A new Marvel Studios movie now bears a different title on Disney+ than fans saw in theaters. In expanding the MCU library on Disney+, Marvel Studios and the streamer broke new ground in promoting the film with the addition of a new subtitle.
When Thunderbolts* dropped on Disney+ on August 27, the platform went to work promoting it across the streamer's banners and interface, not with Thunderbolts* as the title but rather Thunderbolts* - The New Avengers. This marks the first time in the history of Disney+ and the MCU that a Marvel Studios movie was released on the platform with a different title than it initially premiered with.
Following the Phase 6 film's debut on May 2, 2025, Disney and Marvel Studios began to market the movie as the New Avengers due to Val christening the team with that title during the movie. This was also meant to explain the Thunderbolts* mysterious asterisk. However, this rebrand in the real world was a surprise and even generated some backlash.
Disney+'s promotion of the film as Thunderbolts* - The New Avengers, in addition to the home media release using the same subtitle, confirms that the new name is here to stay. While the title change was certainly part of Marvel Studios' post-release marketing campaign, the fact that the company is sticking to The New Avengers branding demonstrates how the stunt was not just for Thunderbolts' theatrical release.
Still, Thunderbolts* is not the first time franchise film whose studio toyed with its title post-release. For instance, Warner Bros. reworked Birds of Prey to include Harley Quinn's name in 2020, and Lucasfilm famously retroactively renamed 1977's Star Wars to A New Hope years after its original run. Another instance is Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, which saw its home media marketed as Live Die Repeat to better align with its tagline.
While Thunderbolts* is the first time Marvel Studios ever allowed one of its films to be renamed when transitioning from theaters to streaming, there are a few instances where Marvel tweaked MCU project names before their theatrical debuts.
MCU Projects That Changed Titles Over the Years
The Avengers
While most of the world knows the MCU's original Avengers movie from 2012 as simply The Avengers, the blockbuster's name was changed in the UK to Avengers Assemble. This was to prevent confusion with the classic British television show that was also called The Avengers.
Captain America: The First Avenger
In certain international territories, specifically Russia, Ukraine, and South Korea (via The Hollywood Reporter), Marvel Studios and Paramount dropped "Captain America" from the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger. In those three locations, the film was simply released as The First Avenger.
Captain America: Civil War
Initially teased with the subtitle Serpent Society, Marvel Studios later changed course and titled the third Captain America film, which is seen as an unofficial Avengers movie, as Captain America: Civil War. However, Serpent Society wasn't entirely forgotten. Certain elements surfaced in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World, even though more Serpent Society villains were planned but cut.
Avengers: Endgame
When Avengers: Infinity War premiered in 2018, the sequel had yet to receive its Endgame name. Marvel Studios originally announced the two films as Avengers: Infinity War—Part 1 and Part 2. Only later was the 2019 film set to receive its own title, and it was a mystery Marvel Studios kept from fans until December 2018, when Endgame was publicly revealed.
Eternals
When Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first announced the film and its massive cast at 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, it was branded The Eternals. It wasn't until later that Marvel Studios opted to drop the "The" for its wide release.
Agatha All Along
One of the most famous examples of title changes and swaps was Agatha All Along for Disney+. Throughout development and marketing, the WandaVision sequel was referred to as Agatha: House of Harkness before it was changed to Coven of Chaos. It wasn't until the series' final push that it was officially branded Agatha All Along.
Captain America: Brave New World
Initially, Marvel Studios' first Captain America film with Anthony Mackie wielding the shield was titled Captain America: New World Order. In 2023, Marvel renamed the film Brave New World to avoid problematic historical and current global events and associations.
Avengers: Doomsday
Another recent example of an MCU title change is 2026's Avengers: Doomsday. In July 2022, Marvel Studios announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars would conclude Phase 6 of the MCU and the Multiverse Saga. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's historically low reception, coupled with Kang star Jonathan Majors' legal issues, led to Marvel pivoting away from Kang.
Fast-forward to July 2024, when Marvel Studios announced the Russo Brothers were returning to direct the two Avengers movies. Kang Dynasty was renamed Doomsday, and Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. returned to the MCU as Doctor Doom in place of Jonathan Majors' Kang.
