New Thunderbolts* Poster Reveals the Meaning of the Asterisk (And No One Could Have Guessed It)

The new Thunderbolts* Super Bowl trailer answered some of the most-asked questions surrounding the Marvel team-up movie. Questions like: Who is the villain? (Answer: Lewis Pullman’s Bob Reynolds, a.k.a. Sentry, a.k.a. the Void.) Who bought and then remodeled Avengers Tower? (Answer: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the shady CIA director played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.) Another question is asked by Val in front of a congressional hearing: “The Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?” (The answer: the Thunderbolts*.)

But the biggest question remained unanswered until now: “Why does Thunderbolts* have an asterisk?” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was the first to tease the asterisk-titled Thunderbolts during last year’s CinemaCon, telling the convention crowd of the new logo: “We won’t tell you any more about that until the film comes out.”

While the movie isn’t due out until May 2, a new international poster (below) reveals that Thunderbolts* comes with an asterisk to indicate that “the Avengers are not available.”

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The name isn’t initially embraced by the team, which includes Yelena Belova/Black Widow (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).

While Alexei excitedly declares the dysfunctional anti-heroes are “the Thunderbolts*,” an exasperated Bucky responds, “Can’t call ourselves that.” But Alexei insists, confident that they can “bring light from the darkness” — like a thunderbolt. Maybe it has something to do with the all-consuming black Void seen shrouding New York City in darkness…?

In addition to the new trailer and poster, Marvel also released a synopsis: “Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. 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. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?”

Thunderbolts*, out May 2, will be the second Marvel Studios movie to hit theaters this year, coming after the Anthony Mackie-fronted Captain America: Brave New World (Feb. 14) and just weeks before The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25). Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Netflix’s Beef) is directing the feature produced by Feige. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito (Deadpool & Wolverine), Jason Tamez (WandaVision), Brian Chapek (Thor: Love and Thunder), and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow).