Thunderbolts* gives a new direction to these anti-heroes who already made their MCU debut in past movies, but they were like scattered stones waiting to be honed. Marvel's reply to DC's Suicide Squad,

The asterisk hullabaloo had everything to do with setting up The New Avengers ahead of Avengers: Doomsday ’s release next summer. While I wasn’t exactly surprised about the reveal when the movie reached its end (especially considering we already know the Thunderbolts* cast are part of the Avengers;

Opinion: Thunderbolts' biggest gift to the MCU is that it finally gives me a reason to care about Avengers: Doomsday