One Upcoming MCU Project Might Be Hiding Its Biggest Spoiler in Plain Sight

Thunderbolts* is set to be the next team-up film by Marvel Studios, featuring familiar faces from the MCU such as Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova, Ghost, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, U.S. Agent, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The upcoming MCU film appears to be Marvel Studios’ version of the Suicide Squad with a group composed of mostly anti-heroes. Thunderbolts* will arrive in May 2025 in theaters and fans at San Diego Comic-Con saw the first footage from the film that saw the team members being unexpectedly set up on the same mission.

With Thunderbolts* hitting theaters early next year, the first trailer will likely be released by the end of the year. While nothing has been released to the public so far, the upcoming film has sparked lots of speculation due to the addition of an asterisk at the end of its title. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has teased that fans will learn the meaning of the asterisk at some point and all signs point to the film getting a new title with a major twist in store.

Marvel Studios Has Played Around With Titles Before

Agatha All Along was first announced as Agatha: House of Harkness, then changed to Agatha: Coven of Chaos. Agatha: Darkhold Diaries was its third title and Agatha: The Lying Witch with Great Wardrobe became its fourth before the real title, all part of the show’s marketing.

Marvel Studios has shown it isn’t afraid to play around with the titles of its projects leading up to a release. Most recently, Marvel Studios released several titles for the upcoming Agatha Harkenss spin-off series before it was revealed to be Agatha All Along. The Fantastic Four reboot also just received the First Steps subtitle and long ago, Marvel Studios initially teased fans that Captain America: Civil War was going to have the Serpent Society title instead.

Thunderbolts* could very well be Marvel Studios going one step further with its title to preserve some kind of mystery or reveal in the film and do it cleverly. The title for Deadpool & Wolverine came with the first trailer, but for Thunderbolts*, it seems that isn’t going to come until the film is released based on Feige’s CinemaCon comment. An asterisk is an unusual symbol to add to a film title and likely means there’s an omission. One possibility for that omission is because it relates to Sentry, with Lewis Pullman expected to play him.

The Thunderbolts Team Could Become a New Team

The Thunderbolts first appeared in an issue ofThe Incredible Hulk back in January 1997, created by Kurt Busiek. James Gunn expressed interest in a Thunderbolts film back when he was working with Marvel Studios on the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. Jake Schreier directed the upcoming 2025 MCU film, whose credits include Paper Towns, Beef, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Another example of Marvel Studios altering a title came at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, with it being changed to Captain America and the Winter Soldier once Sam Wilson took over the mantle. Many fans speculate Thunderbolts* could lead to a very similar situation with the team becoming the Dark Avengers in the MCU given the group of characters involved.

The status of the Avengers in the MCU is unknown at the moment but it might be hard to believe Marvel Studios would be hiding a potential Avengers film from the movie-going audience since it’s Marvel Studios’ most successful franchise. This means the Thunderbolts could become another group instead of the new Avengers, especially since it’s unclear what the status of President “Thunderbolt” Ross will be after the events of Captain America: Brave New World. In the comics, at the end of the Thunderbolts‘ first issue, a twist revealed the team as the Masters of Evil. Since the MCU is in a similar state with the Avengers “dead”, it would make complete sense for Marvel Studios to go down the same route. Whatever Marvel Studios reveals the true title to be, it must be worthwhile enough to cause excitement and save it for the release.

Thunderbolts* Could Also Be a Secret Two-Parter

More movie studios are shying away from including a “part one” in its title, with Paramount recently removing that designation from the recent Mission: Impossible film. Marvel has yet to pull off a two-part film but planned to do it originally with Avengers: Infinity War.

One rumor suggests that the big surprise with the Thunderbolts* title is that it is a two-parter, similar to how the first Dune film was Part I right at the start. The upcoming Wicked film is also doing something similar, with the marketing hiding the fact that it is also a two-parter. If Thunderbolts is secretly a two-parter, then this would also mean a massive cliffhanger could be in store for audiences if it goes in this direction. There was also notably a now-deleted Instagram post from Atlanta Filming that referred to the film as “Thunderbolts Part I.”

If Thunderbolts is a two-parter, then the second part was either filmed with the first or it has yet to happen. Filming on Thunderbolts* lasted around six months, which is normal for a single feature. Marvel Studios initially planned to make Avengers: Infinity Warinto two parts, but held off and turned Avengers 4 into Endgame. Therefore, it would be the first time the studio has gone down this road, and could make sense since it is the final film of Phase 5.

Marvel Studios has a lot of exciting projects on the way with much of the focus on the next Avengers films, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Daredevil: Born Again. The upcoming Thunderbolts* project has flown under the radar a little bit in large part because it’s a new team of notable characters, but those who have played supporting roles in the MCU so far. With Marvel Studios doing something different with its title, it could lead to one of the studio’s biggest surprises to date if Marvel Studios can pull off what many speculate.

With Marvel Studios adding an asterisk to the film’s title, there’s certainly more to it, especially with all the mystery surrounding the project. The film is also rumored to introduce Sentry to the MCU, who’s one of the most powerful characters in the comics and the title’s asterisk could easily relate to his appearance. More details are bound to come out for Thunderbolts*, but its biggest mystery will likely remain until the film’s release, which would be very exciting in the age of scoops and spoilers flooding the internet daily.