Thunderbolts* quickly assembles its lead characters in an underground vault where they've been sent to kill each other by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. However, after showing off a few impressive fight moves, Taskmaster is almost immediately gunned down by Ghost.
A bullet to the head brings an end to the Black Widow character's story in the MCU, and in an interview with The New York Times, filmmaker Jake Schreier explained why Antonia Dreykov had to die.
"That was a tough one because it’s a character that matters to a lot of people and we don’t want to take that lightly," he admitted. "That idea came after the strike when it just felt like the movie at that point was a little bloodless. It’s not rated R, but if we were trying to tell a story that had real tension about people who killed people for a living, you needed to depict that in a way."
"Obviously, we could have introduced a new character and then gotten rid of them, but then it wouldn’t have the resonance or potentially the shock of doing it to Taskmaster," he added before being asked how Olga Kurylenko reacted to the news.
"It’s not easy. It’s like in sports: Players want to play," Schreier noted. "Olga’s a great actress and of course that’s a hard conversation to have, but she was an absolute pro about it and willing to show up, and I’m very grateful for that."
Thunderbolts* writer Eric Pearson has revealed that original plans called for Taskmaster and Ghost to form a close friendship, with the former's memory issues leading to her frequently attempting to kill U.S. Agent. She'd eventually have been added to the New Avengers roster, but instead gets only a few minutes of screentime.
Many fans are upset about that. The hope now, though, is that a comic-accurate Taskmaster will be introduced somewhere down the line (when, where, and how Tony Masters could be added to the mix is hard to say).
You can check out a new promo and officially released clip from Thunderbolts* in the X posts below.
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?
"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.