THUNDERBOLTS* Director Explains Decision Behind [SPOILER]'s "Cold-Blooded" Death

THUNDERBOLTS* Director Explains Decision Behind [SPOILER]'s "Cold-Blooded" Death

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* kills off a certain character in rather shocking fashion, and director Jake Schreier explains the decision in a new interview...

By MarkCassidy - May 03, 2025 08:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts

When the marketing for Thunderbolts* began to kick in, it became pretty clear that Black Widow baddie Antonia Dreykov, aka Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), wasn't being featured in the various trailers, promos and TV spots nearly as much as her teammates.

Fans began to speculate that the character would be killed off, which Marvel all-but confirmed when it was announced that every other main cast member aside from Kurylenko would be back for Avengers: Doomsday.

There were theories that this might be some kind of deliberate swerve to keep a specific plot point relating to Taskmaster under wraps, but no, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) takes Dreykov out with a headshot less than five minutes after she's introduced.

Though Thunderbolts* does have quite a bit in common with DC's Suicide Squad as far as the overall premise and set-up goes, it really isn't a "don't get too attached" type movie, so the decision to kill Taskmaster off so early was seen by some as a bit of a head-scratcher.

While speaking to EW, director Jake Schreier confirmed that Taskmaster's death was a late addition to the script - something that Kurylenko has hinted at in the past.

"Coming out of the strike, we were about to shoot, and we got shut down, and it gave us some time to step back from the movie. And when we all got back in the room, once the strike was over, and we were thinking about how to improve it, it really felt like the movie seemed just a little bloodless."

Though there was never any talk of making the movie R-rated, Schreier still wanted to add a bit of an edge to the story early on.

"For who these characters are, it should live up to those movies that have attention to 'em, where you really don't know who's going to survive it," the filmmaker goes on. "I know that's tricky in today's era where things get out before movies, but within the context of the film, it felt like we needed to take a swing like that so that you didn't really know who was going to make it, and also so that it was clear that it could have been any one of them."

As for why the character was killed off so quickly and not given a more ceremonious send-off in the final act, Schreier believes this would have "stepped on" the main focus of the story.

"The decision to do it when we did it, we went through a lot of different versions of that, and we thought very carefully about it," the director explains. "And it felt like, while it would've been very nice — and Olga is a wonderful actress — to have her on the team for longer, that death would've kind of reverberated a lot harder and made it harder to find our tonal balance if it had happened later in the film."

He continues, "And it would've occupied such a kind of more emotional space that would've stepped on what we really need to be building. And we have so little narrative real estate to do it, which is the connection between Yelena and Bob [Lewis Pullman], and the movie is really going to hinge on that. And so in order to keep our tone and to build that team together, it actually felt best, even if it feels a little cold-blooded, to have that happen early."

Have you seen the movie yet? If so, what did you make of Taskmaster's early exit? Let us know what you thought in the comments. You can check out our review here.

Marvel Studios recently 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.

THUNDERBOLTS*: First Official BTS Look At Lewis Pullman Suited-Up As Sentry Revealed
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THUNDERBOLTS*: First Official BTS Look At Lewis Pullman Suited-Up As Sentry Revealed

THUNDERBOLTS* Images Reveal Closer Look At [SPOILER]'s AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Costume (And It's Dividing Opinions)
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AllsGood
AllsGood - 5/3/2025, 8:08 AM
User Comment Image
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/3/2025, 10:27 AM
@AllsGood - yes ¡ this is the fourth article about the démise of a gender bent nothing character that literally no one liked
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 5/3/2025, 11:40 AM
@AllsGood - this movie was really great! It went in deep with the characters and balanced the jokes. The only thing I will nitpick is the costumes are all super dark/ black. Even Red Guardians costume, you can barely tell it’s red. On another note, the scream that Alexi lets out after seeing Yelena dust was so good!
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 5/3/2025, 8:11 AM
Im gonna be honoust.

Her redesign was great!
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 5/3/2025, 8:14 AM
@OptimusCrime - honoustly?
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 5/3/2025, 8:15 AM
@ProfessorWhy - Yes much honoustly
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 5/3/2025, 8:17 AM
@OptimusCrime - troof
SuperiorHeckler
SuperiorHeckler - 5/3/2025, 8:12 AM
I want to thank CBM for saving me a $11.90 movie-ticket this weekend. 😃

I have literally seen this entire movie without ever actually paying to watch it due to the continuous, sweaty-palms articles courtesy of Josh and Company.
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 5/3/2025, 8:16 AM
@SuperiorHeckler - you must've had super sweaty palms as you clicked and read. Your heckling is inferior
IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 5/3/2025, 8:16 AM
@ProfessorWhy - Goodness, take a joke...
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 5/3/2025, 8:19 AM
@IAmAHoot - every day I read this joke here. People bitching about their own behavior while blaming it on someone else is always super funny
SuperiorHeckler
SuperiorHeckler - 5/3/2025, 8:28 AM
@ProfessorWhy - My heckling is inclined towards an insightful and finesse quality in nature. It's more than just a little above the head of the likes of you. (No hard feelings!) 🤓
SuperiorHeckler
SuperiorHeckler - 5/3/2025, 8:30 AM
@IAmAHoot - No worries. I acknowledged ProfessorCan'tTakeAJoke in a separate post. (Probably just made the little guy's day!) 😁
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 5/3/2025, 8:42 AM
@SuperiorHeckler - why do you sound like The Riddler?
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 5/3/2025, 10:16 AM
@SuperiorHeckler - lol! Don't hurt yourself Blowing smoke up your own butt
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/3/2025, 10:28 AM
@SuperiorHeckler - josh has sweaty paws? Please continúe …what else is sweaty?
Latverian
Latverian - 5/3/2025, 12:47 PM
@SuperiorHeckler -

