Taskmaster's Absence in Thunderbolts Trailer Ignites Fan Debate

The latest teaser for Marvel's *Thunderbolts* has ignited a fervent debate among fans regarding the fate of Taskmaster. In the original trailer from September 2024, Taskmaster was prominently featured standing between Ghost and U.S. Agent in the Watchtower scene. However, the new teaser for the film, set to release in May 2025, conspicuously omits Taskmaster from the same scene, sparking speculation and theories about the character's fate.

This omission, coupled with the absence of Taskmaster actress Olga Kurylenko from the recently announced cast list for *Avengers: Doomsday*—while other *Thunderbolts* characters were included—has led some MCU enthusiasts to speculate that Taskmaster might not survive the film. The absence of Kurylenko from the *Avengers: Doomsday* lineup, slated for May 1, 2026, has fueled these predictions.

The question on everyone's mind is why Taskmaster was included in the initial trailer but removed from the new teaser. Fans have come up with various theories, ranging from Marvel employing a double-bluff to hedge their bets regarding the narrative of *Avengers: Doomsday*. Moreover, subtle differences in character positioning between the two frames have led some to theorize that Sentry might have 'deleted' Taskmaster from the scene, a power he's shown to possess in other trailer shots. Could Sentry have already eliminated Taskmaster at this point, or did Taskmaster perhaps turn against the team?

"Marvel pretty much just sealed the fate of this character in the movie," remarked redditor Matapple13. "Yesterday they announced Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman in the *Avengers: Doomsday* cast, but Olga Kurylenko (Taskmaster's actress) was blatantly absent, and now, Marvel posts this..."

On the other hand, some fans, like puckallday, believe there might be a twist in store: "The amount of people saying she’s dying and Marvel seemingly leaning into that by barely showing her make me think there's a reveal there with her in the movie and that she lives."

What we know for sure is that Sentry is an incredibly powerful character, and the new teaser begins with Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine stating that Sentry is "stronger than all of the Avengers rolled into one." This suggests that Taskmaster could have been easily dispatched or sent to another dimension by Sentry's mere thought.

The MCU has been buzzing with activity this week, and we've covered more on the latest developments, including whether the *Avengers: Doomsday* cast announcement might have spoiled elements of *Thunderbolts*. Marvel and Robert Downey Jr. have hinted that more cast reveals for *Avengers: Doomsday* are on the horizon, leaving room for hope that Taskmaster might still have a role to play.

We won't have to wait long to uncover the truth. *Thunderbolts* is scheduled for release in May 2025, followed by the TV show *Ironheart* in June, and Phase 6 will kick off with *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* in July. *Avengers: Doomsday* is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, with *Secret Wars* following in May 2027.