The meaning behind the asterisk in the ‘Thunderbolts*’ title is revealed

The sneaky asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title officially has meaning.

On Monday, Marvel unveiled the true name of the rag-tag group of superheroes as "The New Avengers," now that the film is officially in theaters.

"Presenting Marvel Studios' #?T?h?u?n?d?e?r?b?o?l?t?s?* #TheNewAvengers," Marvel Studios wrote in a social media post, which included a video of the film's cast, led by Florence Pugh, ripping away the word "Thunderbolts*" on the movie poster to reveal the words "*The New Avengers."

According to Marvel, the video was shot discreetly backstage at the film's Hollywood premiere.

Another video shows star Sebastian Stan covering up a publicly displayed movie poster featuring the updated name.

The film features a collaboration of former Marvel Cinematic Universe baddies and anti-heroes: Pugh's Yelena and her adoptive father Alexei aka Red Guardian, played by David Harbour; Stan's Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier; Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr/Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp; Olga Kurylenko's Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster from Black Widow; and Wyatt Russell's John Walker/U.S. Agent from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The group is brought together by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who also appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and in a post-credits scene in Black Widow.

"After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts," a synopsis for the film reads. "Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?"

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