Editor’s Note: The article below includes spoilers for ‘Thunderbolts*‘Not even a week after the release ofThunderbolts*, and we’re already getting all the secrets behind one of Marvel’s most solid entries in years. This includesthe supposed title change toThe New Avengersand the expanded role thatOlga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov, a.k.a. Taskmaster, was intended to have. While the former is a fun way to entice the wider audience to go to theaters, the latter simply hurts. Inan interview with Polygon, original scriptwriterEric Pearsondetailed the way Taskmaster’s story would have gone and how it would’ve made her role inThunderbolts*bigger and funnier, in a bittersweet way.
Taskmaster’s Tragic Origin Story Made Her an Excellent Fit for ‘Thunderbolts*’
Taskmaster was a controversial partofBlack Widow, with Marvel pulling a surprising bait-and-switch on her identity. Whereas in comic books, the man behind Taskmaster is a villain called Tony Masters, the film ties Taskmaster’s origins to Dreykov (Ray Winstone), the individual in control of the Red Room, and thus, the Black Widow program. By experimenting on her own daughter to give her the ability to mimic every superpower, Dreykov proved to be one of the most treacherous monsters of the MCU. In this sense, the Taskmaster twist was an effective one to clearly establish the threat that Dreykov represented.
Antonia grew up as a programed assassin without any personality of her own, but the end ofBlack Widowsees her becoming free of her brainwashing and her horrid father. Somewhere in between, she ends up working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), meeting up with the soon-to-be-known Thunderbolts, but being killed on the spot. Pearson revealed the original script had her surviving and becoming an essential part of the team. Even when the Thunderbolts are composed bya tragic set of people, her dark origin made her the most devastating addition to the roster.
After ‘Thunderbolts*’ and ‘Sinners,’ Marvel Needs To Stop Wasting Time and Get To Work on ‘Hawkeye’ Season 2
The new Hawkeye and Black Widow were always Marvel’s future.
Taskmaster’s Memory Loss Would’ve Played a Big Role in the ‘Thunderbolts*’ Dynamic
Taskmaster’s pain would’ve bonded her withHannah John-Kamen’s Ghost. With both of them being former lab rats, they would’ve complemented each other with empathy, providing a coping mechanism for the duo. After teaming up withLaurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster inAnt-Man and the Wasp, Ghost is now in control of her powers. Her experience would have motivated her to nurture Taskmaster’s development, allowing them to form a sisterly bond.It’s twisted and ironicthat Ghost herself is the one that ends Taskmaster for good in the opening minutes of the film.
Thunderbolts*is, after all, a Marvel movie. And if there’ssomething Marvel movies have, it’s humor. To level Taskmaster’s heartbreaking history, a running gag tied to her memory loss periodically pitting her againstWyatt Russell’s John Walker. Stuck in a loop where her memory sort of restarts, every now and then she would’ve come up to attack Walker. This, in turn, would prompt the team to rally up to stop her and make her remember who she is and how they ended up working together.
Marvel Spoiled Its Own Move Through ‘Thunderbolts*’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Hype Campaign
WhileMarvel is usually secretiveand able to throw curveballs at the audience, the media campaigns forThunderboltsandAvengers: Doomsdaysort of spoiled Taskmaster’s fate. Trailers forThunderboltsgradually decreased Taskmaster’s appearances, predicting her ultimate death. Then, with thehours-long chair announcementof theAvengers: Doomsdaycast, every member of the Thunderbolts was confirmed to be returning for the Phase 6 film – except for Kurylenko. Putting two and two together, it was immediately – and accurately – assumed that Taskmaster wouldn’t surviveThunderbolts*.
In a way, it’s understandable to have had Taskmaster removed from the equation so early in the film. Given Yelena’s (Florence Pugh) struggle with depression and Bob’s (Lewis Pullman) darkness that turns him into The Void, perhaps having Taskmaster’s horrific past in the equation would’ve made the movie darker and thus, less appealing. But the truth is, Taskmaster would have been the perfect fit for team with their shared imperfection. Had she lived to see another day, the way Pearson’s script was written, tragedy would’ve been balanced with humor. It would’ve also allowed for Antonia to have a proper development. Instead,Marvel had her draw the short straw, truncating her chance of having a brighter future with her new team or, better said, her new family.
Thunderbolts*
