If you haven’t seen Marvel’s Thunderbolts* just yet… well it doesn’t matter anyway because the news is out there. Just days after its release, Thunderbolts* has officially rebranded as The New Avengers, marking a surprise pivot not just in storyline, but across Marvel’s full campaign ecosystem. Posters, trailers, even the film’s title—updated.
It’s not just a title change. It’s a meta-level mic drop, and it’s our Reel Ad of the Week.
From Asterisk to Avengers
Fans were already buzzing about the asterisk in the Thunderbolts* title—a cheeky punctuation mark that felt more like a breadcrumb than branding. As it turns out, they were right. The mystery was answered in a post-credits scene where CIA boss Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) declares her team’s new name: The New Avengers.
The scene closes with the now-infamous message: “The New Avengers will return.”
The Campaign Twist Heard ’Round LA
Rather than waiting for press cycles to catch up, Marvel doubled down with an IRL twist: cast members including Sebastian Stan took to the streets of Los Angeles, literally peeling off “Thunderbolts*” branding from bus stops and billboards—revealing The New Avengers underneath. The videos, posted to Marvel’s social channels, racked up millions of views, blurring the line between story and spectacle in real time.
The campaign didn’t stop there. Marvel also dropped updated trailers, new social art, and revised streaming metadata. It’s a title change that feels more like a plot twist you can watch unfold on your feed. Watch below:
Fan Reactions: Shock, Delight, and Some Side-Eye
Reactions have been mixed—and that’s kind of the point. Some fans are applauding Marvel’s creative risk and real-time rollout. Others have criticized the move for potentially spoiling a key plot point for late viewers. But love it or hate it, everyone’s talking.
Why It Matters
This campaign goes beyond clever marketing. It signals a new phase for the MCU, one where branding, plot, and audience interaction are completely intertwined. And it sets the stage for the return of a new kind of Avengers—flawed, messy, and deeply human.
If Thunderbolts* was the Trojan horse, The New Avengers is what burst out of it, reenergizing fans and signaling Marvel’s readiness to experiment again—with story, structure, and spectacle.
As Marvel pivots toward new heroes and unfamiliar terrain, this rebrand proves one thing: the game isn’t over—it just got a new name.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts*... sorry, The New Avengers is currently in theaters.
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
REELated:
Hard Rock Bet declares it’s officially Jackpot Season
