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FISCHER: A superhero team by any other name

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

“Thunderbolts*,” the latest installment of the MCU, is out in theaters and with it, of course, comes a touch of controversy.

In this case, a bit of a spoiler about the true nature of the movie’s title. While the Thunderbolts may be fitting for a team of misfit super soldiers, it turns out this latest group of crossover characters are actually the New Avengers, and the movie is now officially titled to be the same.

FISCHER: A superhero team by any other name
Travis Fischer

Now, it really shouldn’t be that surprising that there was some kind of naming shenanigans in the works regarding the title of the movie. From the very beginning “Thunderbolts*” sported that conspicuous asterisks, hinting that something funny might be going on with the title.

And really, the Thunderbolts brand has longstanding history of surprise reveals.

The original team was introduced in 1997 as a brand new team of original superheroes, only to reveal in the final page of the first issue that these supposedly new characters were in fact long-established super villains running an elaborate scheme.

Sadly, such a reveal could be never pulled off in a movie. You could never get away with casting the actors who played villains in past MCU movies and keeping their role a secret through the course of an entire movie.

Instead, Marvel Studios did the opposite. A movie with a cast made up almost entirely of previous antagonists who, by the end of it, become fully fledged super heroes.

But whether or not you appreciate the twist, the bigger question is what the appropriate period of time is before Marvel Studios should capitalize on it.

By the end of the opening weekend, Marvel Studios was out in force, peeling off the logo of “Thunderbolts*” banners to reveal “The New Avengers” title underneath.

Since then, some of those that didn’t get around to seeing the movie yet have been crying foul over the short timeframe between opening night and the very public spoiler for the ending.

Is it a valid complaint? The swapping of the title was obviously always part of Marvel Studios’ marketing plan, so it was going to happen eventually. But would a full week have been too much to ask?

On the other hand, an ever crowded movie schedule incentivizes Marvel Studios to strike while the iron is hot. The movie only has another week in it before “Final Destination: Bloodlines” comes in to chip away at it, followed by the double-whammy of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and the live-action “Lilo & Stitch” overshadowing it completely.

So it’s hard to blame Marvel Studios for going hard on the marketing blitz.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering how much of the naming gimmick is actually a gimmick. What will be the name on the home video release or when the movie hits streaming? How far are they taking this?

When the movie is submitted to the Library of Congress to be placed on the National Film Registry, what will it be listed as?

Whatever it’s called, though, the movie was great and it’s worth a watch even if you know how it ends.

— Travis Fischer is a news writer for the Charles City Press and needs to know how to alphabetize this movie, just in case.

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