Thunderbolts Twist Sets Marvel up to Correct a Major MCU Villain Mistake

Thunderbolts* had a shocking (but theorized) twist early in the MCU blockbuster, and it could set Marvel Studios up to fix one of its worst villain mistakes. Marvel Studios marketed Thunderbolts* with six main heroes - Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) - and yet, the line-up wasn't exactly the same when the credits rolled.

Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* Kills Off Major Villain in Surprise Twist

As Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sought to erase any evidence of her wrongdoing in Thunderbolts*, she sent several of her shady assassins - Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster - to a bunker to wipe one another out.

In terms of why the Thunderbolts* crew opted to kill off Taskmaster, the director explained the movie "felt a little bloodless" and needed that "tension."

While the MCU anti-heroes fought, Ghost was the only one to kill her assigned target, shooting Taskmaster point black in the face with a pistol. The moment came as a surprise twist given Taskmaster was highlighted in posters as one of the movie's main heroes, only to die with only a few minutes' screen time. 

Thunderbolts* may have tried to hide Taskmaster's fate to some extent, but the signs were there from the beginning. Not only was she barely featured in the trailer, including being absent from shots of the Thunderbolts united, but Olga Kurylenko was the only one not named in the Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal.

When Taskmaster joined the MCU in Black Widow, Marvel Studios put a unique spin on the combat copycat that proved instantly controversial. The character's familiar secret identity (more on him later) of Tony Masters was replaced with the vastly different Antonia Dreykov, daughter of Red Room leader General Dreykov.

As a young girl, Antonia had a loving relationship with her father, attending school in Budapest and skipping out on the Red Room Academy. That was until she was severely injured and left with a disfigured face after an assassination attempt on her father, conducted by Black Widow and Hawkeye.

To (barely) save her life, Dreykov put Antonia through intense treatment that included a chip being implanted in her neck. This not only gave her father complete control over her but also gave Antonia her photographic reflexes, turning her into Dreykov's top Red Room assassin, Taskmaster.

Many comic loyalists were left disappointed by Black Widow's Taskmaster after Marvel Studios used the iconic moniker as a mantle for a completely different character to uphold. But now that Antonia Dreykov is dead, perhaps it may be time to bring in Tony Masters and right the MCU's wrongs.

Taskmaster Needs to Return After Thunderbolts* (Properly This Time)

Marvel Comics' Taskmaster is almost a completely different character to the MCU adaptation, with the costume, moniker, and skillset being the only real similarities.

While Antonia Dreykov was a Russian female Red Room assassin who was controlled by a microchip before working for Valentina of her own volition, the Taskmaster in the comics is Tony Masters, a former SHIELD agent-turned-mercenary from the Bronx, New York City.

Unlike Dreykov who got her photographic reflexes through her microchip and a heads-up display in her helmet, Masters' talents are all talent. He claims to have had the ability to mimic physical movements and combat styles since he was a child, while comic writers differ on whether this is a superpower or a raw skill.

Abandoning Masters in favor of Dreykov was instantly controversial, but some had hope that Taskmaster's problems could be fixed in Thunderbolts. Obviously, that didn't happen as the copycat mercenary was killed off almost instantly, but this may open the doors for a new Taskmaster to enter the fray.

Taking inspiration from his SHIELD background in the comics, perhaps Masters may have left the organization after HYDRA's infiltration was exposed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Having felt betrayed by the organization he devoted his life to, he may have turned to mercenary work as Taskmaster.

Then again, as that happened over a decade ago, it may make more sense to tie Masters' villainous origins closer to the MCU's modern storytelling, particularly to explain why he would use the same mantle as Dreykov.

Regardless, going into Phase 7 and the next saga, Marvel Studios could right the wrongs of its twisted Taskmaster portrayal by adapting the character more loyally. And, as Taskmaster has been a foe to most of the Marvel universe at one point or another, he could appear almost anywhere.

Future Captain America, Daredevil, and Spider-Man projects could have room for Taskmaster, while it could also be intriguing to see him opposite Shang-Chi's martial arts. Given Yelena Belova's history with the MCU's original Taskmaster, Masters could be positioned as a villain to her and the New Avengers.