Marvel Studios released an exciting Big Game trailer for Thunderbolts* last night during the Super Bowl, and it spotlighted plenty of new footage of the six (seven if you count Lewis Pullman's "Bob") antiheroes that make up the team in action.
One character was conspicuously absent from quite a few shots, and fans are convinced that this is because they won't be making it to the end credits.
Possible spoilers follow.
Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster didn't feature quite as prominently as her teammates in previous teasers, but this latest trailer makes it abundantly clear that the Black Widow baddie is not going to appear in a number of key scenes. The most obvious explanation for this is that Antonia Dreykov is going to be killed-off at some point before the final act, but there are other possibilities.
Could we see Taskmaster turn against the rest of the Thunderbolts, perhaps? Though not confirmed, rumors have claimed that Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is going to leave her makeshift "Avengers" high and dry when it's revealed that she was behind Sentry's creation, so it's entirely possible that Dreykov was installed as a double-agent to keep tabs on the crew and report back to De Fontaine.
Then again, we assume Taskmaster has at least some loyalty to Yelena and Red Guardian after the events of Black Widow, so maybe she will indeed turn out to be an early casualty of the team's battle with Sentry.
Have another look at the trailer and let us know what you think.
Marvel Studios also announced the exciting news that Son Lux will be scoring Thunderbolts*. The three-member, American experimental band was Oscar and BAFTA- nominated for their score for 2022’s best picture, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.