WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS from Thunderbolts*.Despite her abrupt death,Thunderbolts*may not be the end of Taskmaster’s journey in theMCU. Jake Schreier’sThunderbolts*takes a group of cynical and often overlooked MCU anti-heroes and gives them a second chance to redeem themselves. Against all odds, the Thunderbolts not only grow into a much better superhero team than anybody could have expected, but they also become the MCU’s New Avengers, who rival the team-assembling efforts of Captain America himself.
Thunderbolts*' trailers and promotional material dropped clear hints to Taskmaster’s death. Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov barely appeared in theThunderbolts*trailers, and she kept her mask on in every poster and still.As theorized by many, Taskmaster dies as soon as she returns, she misses the chance to fight the Void inThunderbolts*' final action sequence, and the team has long forgotten about her by the time they work together as the New Avengers inThunderbolts*' post-credits scene, set fourteen months after the main events of the movie.
Taskmaster Was Almost Very Different In Black Widow
Black Widow Almost Introduced A Taskmaster Who Could Have Been Much Closer To The Comics
Shortly afterThunderbolts*' release,Black Widowactor O-T Fagbenlerevealed toThe Directthat he originally auditioned to play a different version of Taskmaster, which he played as “amaniacal-like character"“with an African accent"in his audition.Fagbenle says he was excited about his originalBlack Widowrole, but"that version of Taskmaster went away"and Fagbenle was offered the role of Rick Mason instead. Meanwhile,Black Widowrevealed that Taskmaster’s real identity is Antonia Dreykov, General Dreykov’s daughter, whose mind was wiped and conditioned to make her a killing machine.
Rick Mason Could Still Become The Next Taskmaster In The MCU
Black Widow And Thunderbolts* Leave The Door Open For A Few Taskmaster Twists
Whether O-T Fagbenle’s originalBlack Widowcharacter would have been a fully comic-accurate Anthony Masters is still unknown, but the actor’s description of the scrapped character sounds quite close to Marvel’s traditional Taskmaster. InBlack Widow, O-T Fagbenle plays the much less famous Rick Mason, who simply served as Natasha Romanoff’s “guy in the chair.”
However,Fagbenle’s Rick Mason is strangely similar to Tony Masters, to the point that it would be a convincing twist if Mason is eventually revealed to be the MCU’s adaptation of Tony Masters.Black Widowshowcases Rick Mason’s skills as a highly adaptable smuggler and an“independent contractor”with no clear allegiances.
Even Thaddeus Ross scolds Mason for“selling himself to the highest bidder”and Mason creates“over twenty [fake] identities”for Natasha and himself. While he appears to be Natasha’s close friend inBlack Widowand a reliable asset for Nick Fury inSecret Invasion, Rick Mason could very well be a free agent who just happens to benefit from Romanoff and Fury’s gigs, and “Rick Mason” could be one of many aliases Tony Masters uses for his jobs.
Why Giving The MCU Another Taskmaster Would Make Sense In The Franchise
Tony Masters' MCU Introduction Could Prevent Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster From Being A Throwaway Character
Not surprisingly,Thunderbolts*kills off Olga Kurlyenko’s Taskmaster early on, which raises the stakes for the titular anti-heroes, provides them with a few weapons, and helps them agree to work together to escape Val’s vault. Unfortunately, Taskmaster’s quick death also means that her MCU arc is cut short, as Antonia Dreykov had no agency inBlack Widow, and her limited character arc happened entirely off-screen.If an MCU Tony Masters inherits the Taskmaster title, Dreykov could at least have some sort of legacy in the franchise, as her death would lead to the birth of a full-fledged MCU anti-hero or villain.
There are many ways the MCU could pass on the Taskmaster torch to O-T Fagbenle’s Rick Mason. Mason’s suspicious"independent contractor"background and his role in the Red Room’s dismantling inBlack Widowcould be reinterpreted as hints that Mason was secretly seeking to gain Taskmaster’s skills, which could be quite helpful for a jack-of-all-trades like him. In this case,Taskmaster’s return could pull off a second identity twist when it’s revealed that the new person under the skull mask is a"maniacal"and more comic-accurate Anthony Masters.
