Marvel Studios recently revealed that they shot a fake ending for the Thunderbolts movie to keep the secret of the film’s true title, The New Avengers, under wraps. Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena, disclosed this intriguing anti-spoiler tactic in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. According to Pugh, the team filmed a version of the final scene in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, announces ‘The New Thunderbolts!’ to the fake cheers of an empty set. 
This scene was quickly swapped for the actual line, and the actors were left to work their magic with the real ending.
Despite the secrecy during production, the name ‘The New Avengers’ wasn’t kept hidden for long. Just days after the movie premiered, Marvel officially confirmed the title change, proving the studio’s efforts to maintain secrecy might have been a bit excessive. Marvel has a history of keeping spoilers tightly under wraps, having previously planted fake leaks to hide the Deadpool and Wolverine cameos, as well as Andrew Garfield’s surprise appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. So why go to all this trouble for a title reveal that was practically spoiled within days of the movie’s release? That’s the question fans are now asking.
As for the movie itself, its potential to succeed at the box office remains up in the air, with some fans even calling the movie ‘pretty good’ despite the lackluster reception. But with The New Avengers teetering on the edge of digital release after a lackluster theatrical performance, one thing’s for sure: the secrecy might have been the least of the movie’s worries.