Marvel Star Teases Their MCU Return, Despite Their Character’s 2025 Death

One MCU star that met their character's end in 2025 teased a potential comeback for future projects despite that fate. The Multiverse Saga has no shortage of major deaths, including characters played by both veteran MCU actors and newcomers alike. However, one of the most recent characters to meet their end may not be at the end of the line quite yet.

MCU star Olga Kurylenko teased that her Taskmaster may return for more Marvel projects after her death in 2025's Thunderbolts*. Speaking with Deadline, Kurylenko addressed the story changes that led to Antonia Dreykov being killed off early in the movie, hinting that there were "too many characters" in the story. However, she made it clear that she thinks "you just never die" with Marvel:

"They were changing the stories, I think that [there were] too many characters. The thing is with Marvel, you never know. The superheroes die all the time, and they're never dead. In one in one story, you disappear, suddenly you come back… I think you just never die."

Originally introduced as Taskmaster in 2021's Black Widow, Kurylenko's Antonia Dreykov returned for her second appearance in the MCU in 2025's Thunderbolts*. However, after only one scene and line of dialogue, Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost shoots Taskmaster in the head, taking her out in under 18 minutes into the movie's runtime.

Thunderbolts* was released as Marvel Studios' final movie in Phase 5, and it was the second MCU film released in 2025. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman, the film shows a ragtag team of MCU heroes and antiheroes joining forces to take out the powerful Sentry and his alter-ego, the Void. Thunderbolts* is streaming on Disney+.

How Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster Could Return to the MCU

While multiple creatives have spoken about how difficult it was to kill off Taskmaster, especially so early in the movie, the decision was made to increase tension and stakes from the outset. There were also debates about setting the moment later in the film, but director Jake Schreier did not want the sadness to "hang over too much of the rest of the movie" if it did not happen quickly.

Marvel could still make the decision to bring Taskmaster back for more movies, considering the old trope that nobody is truly dead in a comic book franchise. While it would have to be done the right way and make sense, considering how little time Taskmaster got in the MCU, this would seemingly be a move that could garner plenty of support.

Marvel could bring another version of Taskmaster in through the multiverse, which is already rumored to happen with a new Black Panther (T'Challa). There may also be an opportunity for Marvel to introduce another alter ego for Taskmaster into play if they want to keep Antonia Dreykov in her grave.

While the character's future remains a mystery, Kurylenko's comments open the door to more opportunities for this unique fighter under Marvel's watch.