Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures have been ramping up the marketing for Thunderbolts, which premiered in India on May 1. In less than a week, the promotional push shifted focus to a dramatic title change, rebranding it as The New Avengers following a pivotal moment in the film’s conclusion. Now, the film has taken a humorous turn with a new billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, featuring Stitch from Lilo & Stitch humorously tearing through the advertisement.
The billboard, which was already a viral hit, initially showcased the Thunderbolts team—played by Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, and Geraldine Viswanathan—posed on a cereal box, referencing a joke from the film about superheroes gracing cereal packaging. Shortly after the film’s debut, the billboard was updated to reflect the title change. The cereal box now showed the Thunderbolts logo being ripped apart, revealing the new title, The New Avengers, in a playful nod to the film’s evolving identity.
In the latest update, however, the billboard has gone a step further, with a smiling Stitch bursting through the cereal box, taking over the narrative entirely and promoting Disney’s upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch film. All traces of Thunderbolts and its cast have disappeared, leaving Stitch as the central focus.
The internet has been buzzing with reactions to the unexpected marketing twist. When Marvel first teased the title change to The New Avengers, some fans worried it might reveal spoilers. Now, Stitch’s takeover has been met with a mix of amusement and disbelief. One Reddit user quipped, “That’s why Marvel rushed so much to change the title. They knew Stitch was coming,” while another called it “Billboardception.” Fans have had a field day with the stunt, with one remarking, “Stitch was trying to stop people from getting spoiled too early.” Another user joked, “Literally the first thing I learned about this movie is that it’s actually a [spoiler].”
The clever marketing move was also linked back to the movie’s tagline, “everyone deserves a second shot,” with one fan commenting, “And the wording/quote makes so much sense with Stitch.” Others compared the move to something out of Shrek, with a fan remarking, “Like ogres, this joke has layers.”
Marvel and Disney have certainly found a way to keep fans engaged with Thunderbolts, blending humor with unexpected twists in their promotional campaign.
