I Need The MCU To Set Up A Replacement For The Character It Just Killed To Finally Do Justice To A Truly Wasted Marvel Villain

Thunderbolts* just killed off a character that I hope the MCU has plans to replace in the future, lest they truly become one of the franchise’s most wasted villains from Marvel Comics. I find this especially surprising given the movie starred so many characters that could have been considered particularly minor, only to set them well on their way to being just as beloved as any one of the original Avengers. It’s safe to say that Marvel Studios took a risk with this movie of down-and-out antiheroes and erstwhile villains, and, for the most part, it paid off.

Yelena Belova, for instance, is now poised to be a bona fide face of the MCU in the absence of any immediately apparent replacement for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. The end of Thunderbolts* set her and the rest of the New Avengers up to be central players in the Multiverse Saga’s two climactic movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This makes it all the more baffling that the same opportunity couldn’t have been extended to another character that featured early in Thunderbolts*, and all the marketing, before being unceremoniously dispatched.

The MCU Killed Taskmaster Off Before Giving Her Much Of A Story

Taskmaster Had One Speaking Line

The writing was always on the wall for Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov, AKA Taskmaster. Trailers for Thunderbolts* barely featured the Black Widow villain, save for the scene in which the тιтular team first encounter one another and engage in a four-way brawl. Many predicted that the absence of Taskmaster from subsequent sH๏τs meant that she would not survive the first act of the movie, and, unfortunately, they were right. Taskmaster had one speaking line before Ghost succeeded in her mission and killed her with a sH๏τ to the head.

I think Taskmaster deserved more. Her introduction in Black Widow was met with some controversy as the MCU decided to significantly change the character compared to her comic book counterpart, who, instead of being a brainwashed, silent-but-ᴅᴇᴀᴅly type, is just as prone to wisecracking and sarcasm as ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool or Spider-Man. Thunderbolts* had the perfect opportunity to lean into this characterization after Antonia had been freed from her mind-control, fleshing out her character and redeeming it in the eyes of detractors. Instead, Marvel took the nuclear option.

Killing Taskmaster May Set Up The Potential For Another Character To Take Up The Mantle

Taskmaster Can Be The Next Mantle Held By Multiple People

Thankfully, not all is lost for Taskmaster. Like most mantles, the call-sign could be co-opted by another character (perhaps the more comic-accurate Anthony Masters) who is more prone to wisecracking during their engagements than the mind-controlled Dreykov. While I still would have preferred Marvel Studios to keep Antonia alive and develop her character over time, given that she has specific links to now-important characters, I can still see the potential for another character to adopt the mantle down the line without reneging on Taskmaster’s compelling mimicry gimmick. It isn’t as if this is a brand-new concept in the MCU, either.

Other Mantles Held By Multiple People
Mantle	Original	Successor(s)
Captain America	Steve Rogers	John Walker/Sam Wilson
Black Panther	Bashenga	T’Chaka/T’Challa/ N’Jadaka/Shuri (and many more)
Ant-Man	Hank Pym	Scott Lang
The Wasp	Janet Van Dyne	Hope Van Dyne
Hawkeye	Clint Barton	Kate Bishop

Of course, Taskmaster has also been killed at a particularly conspicuous juncture of the MCU. Given Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to tear the MCU as we know it asunder and potentially precede a soft reboot of the MCU, there is a chance that a “new” Taskmaster might emerge as part of the reimagined MCU in its next Saga as a more comic-accurate variant. Then again, I can also fathom a fun way of keeping Taskmaster tied to the original’s lore.

The Way Taskmaster Dies Would Justify A New Villain Taking The Mantle

Taskmaster Can Resume Being A Villain As An Enemy Of The New Avengers

Marvel's Taskmaster in a black-and-orange variation on his classic costume.

At this point, I know I’m not alone in thinking that Taskmaster’s death was one of the weaker moments in Thunderbolts*. The severity and swiftness of her death felt shocking, sure, but it was also painfully unceremonious. I can see another character agreeing with this sentiment, perhaps a friend of Antonia’s who also endured the horrors of the Red Room, who might wish to continue the character’s legacy by picking up the mantle and swearing revenge on the group that brought about Antonia’s death.

Even if this character doesn’t swear revenge for the death of Antonia Dreykov, the fact that the New Avengers were (at least partly) responsible for her death could lead to them picking up her mantle as a psychological weapon.

Taskmaster is a fun villain, and I can get on board with the MCU capitalizing on her death in Thunderbolts* to ensure the Taskmaster mantle remains a figure who rallies against the newfound New Avengers rather than an ally. Even if this character doesn’t swear revenge for the death of Antonia Dreykov, the fact that the New Avengers were (at least partly) responsible for her death could lead to them picking up her mantle as a psychological weapon. After all, it isn’t as if the New Avengers haven’t made a slew of enemies in their spotty pasts.