*Spoiler Alert* The Trouble with Thunderbolts*

By amending the film title within four days, Marvel Studios have received a backlash with their treatment of spoilers

When is it too soon to unveil a spoiler? Marvel Studios may have just found out. Though it was fairly obvious that the asterisk in the title of their latest film, 'Thunderbolts*', actually meant something, the unveil has been widely criticised. Not the spoiler itself, but just how soon it arrived. Keeping any detail under wraps is proving harder than ever. In a world where it's so easy to spread information, more patience would not go amiss.

The Thunderbolts* Spoiler

Granted, as far as spoilers go, the name of a team is a relatively minor one. These aren't new characters, just rebranded ones. The Thunderbolts are now The New Avengers, but those who failed to see the film in the first four days of its release now know, and that's my gripe. Not everyone can get to the cinema at the weekend, so it feels like a punishment that the spoiler has been revealed to the wider world so soon.

That the reveal appears in the final moments of the film also makes it contentious. To many, knowing that this team are actually 'The New Avengers' changes their perception of the film. This isn't a ragtag bunch of misfits with barely a superpower between them. They're now deemed as the world's new saviours and the film feels more like an origin story (though they are 'The New Avengers' for barely three minutes in the film).

The problem is also how far the unveil has spread. On the Monday morning (May 5th), a video was released including the cast members with the lead, Florence Pugh, ripping a poster to reveal the amended title. If you managed to avoid that, good luck avoiding the amended title on billboards and cinema listings. Even amended versions of the poster have appeared on TMCB.

Marvel's Relationship With Spoilers

It could be argued that our current, fraught, relationship with spoilers is largely attributed to Marvel Studios themselves. Due to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and its interwoven narratives, each film is laden with spoilers. From cameos to end-credit scenes that offer a glimpse into what's coming next, the films themselves are difficult to discuss without letting something crucial slip. Perhaps that's why the films have done so well in their opening weeks, that sense of catching something unmissable. Even the actors themselves have struggled to keep schtum, as Mark Ruffalo proved while promoting Avengers: Infinity War (skip to 2:21, if only to see Don Cheadle's reaction).

Upmanship has a lot to answer for, which can cause pain if someone in a friend group has seen a film before anyone else. "I know something you don't know" has its own power when someone can easily ruin someone else's film experience by letting slip some crucial details. Indeed, there have been occasions when I've forced myself to see a Marvel film in the opening couple of days, simply so I avoid stumbling over seeing spoilers on social media. Seriously, Instagram has a lot to answer for in the few days after a Marvel film has been released. The end-credit scenes for Thunderbolts* have even appeared on Youtube.com suspiciously soon.

The Cinemile

Thankfully, there are still people who appreciate the spoiler. One of my favourite podcasts is The Cinemile which features the married couple, Dave and Cathy. Each episode has a straightforward format; initial thoughts after leaving the cinema then 'Spoiler Street' where the pair go into those crucial details. Showing their respect to dedicated cinema-goers, they issue a warning before they discuss anything that could be classed as a spoiler.

Given that each episode typically comes swiftly after the film's release, they're available soon enough. However, as with any podcast, you can listen to them at your leisure. Hence why the 'Spoiler Street' section is so crucial. Many film podcasts stick to initial thoughts, enticing a keen film-goer to listen to discern if they'd be interested. The Cinemile could have gone down this route yet chose to delve deeper and find rich reward. They understand the importance of the spoiler and their discussion, and the podcast, stands out because of it.

The Trouble With Trailers

Then there are trailers which come with their own problems. Indeed, occasionally Dave and Cathy avoid them altogether, so to keep the film in question fresh and spoiler-free. I get it, there's a delicate balance between showing enough leg and showing too much. Film studios need to entice people to see their film, which is the whole point of the trailer. Yet sometimes they show too much.

For clarity, let's compare Marvel with DC. *Spoiler alert for anyone yet to see Deadpool and Wolverine or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.*

If you were to see the final trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine, you would be left knowing that there are likely some deep cuts. If the film is going to feature Wolverine then surely it can feature a few more characters from the past? The final trailer does well to keep those tasty Marvel Fox Universe cameos under wraps, though it does (unnecessarily) feature Wolverine's 'daughter' X-23.

Then there's the second (not even final!) trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The clue is in title with the film forming the basis for Zack Snyder's Justice League yet, in my view, it goes way too far. Obviously, the two superheroes will face off at some point, but it's the inclusion of Doomsday that is a step too far. Going into the film, I imagined there would a truce leading to a team-up yet anyone with any knowledge of Superman's backstory KNOWS that he dies facing Doomsday, and so it proved. However, the previous MCU entry did contain a similar spoiler in the trailers for Captain America: Brave New World. Namely, that Harrison Ford's character, President Thaddeus Ross, was going to transform into the Red Hulk.

Nobody wants a ruined surprise, and I do sense that a lot of people can keep quiet with valuable information. That's one of the beauties of going to the cinema; enjoying a film, seeing a narrative progress, and discussing it with your friends once you have all seen it. I've got more respect for those who show respect for spoilers. This is why I've instructed my friends not to tell me the football scores before I watch Match of the Day. Those who respect such spoilers can keep their honour, there's a special place in Hell for those who are willing to spoil the surprise.