Black Widow's big twist was that Taskmaster was a she, not a he. In place of Tony Masters, Olga Kurylenko played Antonia Dreykov, the brainwashed daughter of the man who controlled the Red Room.
Freed from her father's influence, Antonia found refuge with the movie's heroes and will return in Thunderbolts* next month. A recently revealed character bio, meanwhile, confirmed that "After being freed from the grips of the Red Room, Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster, has found a new life working for Valentina Allegra De Fontaine."
"When a routine mission goes awry, Taskmaster will have to use all the skills and weapons in her arsenal to evade Valentina's trap," it added.
Much has been said about Taskmaster's role in Thunderbolts*, with the prevailing theory that she's an early victim of The Sentry/The Void. Another popular theory suggests the anti-hero is allied with Val and will betray the rest of the movie's heroes. We'll have to wait and see.
Talking to Screen Rant, Kurylenko was asked about the mysterious asterisk added to Thunderbolts*'s title and responded, "Well, they changed a couple of things. [Laughs] That's all I can say, but that also doesn't say anything, because obviously every movie is different, and in every movie, things change. But yeah, it will be different, we'll see. There's nothing I can say."
What have they changed? Rumour has it that Taskmaster once had a much bigger role in the movie, only for reshoots to drastically reduce it. If that's the case, we'd assume something about the character wasn't working.
We also can't help but wonder whether the original plan for Thunderbolts* was for the team to be the Thunderbolts, not the New Avengers.
As always, let us know your thoughts on these remarks in the comments section.
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?
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 currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.