Marvel film Thunderbolts receives huge name change after release as it rebrands to The New Avengers

Marvel have suffered numerous flops in recent years, and now their latest move has seen them alter a blockbuster days after release.

Marvel has changed the title of its latest blockbuster just days after it hit cinemas around the world.

Thunderbolts* arrived in cinemas last Friday and appeared to finally buck the trend of critical flops for Marvel after it scored glowing reviews, with many labelling it a “return to form” for the franchise.

Now, Marvel has revealed it’s made the decision to change the name of the film from Thunderbolts to The New Avengers, with immediate effect.

British actress Florence Pugh attends the world premiere. Picture: AFP.

*Warning, spoilers to follow*

At the end of Thunderbolts*, CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) announced the group’s rebrand as The New Avengers. A graphic on screen after the film’s post-credits scene then informs cinemagoers that “The New Avengers will return”.

Now, the asterisk by the name of the movie has finally been explained, and posters and promotional material around the world have had their name altered.

Pugh’s new movie has had a surprise change of title after release. Picture: Getty.

While many fans have celebrated the change, some have criticised Marvel for essentially spoiling the movie for all the fans who haven’t had the chance to see it in cinemas yet.

“Isn’t this a spoiler??? They should have probably waited like a week before doing that,” ranted one fan on Twitter.

A second remarked: “Advertising a movie you want people to watch using a different name, and one that spoils the movie? Seems like a mistake.”

“Um … spoilers? I’ve seen the movie but this is just desperation – why would you ruin it for everyone like that?” added a third.

The New Avengers features Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), The Sentry (Lewis Pullman), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)

and U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell).

In the comics, the New Avengers were first introduced 2004. They made their debut in the aftermath of a major tragedy in Marvel’s Avengers: Disassembled comic, where a mentally ill Scarlet Witch loses control of her powers and kills several members of her team.