Is Thunderbolts already giving away its biggest twist? Advertisements for Marvel’s latest triumph seem to be leaning in to its Avengers ties.
Reader Beware! Spoilers Below For Thunderbolts!
Fans knew going into Thunderbolts that there was going to be some major twist with the name. That’s what the entire marketing ploy with the asterisk was for. However, most thought that the twist would be the reveal that the team was actually the Dark Avengers, an evil reflection of Earth’s mightiest heroes meant to do the bidding of a malicious magnate.
What fans didn’t expect is that the twist wasn’t that the team was actually the Dark Avengers, but rather the NEW Avengers, complete with a logo based on the original Brian Michael Bendis run of the team. It was a moment that shocked almost everyone when they saw Thunderbolts in theaters for the first time, being one of the few times in recent memory that Marvel managed to get a step ahead of the viewing audience.
Marvel Spoils Thunderbolts’ Biggest Twist
Yet it seems as though Marvel is planning to use this twist to bump the numbers on Thunderbolts up even more. As the film’s opening weekend comes to a close, fans have spotted posters for the project slowly peeling away to reveal the logo for The New Avengers. While it’s not explicitly spoiled yet, it won’t take long for the twist to be fully revealed on some places that are pretty hard to miss.
#Thunderbolts billboards being changed to read The New Avengers pic.twitter.com/rCJa2c4XPq
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) May 4, 2025
While this marketing stunt was likely planned by Marvel months before Thunderbolts ever hit theaters, it’s a shame that such a stellar twist is being spoiled when the movie is absolutely crushing expectations at the box office. This ploy will certainly bolster the numbers quite a bit, but time will tell if it’ll end up cutting the legs out from the box office over the next month.
Thunderbolts is now playing in theaters. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
