Thunderbolts* Trailer Paints A Worrying Picture For One Character

Marvel Studios got people talking during the Super Bowl by dropping a trailer for the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie. The highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe film will give audiences a new team to support, even though they are rather unconventional in comparison to the likes of The Avengers. The trailer gave people a glimpse of who the Thunderbolts* are and what they will provide the MCU.

The general plot was teased, while specific characters were given more of an opportunity to showcase their personalities and what they will be like in Thunderbolts*. However, audiences have noticed that the way one character is shown could highlight the fact that they might not survive the movie.

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Thunderbolts* Has One Big Question It Must Answer

The latest Thunderbolts* trailer raises a rather massive question that pops up in the MCU a bit too often.

What Did The Thunderbolts* Trailer Tease?

The Thunderbolts* trailer was action-packed and gave audiences a great view of the team and what they will be like in terms of their personalities and the fighting skills they possess. However, one character that was absent from the majority of the scenes was Taskmaster. The character is shown in glimpses, but compared to the rest of the Thunderbolts* team, she is severely restricted in terms of screen time, especially when many of the scenes are shown together.

Most people felt her absence, with many Marvel fans commenting on how little Taskmaster was in the trailer. While it’s obviously only a glimpse at the film, and not everything is shown in detail, the lack of scenes has made people question what her long-term future will be in this movie.

Who Is Taskmaster?

Taskmaster is a character that first appeared in the MCU during Black Widow, an assassin operating on behalf of the infamous Red Room. That location is shown in detail throughout the movie and plays a significant role in Black Widow’s own backstory. Those in charge brainwash Taskmaster, which leads to her chasing down Black Widow throughout most of the movie, showcasing incredible fighting skills along the way.

The character is intense, which makes her an ideal fit for Thunderbolts*. However, anyone who hasn’t seen Black Widow will likely need her backstory and general personality highlighted so everyone can get up to speed with who she is and why she’s involved in the first place. That’s another reason why she could be at risk in this film, as she’s one of the least well known out of everyone on the team which puts her in a riskier position when it comes to surviving.

Could Marvel Studios Kill Taskmaster In Thunderbolts*?

There’s no doubt that Marvel Studios could technically kill off Taskmaster in this movie, as it would guarantee the tension within the movie will rise. Adding a death to one of the anti-heroes would instantly add a level of intensity to the film and could also provide some emotional impact to allow audiences to connect with the story on a deeper level. All of the best MCU films feature a great villain and to make people care about those characters involved, and the villains are a significant part of that.

Out of all the characters involved in Thunderbolts*, Taskmaster is likely seen as the most dispensable compared to everyone else. Marvel has featured the others in some massive projects, and several of them are set to keep turning up in the future, too. Therefore, if Marvel wants to create a significant death that will have an impact, then Taskmaster might be the only option. Even though she’s been a villain throughout time, Marvel will position the team as heroes in this project, meaning people can connect to them more. It’s open for Taskmaster to be killed, as this could even be the driving force that brings the Thunderbolts* together as a real team who knows they will have to work together to get the job done.

With a big team movie, there will always be questions about whether every hero should survive. People want Marvel’s villains to be taken seriously, but the only way to do this is by killing a few essential characters along the way. Doing that to Taskmaster would ensure that people at least understand Sentry is someone not to be trifled with, and his powers would put fear into moviegoers. Considering he’s going to be fighting against multiple characters, Marvel has to work even harder to make Sentry a serious threat. Fighting them, but everyone staying alive might not be the right choice, and Taskmaster could be the one who is sacrificed.

Thunderbolts* is a brand new franchise for the MCU, and getting it done right is going to be an important factor if Marvel wants people to pay attention to them. Sometimes, killing a character is one way of achieving that, as it will bring a level of seriousness to a project from the jump. Word of mouth then spreads that, and Thunderbolts* will likely benefit from that because they’re generally lesser-known characters compared to others in the franchise. While it could all be due to editing choices for this trailer, it certainly did paint a worrying picture for Taskmaster.

Thunderbolts*

Release Date

May 2, 2025

Director

Jake Schreier

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  Florence Pugh

  Yelena Belova

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  Sebastian Stan

  James Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier

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  David Harbour

  Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian

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  Wyatt Russell

  John Walker / U.S. Agent