Finally, what does the asterisk of Thunderbolts * mean?

Director Jake Schreier explains the secret of the asterisk, revealed in the film.

Thunderbolts… or rather Thunderbolts *. Or rather … New Avengers ?

After months of teasing, Marvel has finally lifted the veil on this mysterious asterisk hidden in the title of his latest film. And surprise: it was not a graphic detail, but a real scriptwriting twist. Actually, Thunderbolts* was never supposed to be called Thunderbolts… And it changes everything.

Attention spoilers!

Everything starts from a valve. In the film, Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes, the winter soldier), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/Us Agent), David Harbor (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian) and Hannah John-Kamed (Ava Starr/Ghost) Baptize “Thunderbolts” … in reference to the old shabby football team from Yelena when she was a kid.

But after saving the world, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine) steals their show from them – and the credit of victory. Worse: she renames them live on TV … against their will. Suddenly, Val unveils the new official name of the team: the New Avengers. Just that.

The team, stunned, plays the game. But Yelena does not allow herself to be told. She whispers in Val, freezing: “We have you now.” And when the final credits tear the logo Thunderbolts * To reveal in big letters New Avengersthe message is clear: the MCU enters a new era.

The director Jake Schreier entrust to Entertainment Weekly that this twist was planned “From the first draft of the script.” His goal? Screw expectations. “We expected a suicide Squad Marvel version, and in the end, we have a film on assassins sent to kill each other … who end up forming a real dysfunctional family.”

The film also refers several times to the glaring absence of the Avengers. Schreier explains: “There is this replica of Mel (played by Geraldine Viswanathan): ‘I was in high school when the avengers arrived.’ And Geraldine was, for real. Many spectators too. This is why we wanted to sprinkle the film from the little clues, like the evening of the Battle of New York or the Avengers tower which has become the Watchtower. “

And this asterisk? It was a troll assumed by Schreier, who tells EW :: “I just wanted to put a sign with an asterisk, like that there is a better name ‘. And finally, they loved it. They really played the game. In a studio like that, we can afford this kind of thing.”

So, should we now call the film New Avengers ? A priori no, but the director explains that “The two names are important. “

In any case, Florence Pugh first believed in a joke: “I thought it was going to be a funny replica, followed by a ‘ah no, we laugh’. And in fact, no.”Then she achieved what it meant for her character. “It’s gigantic. It is an absolute honor. It shocked me. We had never seen them work together, these characters. There are a few winks, some promises … But it is really that in the end that we say: ‘OK, there I start to believe it.'”

Yelena, who already had a very personal arc linked to mental health, finally finds meaning in her career. “To be part of this team is what keeps it alive,”said Pugh. “She finds a meaning, a home, people who count on.”

As for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, her future in the MCU is quite floi. At the start of the film, the director of the CIA risked the Impeach for her shady operations. But by appropriating the New Avengersshe returns to the game. Literally, and symbolically – even if some members of the team would like to make him pay. Julia Louis-Dreyfusit is not (yet) announced to the casting ofAvengers: Doomsdaybut it remains optimistic: “I hope. I can’t say anything, but everything is possible. I am ready to plunge into the Marvel universe at any time.”

Without a doubt, Avengers: Doomsday – which will be released in a year – will be the direct continuation of Thunderbolts* And certainly that the “real” Avengersthose of Captain America (now Anthony Mackie) will have things to complain about New Avengers…