A new teaser for Thunderbolts has sparked a heated debate among fans regarding the fate of Taskmaster, following the noticeable absence of the character from a key scene that was previously featured in the September 2024 trailer.
In the original trailer, Taskmaster was prominently positioned between Ghost and U.S. Agent during the Watchtower scene. However, the latest teaser reveals the same scene, but with Taskmaster conspicuously missing.
This omission, coupled with the absence of Taskmaster actress Olga Kurylenko from the recently announced cast of Avengers: Doomsday—while other Thunderbolts characters were included—has led many MCU fans to speculate that Taskmaster may not survive the film.
The question arises: why include Taskmaster in the initial trailer only to remove the character in the subsequent teaser? Fans have come up with various theories, ranging from Marvel attempting to mislead audiences to strategic adjustments in anticipation of Avengers: Doomsday.
Moreover, a closer look reveals that the frames from the original trailer and the new teaser are not identical. Not only is Taskmaster missing, but the positioning of the other characters has also shifted slightly. This has led to speculation that Sentry might have 'deleted' Taskmaster in this scene, a power he's demonstrated in other trailer shots. Could Sentry have already eliminated Taskmaster at this point? Or has Taskmaster possibly turned 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," countered puckallday.
What is clear is that Sentry possesses immense power, as highlighted in the teaser by Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who describes Sentry as "stronger than all of the Avengers rolled into one." This suggests that Taskmaster could have been easily dispatched or sent to another dimension by Sentry.
The MCU has been buzzing with activity this week, and we've covered more on the latest developments, including whether the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement might have inadvertently spoiled Thunderbolts.
Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. have hinted that more Avengers: Doomsday cast reveals are on the horizon, leaving room for hope that Taskmaster might still have a role to play.
We won't have to wait long to uncover the truth. Thunderbolts is slated for release in May 2025, followed by the TV show Ironheart in June, and the kickoff of Phase 6 with The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July. Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, with Secret Wars following in May 2027.
