The first footage ofThunderboltscould reveal that one of the film’s team members is still somewhat of a villain in the MCU.Thunderboltsrelease dateis currently set for August 13, 2025, as one of the four MCU movies expected in that year. The other projects on thelist of upcoming Marvel moviesfor 2025 areCaptain America: Brave New World, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, andBalde, thoughThunderbolts*remains one of the more intriguing.
The reason for this stems from the MCUcharacters assembled forThunderbolts*cast. Not only does the team consist of franchise fan-favorites like Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes, but it includes some incredibly compelling morally gray characters from the MCU’s history like John Walker/U.S. Agent and Ava Starr/Ghost. However, the morally grayMCU team members of the Thunderboltsdo not end there, with the first official footage of the film released by Marvel hinting that another may still be a villainous presence.
Thunderbolts* Footage Is Missing Valentina Allegra De Fontaine & Taskmaster
Two Thunderbolts Members May Have A Stronger Connection
In the footage released forThunderbolts*,five of the confirmed members are shown standing in an elevator. As the doors slide open, Red Guardian, Ghost, Bucky, Yelena, and U.S. Agent are revealed. Interestingly,this shot is missing two of the Thunderbolts' team members: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster. This could hint that the latter character will be acting as a pseudo-villain inThunderbolts*, primarily due to the manipulation of the former.
It would make sense if Val, whose motivations in the MCU are still unclear, hired Antonia to be a spy and assassin for her before the events ofThunderbolts*…
InBlack Widow, Taskmaster was introduced as a key spy and assassin for the villainous Red Room. After the mind control by her father was broken, she began to turn a new leaf, leading her intoThunderbolts*. However, Val has been shown to have previous connections with these team members before, notably John Walker and Yelena. It would make sense if Val, whose motivations in the MCU are still unclear, hired Antonia to be a spy and assassin for her before the events ofThunderbolts*.
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Thunderbolts*is expected to continue Val’s mysterious motives, and her tendency to pit people against one another, as she did with Yelena and Hawkeye and the CIA against Wakanda inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Clearly, Val is working toward something, and she could use someone of Taskmaster’s abilities to get it. It could be revealed that the five team members shown in the footage band together, only for Val to introduce Taskmaster as another member of the team - one more dedicated to Val via the latter’s manipulation.
Taskmaster Being An Unknowing Pawn Of Val Makes Sense
Val Could Use Taskmaster’s History To Bend The Assassin To Her Will
Based on what is known of Taskmaster’s MCU history, it would make sense for her to become a pawn of Val. Prior toBlack Widow, Taskmaster was exactly this to the Red Room: a pawn. After breaking free of that organization,Val could have appeared and turned on the manipulation, convincing Taskmaster that she could do some good by joining Val.
Given that Antonia had little in the way of family or friends after the Red Room, it is not illogical to assume she fell for Val’s manipulation and began working for her. Similarly, Antonia could see working for Val in the CIA as a means of atoning for her past sins by working for a “good” organization rather than one that is corrupt, like the Red Room. Antonia’s skills certainly would make her a good asset for Val, potentially giving the two a stronger foundation than the other characters inThunderbolts*.
Taskmaster’s Thunderbolts* Redemption Could Improve Her Black Widow Character
Taskmaster Could Be Given A Much More Empathetic Character Arc In Thunderbolts*
If this theory about Val and Antonia is indeed true, the film has the beginnings of a strong character arc that would improveTaskmaster’sBlack Widowstory inThunderbolts*. Admittedly, this scenario would see Taskmaster being manipulated by a corrupt leader of an organization and turning against them to fight for herself, an almost replica of her story inBlack Widow. However, this time it could be done with much more human emotion to make her a more compelling antihero in the MCU.
Black Widowrarely showcased Taskmaster without her mask, making her a Terminator-like villainfor the majority of the movie. Without her mask, Antonia was not much different due to the mind control of the Red Room. She was shown as a cold, unemotive, robotic figure until the final moments of the film when her mind control was broken. Only then did Antonia begin showing emotion as she asked if her father was finally dead. That said, these moments were fleeting before the film ended, making her a difficult character to sympathize with.
Antonia will also face two people affected by her actions before Thunderbolts*, Yelena and Red Guardian, given her more compelling interactions to work through.
InThunderbolts*, Antonia could be shown as much more human. Permitting that this theory is true, Antonia could find out about Val’s deception in the film and join the other Thunderbolts in an attempt to stop her. Not only would this allow her to break free of another manipulative superior, but she could do so with a much stronger range of emotions to make the audience empathize with her character a lot stronger than they did inBlack Widow. Regardless of how her story goes, Taskmaster is one of the more intriguing aspects ofThunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts*
Cast
Thunderbolts follows seven disillusioned individuals who find themselves trapped in a perilous situation. Tasked with a daunting mission, they must face the most shadowy aspects of their histories in order to survive and achieve their goals.
