A new teaser for Thunderbolts has ignited a fiery debate among fans about the fate of Taskmaster after keen-eyed viewers noticed the character's absence from a pivotal scene. Initially, the September 2024 trailer for Thunderbolts prominently featured Taskmaster positioned between Ghost and U.S. Agent in the Watchtower scene. However, the latest teaser omits Taskmaster entirely from the same setting, sparking widespread speculation.

The absence of Taskmaster actress Olga Kurylenko from the recently announced cast of Avengers: Doomsday—while other Thunderbolts characters were included—has led many MCU enthusiasts to speculate that Taskmaster might meet a grim end in the film. The question on everyone's mind is: Why include Taskmaster in the original trailer but exclude her from the new teaser? Theories abound, ranging from Marvel attempting a double-bluff to strategic adjustments for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

Adding to the intrigue, the frames from both the original trailer and the new teaser show slight differences in character positioning beyond Taskmaster's omission. This has led to speculation that Sentry, who has demonstrated the ability to 'delete' people in other trailer scenes, might have already eliminated Taskmaster at this point, unbeknownst to the rest of the Thunderbolts. Could Sentry have killed Taskmaster, or did she perhaps switch sides? The uncertainty has left fans buzzing with theories.

"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..." Conversely, user puckallday suggested, "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 do know is that Sentry is incredibly powerful, as emphasized in the teaser by Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who describes Sentry as "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 with just a thought.

The MCU has been a hotbed of activity this week, with discussions swirling around 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 forthcoming, leaving the door open for Taskmaster's return.

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