MCU Thunderbolts teaser finally explains grim meaning behind title's asterisk

The Thunderbolts* film has fascinated MCU fans for quite some time now, though not necessarily for the reason you might think.

Naturally, since it was revealed, the Marvel community has had much to say about this “new Avengers" lineup.

Anticipating that the events of Thunderbolts* will lead to the reveal of the Dark Avengers, there’s a lot of reasons to analyse every detail, however minute, about this upcoming 2025 release.

Yet, one detail has plagued the MCU fandom for months now: what the asterisk means.

We're incredibly hyped about Thunderbolts*

Even though several main theories have circulated, the one that gathered the most traction was that the asterisk symbolised that ‘Thunderbolts’ was merely a temporary name for the band of misfits tasked with saving the world.

However, it seems that the asterisk has a far deeper, and perhaps grim, connotation.

In the latest Thunderbolts* poster, the six team members make up the six points of an asterisk. Moreover, underneath the tagline reads the sentence “The Avengers are not available”.

Apparently, this is what the asterisk has been alluding to all along.

Now that we better understand what it means, fans are left wondering why the Avengers aren’t able to help save the world – what’s happened to them?

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Captain America: Brave New World is the film that potentially explains what leads to the Thunderbolts* being the saviours of the day.

The critic reviews are already in for the new film, and they’re proving quite divisive.

However, what interests people most is the plot, specifically what may or may not happen during the post-credits scene.

Many had assumed Captain America would assemble a new team of heroes, but with the Avengers unavailable during the narrative of Thunderbolts*, this seemingly isn’t the case.

Of course, the poster’s fine print could be the Thunderbolts taunting the Avengers for being too busy to help out.

It’s another unknown that has minds racing. Instead of giving us closure, the latest discovery has led to more questions and theories.