It has been nearly two months since Thunderbolts* came and went from the 2025 movie schedule, but people still can’t get enough of that big, yet predictable, twist where it was revealed that the ragtag group of outcast antiheroes was, in fact, The New Avengers. And while Marvel didn’t try too hard to put out the flames of speculation – after all, they added the infamous asterisk a year before the film was released – it was a different story for the cast.
Florence Pugh, who plays the show-stealing Yelena Belova in one of the best Marvel movies in some time, spoke with Entertainment Weekly and opened up about the great lengths the cast and crew took to protect the big reveal on set. Talking about the big scene where Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine holds a press conference and rebrands the group as The New Avengers, Pugh stated:
We shot a version where she was like, 'The New Thunderbolts!' And everyone was like, 'Woo!' And then we took all of the background [actors] out and shot Julia's line, which was kind of cool.
Obviously, the reshot version was the one that made the final cut, and thank heavens, because “The New Thunderbolts” just doesn’t have the same ring as “The New Avengers.” There are still a lot of questions about who the real Avengers are and whether it's this version or the official group led by Sam Wilson, but this scene at least gave us a great moment on the same level as Tony Stark’s “I am Iron Man” presser at the end of the MCU-starter back in 2008.
Though moviegoers only found out (or at least had their suspicions confirmed) in May 2025 that these Thunderbolts were actually The New Avengers, it was a completely different story for Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In the same chat with EW, the former Seinfeld cast mainstay revealed that she found out about the big twist “many years ago,” stating:
I met with Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito many years ago, when they first pitched me this whole idea of playing Val, and they pitched me this. So, I've really known for a long time. I haven't said a thing to anyone!
Maybe Tom Holland, who has a history of being loose-lipped about MCU spoilers, should take some advice from the Veep actress, as it sounds like she was sitting on this information for a very long time. Though she didn’t say when that meeting happened, Louis-Dreyfus has been a part of the MCU for half a decade at this point. Did she know while filming Black Widow or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? It’s anyone’s guess, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that were the case.
If you want to revisit Thunderbolts*, which seems to still be the official title judging by the upcoming home release of the second of three new Marvel movies this year, you’ll be able to do that shortly when it lands on digital platforms on July 1 and physical media on July 29. There’s no word on when it’ll be streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription, but expect that to change soon.
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