The mysterious asterisk in theThunderboltstitle may have been teased back in theMCU’s Phase 3. TheThunderboltstrailers have done a great job hiding the movie’s main antagonist and the meaning of the asterisk in theThunderbolts*title. The most likely characters to serve as the team’s principal enemy areLewis Pullman’s Bob a.k.a. Sentry, due to his unpredictable nature; or Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, due to her leverage on the titular anti-heroes.
Meanwhile,theories around the asterisk in theThunderboltstitle abound, ranging from a simple name change to the possible death of all members of the team and their subsequent replacements. Going by the team’s banter about their name in the secondThunderboltstrailer, it seems like the first option is most likely. There are also various possibilities for the Thunderbolts' definitive moniker, including the Dark Avengers, the New Avengers, or a less threatening version of the team’s original iteration from the comics — the Masters of Evil. However,the Thunderbolts' rebranding may have been decided six years before the movie’s release.
Why The Thunderbolts Won’t Be The Thunderbolts
The Thunderbolts Will Likely Form Their Own Brand After Being Assembled Against Their Will
As suggested by theThunderbolts*trailers, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will bring together the titular team by giving each member an individual mission that will require them to face off against the rest of the team, leading to a free-for-all showdown. Later on, the titular anti-heroes will come up with a name for themselves, and Red Guardian will embrace"Thunderbolts", to his colleagues' chagrin.Since"Thunderbolts"isn’t as popular with Red Guardian’s teammates, they will probably conceive a better moniker at the end of the movie.
The Answer To The Thunderbolts* Asterisk Could Make A Major Avengers 5 Theory Come True
The new Thunderbolts* trailer has a moment that might have revealed the meaning behind the MCU movie’s asterisk, and it could connect to the Avengers.
It’s also possible that the Thunderbolts will change their name after breaking out of Val’s control. In the source material,Marvel Comics' original Thunderboltsform their own team apart from their founding member, Baron Zemo, in order to act as actual heroes. Likewise, the MCU’s Thunderbolts could decide to sever their ties to Val and make their existence open to the public. To cement the change, they could pick a different name — possibly one derived from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes: the Avengers, the New Avengers, the Dark Avengers, etc.
The Best Name For Bucky’s New Team Was Introduced In Infinity War
The MCU’s Thunderbolts Bear Various Similarities To Steve Rogers' Secret Avengers
The Thunderbolts' secret operations under Val’s command resemble an often overlooked MCU team introduced inAvengers: Infinity War. Following the Avengers' split inCaptain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers dropped his Captain America title and formed his own Avengers subdivision alongside Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, and Wanda Maximoff. As the Secret Avengers, Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Wanda carried out secret missions while escaping from the law.If the Thunderbolts have any knowledge of the Secret Avengers' heroic deeds, they might want to inherit the name.
Natasha Romanoff’s blonde look fromAvengers: Infinity Warwas inspired by Yelena Belova. Concept art also reveals that Steve Rogers almost wore a US Agent-inspired costume as the Secret Avengers' leader.
Apart from the fact that"Secret Avengers"is a much less threatening name than"Dark Avengers", the Thunderbolts already have a couple of subtle connections to Steve Rogers' undercover team. Most of the Thunderbolts have drawn inspiration from Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff: US Agent, Bucky Barnes, and Red Guardian have all followed in Captain America’s footsteps as heroic Super Soldiers; Yelena Belova looked up to her mentor Natasha Romanoff, and Natasha caused Antonia Dreykov to become Taskmaster.Thunderbolts*anti-heroes like Yelena and Bucky may come up with the idea to respect their mentors' legacy by reviving their secret team.
