Taskmaster's Cut Story Arc Was Packed With Heart, Trauma, and Skittles; Here Are The Details
By now, most fans know Taskmaster only gets a few minutes of screentime in Marvel’s Thunderbolts* before being killed off, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, screenwriter Eric Pearson recentlyu confirmed that Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov was originally supposed to be a major part of the film.
We now have details to share for her emotional redemption arc, a newfound sisterhood with Ghost and Yelena, along with a running gag involving…. Skittles.
Scooper @MyTimeToShineH shared the new details and Taskmaster clearly had a much bigger role that might’ve been fun to see play out. It’s revealed:
“Antonia shows up in OXE's Vault Level Five, sent by Val to kill John Walker. She recognizes Yelena from their Red Room days and fights like a machine, using her mimicry and reflexes to dodge and strike. The team realizes Val’s playing them, and when they’re trapped in an incinerator Antonia’s confusion hints there's a deeper issue with her.”
That deeper issue is her broken memory. Antonia’s backstory was supposed to dive deeper into the aftermath of the explosion from Black Widow that left her brain damaged, further warped by years of experimentation. It’s explained:
“She opens up about her past, an explosion at nine messed up her brain (the one caused by Black Widow) leaving her with patchy memory after years of lab experiments. She snaps at Walker for being a jerk about it.
“This vulnerability bonds her with Yelena and Ava/Ghost who get her pain. Ava makes a video for Antonia with her explaining things in it to help her every time she feels lost... They all share Skittles (bonding moment).”
Throughout the original script, Skittles were going to be a recurring symbol of trust and camaraderie. From tense elevator shaft confessions to rooftop chaos, the candy popped up again and again.
“In the elevator shaft escape Antonia shares her history, her dad’s accident, lab life, and Val’s false promises to fix her if she do work for her. She connects with Ava over shared trauma.
“After Bucky ambushes them Antonia’s memory flickers... She's the only one who's able to get free and kicks Bucky’s ass in a fight, he's impressed by her mimic abilities, until he outsmarts her. Her story of Val’s control softens Bucky, he releases the others and joins their plan to stop Val.
“But not before they take a breather and share some Skittles.”
The Skittles were apparently a part of the film’s original emotional spine. By the third act, Antonia was supposed to take a heroic stand, emotionally supporting Walker, battling the Sentry, and showing compassion even when Val deserved none of it.
“In the showdown in the penthouse, Antonia nearly kills Val but stops short. When Sentry (Bob) arrives she’s shocked but fights hard, teaming with Ava.
“Sentry wipes them out, she tosses her weapons to sway Sentry, helping spark his doubt about Val’s orders. He doesn't listen. Antonia escapes with the team.
“Rest of it is pretty much the same as it was in the film but with Taskmaster involved.”
And in the end?
“The movie ends with The New Avengers sharing Skittles.”
It’s unclear why Marvel scrapped the arc, or the Skittles. Maybe it was cut for time, or maybe execs were wary of overstuffing the film. Whatever the reason, fans are left with just a shadow of what could’ve been: a redemption story, a new core trio, and the MCU’s most unexpected emotional candy.
Would you have liked to see this Taskmaster arc in the final cut? Or would the Skittles have been too much?