thing, huh? Yeah, I hope this works.' And then deeper in, this idea that the name of the movie could actually shift on opening day. I think only a studio like this in the position that it's in could pull something like that off. We're sitting here before it comes out so we'll find out exactly how it went."
Thunderbolts* is receiving a positive response among fans
The team of antiheroes has managed to keep fans on the edge of their seats as the film has continued to gain praise from fans across the world. The cast has been noted for their nuanced portrayals of flawed individuals. On the other hand, Schreier is garnering appreciation for bringing to life a story that manages to capture the dynamic between a team of misfits while giving their individual stories space to grow and to be explored by fans.
Thunderbolts* stars a brilliant ensemble of Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen and Lewis Pullman.
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As for box office earnings, so far, the superhero film has earned $11.5 million from previews. In its first weekend of release, it is anticipated to earn between $70 million and $75 million domestically, and $160 million to $175 million globally.
Thunderbolts* is currently running in theaters.
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