Among a long list of upcoming Marvel movies for moviegoers to get excited about is Thunderbolts*, which is currently filming ahead of its release a year from now. Amidst one recent update for the superhero movie’s title, which had Marvel Studios adding a sneaky asterisk at the end of it, one of the Thunderbolts* cast members have responded to the update. However, it doesn’t exactly have me feeling any sense of clarity on what the heck is happening with this movie.
During Walt Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon panel last month, which CinemaBlend was in attendance for, Marvel boss Kevin Feige came on stage to announce that Thunderbolts was now Thunderbolts*. What’s up with that?
What Was Olga Kurylenko’s Response To Thunderbolts’ New Title?
When ScreenRant recently spoke to the actress behind Taskmaster, Olga Kurylenko, she shared her response to the asterisk, saying:
Well, they changed a couple of things. [Laughs] That's all I can say, but that also doesn't say anything, because obviously every movie is different, and in every movie, things change. But yeah, it will be different, we'll see. There's nothing I can say. [Laughs]
As per usual, Marvel actors are sworn to secrecy, so this doesn’t necessarily clear anything up. It actually has me more confused and honestly baffled about what’s going on with this movie. We’re just supposed to guess and wonder about why Thunderbolts is now Thunderbolts*? I must say, what specifically sticks out to me about Kurylenko’s comments is her pointing out about the changes that have taken place to the movie over time. Because she’s right, the production has been through the ringer! More on that later.
What Has Marvel’s Boss Said About The Thunderbolts Asterisk?
So far, the only other comment we have heard about the title change has come from Kevin Feige as he was announcing the new title at CinemaCon. Here’s what he said as he also unveiled a new logo for the movie:
Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts. That is the official title of Thunderbolts, and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.
How mysterious! He makes it sounds like there’s something to decipher about the asterisk, but I can’t imagine how a single symbol would be in spoiler territory. The symbol is usually placed at the end of a word when there’s a footnote at the bottom of a page. With that in mind, one is to assume that there’s more to the Thunderbolts than meets the eye. But what is it?
What Other Changes Have Gone On Behind The Scenes Of Thunderbolts?
Before I leave you to make your own theory walls, let’s talk a little bit about the changes that come up for Thunderbolts* aside from the title. For one, two key actors in the movie dropped out ahead of production. First, Steven Yeun left the production in January and noted the movie's “shifting” schedule pulled him out of it. He shared he was still interested in doing a Marvel movie at some point. Additionally, The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri left the project as well due to scheduling, and Geraldine Viswanathan has replaced her.
If anything, one can sleep soundly knowing that our questions will hopefully be answered once Thunderbolts* heads to theaters on May 5, 2025.
