A new teaser for Thunderbolts has sparked a heated debate among fans over the fate of Taskmaster after keen-eyed viewers noticed what appears to be the character's removal from a pivotal scene.
The original Thunderbolts trailer, released in September 2024, prominently featured Taskmaster standing between Ghost and U.S. Agent in the Watchtower scene. However, the latest teaser shows the same scene but with Taskmaster conspicuously absent.
This omission, coupled with the recent announcement of the Avengers: Doomsday cast that included other Thunderbolts characters but excluded Olga Kurylenko, who plays Taskmaster, has led many MCU fans to speculate that Taskmaster may not survive the movie.
The question on everyone's mind is: why include Taskmaster in the original trailer only to remove the character from the new teaser? Fans have come up with various theories, ranging from Marvel attempting to mislead viewers to the studio making strategic adjustments in anticipation of Avengers: Doomsday.
Moreover, a closer examination reveals that the frames from the original trailer and the new teaser are not identical. Not only is Taskmaster missing, but the positions of the other characters are slightly altered as well. This has led to speculation that Sentry might have 'deleted' Taskmaster from the scene, a power he has demonstrated in other trailer shots. Could Sentry have already eliminated Taskmaster at this point? Or did Taskmaster perhaps turn against the team? The uncertainty has left fans puzzled.
"Marvel pretty much just sealed the fate of this character in the movie," remarked redditor Matapple13. "Yesterday they announced Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman in the Avengers: Doomsday cast, but Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster's actress) was blatantly absent, and now Marvel posts this..."
"The amount of people saying she’s dying and Marvel seemingly leaning into that by barely showing her make me think there's a reveal there with her in the movie and that she lives," commented puckallday.
What is clear is that Sentry is depicted as an incredibly powerful character. The new teaser begins with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine describing Sentry as “stronger than all of the Avengers rolled into one.” This suggests that Taskmaster's disappearance could be the result of Sentry's formidable abilities, possibly erasing or sending Taskmaster to another dimension with just a thought.
The MCU has seen significant developments this week, including discussions on whether the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement might have spoiled Thunderbolts. Additionally, Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. have hinted that more Avengers: Doomsday cast reveals are on the horizon, leaving a glimmer of hope for Taskmaster's future.
Fans won't have to wait long to find out the truth. Thunderbolts is set to hit theaters in May 2025, followed by the TV show Ironheart in June, and Phase 6 kicking off with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July. Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on May 1, 2026, with Secret Wars following a year later in May 2027.
