Florence Pugh gives us the best look behind the scenes of a Marvel set in years – and reveals a bizarre title change

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Thunderbolts is now Thunderbolts*

Florence Pugh in Hawkeye
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Thunderbolts star Florence Pugh has broken from years of tight-lipped Marvel tradition by giving what amounts to a guided tour behind the scenes of the new Marvel movie.

Pugh’s post on Instagram, which you can see below, features everything from Yelena’s suit reveal to a powwow with director Jake Schreier. 

Look a little closer, however, and you’ll be able to point out a few intriguing details in the video. The official camera shot of a Yelena scene in the background is one, as is what appears to be the set of a vault in the background of Pugh’s walkaround.

Elsewhere, the set chair for Thunderbolts reveals the movie’s title is now Thunderbolts* – with an asterisk.

Whether that’s a placeholder, a new official title, or something else entirely remains up in the air – though it’s certainly got MCU fans talking.

"My first thought is that when the various members of the team are asked to join, whatever contract they sign will have an asterisk saying something like 'survival is not guaranteed’ they might make it into a running joke," Redditor PharaohOfWhitestone writes, in what is probably the strongest theory we’ve seen so far. 

Whatever it may be, it’s clear we’ve come a long way from the days of Kevin Feige keeping tabs on Tom Holland and anything even remotely story-based being obscured from actors’ social media pages.

Thunderbolts, starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, sees "a group of anti-heroes" tasked with completing missions for the US government. It’s set for release on May 2, 2025, moving up from the July slot now occupied by Fantastic Four.

For more on the MCU, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need to know about.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.