Thunderbolts: Why Taskmaster Got Killed, Explained by Marvel Director

The worst-kept secret in the MCU was that Taskmaster wasn’t making it far in Thunderbolts.

The daughter of General Dreykov, Antonia was severely injured in an assassination attempt orchestrated by Natasha Romanoff.

The chip granted her photographic reflexes, allowing her to mimic the fighting styles in the comics.

Taskmaster promotional art

Taskmaster meets her end during a confrontation inThunderbolts*as part of a larger trap.

Taskmaster’s death comes about 20 minutes into the film and sets the expendable stakes.

Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster in Black Widow.

As Taskmaster focuses on fighting John Walker, Ghost phases through her to catch her off guard.

In that split second, she pulls out a gun and shoots Taskmaster point-blank in the head.

Schreier made it clear that the decision to kill her was rooted in raising the film’s emotional stakes.

Taskmaster in Thunderbolts*

“The movie just felt a little bloodless.

And so yeah, it’s a sacrifice and a sad one…

I didn’t take any pleasure in doing it.”

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One key factor in deciding when to kill Taskmaster was the timing within the film.

They’re all in this place where that’s what they do.

That’s their job.

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These are contract kills.

And so in a way, it’s very sad.

She killed a lot of people and then she got killed just like us someday.'"

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What happens to the rest of the Thunderbolts?

They geta major upgrade to the New Avengers, promoted by Louis-Dreyfus' Val.