Did Marvel use AI for Thunderbolts poster? Controversy explained
Marvel StudiosA small detail on the new Thunderbolts poster has fans believing Marvel used AI technology to create it, but is this all a misunderstanding?
It’s not uncommon for movie studios to use AI, drawing controversy from fans. Lionsgate used it on the trailer for Megalopolis (before swiftly taking it down), and Late Night With the Devil injected the technology directly into its final edit.
And it seems like Marvel has joined the club as fans spotted a mistake in the new Thunderbolts poster.
But was this a weird detail simply a mistake or did Marvel actually use AI to make the cast photo? Here’s everything we know.
Marvel fans spot an extra appendage in Thunderbolts poster
When the new Thunderbolts photo dropped on September 23, fans spotted an extra finger on Sentry’s hand.
Sentry can be seen on the bottom left of the cast picture with his hand up and, if you look closely, it seems like he has six fingers instead of five.
Marvel fans were quick to call out this mistake, with one posting on X/Twitter, “Thunderbolts movie poster with AI fake hand. GG Marvel we know you’re low effort but holy sh*t.”
Another commented, “Ugh… AI art fail… Bob having six fingers on his right hand is unacceptable… c’mon. @Marvel Do Better!”
And a third fan wrote, “Marvel using AI for their posters cause why the hell does Bob have six fingers????”
Many fans were disappointed about the supposed use of AI as some believe the use of this kind of technology takes away jobs from artists and photographers. But was the poster actually made using this tool?
Did Marvel use AI on Thunderbolts cast photo?
No, Marvel did not use AI for the Thunderbolts poster as the “sixth finger” was a consequence of tight editing.
As the cast is incredibly squished in the picture, what fans thought was a sixth finger on Sentry’s hand is actually part of his pinky. The middle portion of it was cut out of frame because everyone is jammed in together.
One Marvel fan went so far as to draw how Sentry’s hand would look if it wasn’t edited out of frame and it completely solves the extra appendage debate.
Unfortunately, many fans fell for the AI rumor, but they can’t be blamed for believing Marvel would use AI for their movie posters, as the studio has admitted to using the technology in other projects.
Marvel’s history with AI usage explained
Marvel Studios used AI technology to create the opening credits for the mini series Secret Invasion.
Instead of using traditional photos or clips of the cast members like Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Coleman, or Emilia Clarke, the credits instead show AI generated images of city skylines, alien ships, outer space, and more.
Secret Invasion director and executive producer Ali Selim admitted to using AI for the credit sequence, telling Polygon, “When we reached out to the AI vendors, that was part of it — it just came right out of the shape-shifting, Skrull world identity, you know? Who did this? Who is this?
“We would talk to them about ideas and themes and words, and then the computer would go off and do something. And then we could change it a little bit by using words, and it would change.”
Although the technology was used in the Marvel series, Method Studios, the company behind the AI tool, released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which they claimed “no artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools; instead, they complemented and assisted our creative teams.”
Thunderbolts premieres on May 2, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guides to other upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers Secret Wars, Avengers Doomsday, and Captain America 4.