Jesus Christ, you sound more pretentious than @IronGenesis.
IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 5/3/2025, 8:16 AM
So it sounds like they always intended to kill off Taskmaster regardless; it was just originally going to happen later in the story.
Vigor
Vigor - 5/3/2025, 8:21 AM
I'm still a little shook from how it happened lol
At least she got a good 1v1 with ghost before hand

She probably would have manhandled tht room in hand to hand if not for well, bullets
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/3/2025, 10:30 AM
@Vigor - the best part is Natasha almost Got killed to save her and then she died like a random dr evil minion and Yelena Its like….oh well.
My parents didnt even recognized her ,they though it was a random goon …Classic Mcu lol
Vigor
Vigor - 5/3/2025, 12:53 PM
@Malatrova15 - I mean Yelena is no hero. The whole arc for Yelena was her breaking out of depression and becoming something greater - a super hero, leader, and avenger

The chick killed got a living
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/3/2025, 8:38 AM
Wasn’t that cold blooded scene it was emotionless from people she died move on didn’t care for each other
Scarilian
Scarilian - 5/3/2025, 8:54 AM
None of our 'heroes' gave a shit.

The notion that you can just shoot the character in the head also falls flat and really devalues the story. Sure, it can happen, but it cheapens the entire notion of the story. Why didn't anyone shoot Yelena in the head when she's not wearing a mask? Why did Taskmaster even bother having a mask if the mask is not bullet proof?
Yellow
Yellow - 5/3/2025, 9:03 AM
@Scarilian - well we can always start asking questions like that and it takes away all the fun from a story.

Scarilian
Scarilian - 5/3/2025, 9:10 AM
@Yellow -
Exactly the point, the movie brings up those questions because it has it happen. Daredevil does the same thing, White Tiger just shows up in a hero costume to be shot in the head. It really devalues the story that superheroes and supervillains are so easily dispatched.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/3/2025, 10:33 AM
@Scarilian - the mask must worth a fortune because Its nanotech like all mcu masks….guess thats all they can do, i dont know if Feige understand he Just convey the idea that all his nano masked characters like Ant Man and Captain Cant Get Insurance can get rekt by a headshot anytime
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/3/2025, 3:14 PM
@Scarilian - it added absolutely nothing. She was a nothing character with zero development. You forget it even happened after it happened.
Jackraow21
Jackraow21 - 5/3/2025, 9:03 AM
Makes it easy to now have a merc named Tony Masters co-opt the technology that allowed Antonia Dreykov to mimic the abilities of anyone she sees, and become the new Taskmaster... now more comic accurate. :)
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 5/3/2025, 9:12 AM
@Jackraow21 - guarantee that’s probably the real reason she’s dead. Trying another Mandarin style ‘oh but this is the REAL Taskmaster’
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/3/2025, 9:14 AM
@Jackraow21 - exactly what I've been thinking. Opens the door nicely for Tony Masters
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 5/3/2025, 10:04 AM
@Jackraow21 - or just make it that he made it for her and is her teacher.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/3/2025, 10:37 AM
@Jackraow21 - or Just a guy named Tony Masters that is really fricking awesome and he can Just mímic all these héroes , the cómic Tasky never needed an origin history
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/3/2025, 9:15 AM
Really like how Schreier describes choices made in the movie. Pretty insightful that doesn't feel like an "um, actually." Actually look forward to the Assembled episode.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/3/2025, 9:16 AM
Guys, 3 articles on this is overkill.
BigPhilbowski
BigPhilbowski - 5/3/2025, 9:59 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - tbf to them, at least one has new info
SummersEssex
SummersEssex - 5/3/2025, 9:18 AM
I really enjoyed the movie, I have no great complaints other than her death added NOTHING to the film. Keeping her would have had no ill-effect on the story. She could have been a welcome addition to break up the monotony of having three knock-off Captain Americas. Her abilities would have been a little pointless against Sentry but her death was just a shrug of the shoulders moment. Not jarring, no impact, just weird.
Nonameforme
Nonameforme - 5/3/2025, 9:34 AM
I was never gonna watch this. But the spoiling has been pretty epic.
NGFB
NGFB - 5/3/2025, 9:36 AM
It's incredible how some of these characters are either enhanced or world class athletes/combatants, but can only seem to shoot bad guys and not each other, unless it's a point blank head shot. I guess they spend all their time jumping and boxing and not practicing on the shooting range.
narrow290
narrow290 - 5/3/2025, 9:38 AM
I avoided spoilers and was surprised by her death. Great film
OgHerManM
OgHerManM - 5/3/2025, 9:42 AM
I feel sorry of Olga, she hasn't gotten a really good role yet since Quantum of Solace.
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