For Marvel fans annoyed at how Taskmaster was treated in Thunderbolts*, it turns out the actress behind the mask shares their anger!
Thunderbolts* has been seen as one of the better recent MCU entries. The story of a pack of misfit agents forced to become a team and fight for survival was a wilder, darker, yet more character-driven adventure than the typical MCU fare. The weird asterisk was explained by the end scene when the team is turned into the New Avengers.
Among the members was Taskmaster, the master warrior played in Black Widow by Olga Kurylenko. She was promoted as a main character in the marketing, only to shockingly be killed off early on by Ghost.
That led to a backlash from fans, complete with a “#JusticeForTaskmaster” fandom. Speaking to Comic Book Movie, Kurylenko shared how it felt to learn of this movement and be moved by it.
"It means a lot and touches my heart. I'm very grateful. I didn't expect such a following or the fight they're putting on. It's really sweet of them. I've actually communicated with the guy who started this whole movement—he was posting on Instagram. I ended up answering him, and we're directly in touch now. I thanked him for his support. I just thought it was really kind."
The dismissal of Taskmaster is worse, as it’s since come out that the character was supposed to live, bonding with Ghost even when attacking John Walker. It was director Jake Schreier who decided to up the stakes by killing a lead early on, and Taskmaster was chosen.
It adds to the annoyance Marvel fans have with how the character was brought to life. The original comic book character is one of the cooler Marvel villains. Tony Masters has the gift of “photographic reflexes,” meaning he can perfectly replicate any action just by watching it once. That led to him becoming a criminal and a business of training the countless mooks you see in the Marvel Universe.
The character was changed for the Black Widow movie, now a female agent named Antonia Dreykov and seemingly without the photographic reflexes. The character still had potential, as trying to redeem herself and working with the rest of the Thunderbolts would have given her that. We barely got to know the character at all, and just killing her off (and with a lame gunshot to the head to boot) was a serious disservice.
It’s unlikely we’ll see this version of the Taskmaster back in the MCU, although the possibility of someone else taking on the mantle. It still stinks for Antonia to have never gotten the chance to shine and Kurylenko’s words highlight how killing the Taskmaster remains one of the MCU’s biggest recent wastes of a strong character.