Thunderbolts director understands the reactions to Taskmaster's death

As great as Thunderbolts* was, one issue that is seemingly set to cause as much frustration for comic book movie fans as killing off Edi Gathegi's Darwin in X-Men: First Class (who got some unofficial justice in Superman), is snuffing out Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster so early in the film. As a character still prominent in the comics, it was a shocking creative choice to take down a contract killer known for being able to replicate any fighting style they observe. The character's exit came as a surprise for both the film's screenwriter, Eric Pearson, who was only made aware of the character's death after seeing the film, and Kurylenko herself, who expressed disappointment in leaving the movie so soon. Now, director Jake Schreier has spoken out about Kurylenko's reaction and expressed his understanding of how it all unfolded.

"Yeah, I think Olga has spoken about that. It was something that happened after the strike, when we were redeveloping the script," Schreier told Variety. "I know that there are people that have reached out to let me know that they’re displeased with this, and I totally understand that. It’s not something we did lightly."

The comments made by Kurylenko that Schreier was referring to are from an interview where she recalled the script rewrites that took place, which saw her part drastically trimmed down. Translated by @Miranes2310 on X in an interview with Diverto, the star said, "But suddenly, in the first script, my character was... She was there until the end, but it wasn't the same script at all. After the strike, the script had nothing to do with it. They changed the concept, they changed the story, the places, where it took place. It wasn't the same anymore. It's a pity. It was a cool character."

While that may be the case, Schreier confessed that the film needed stakes, and unfortunately, Taskmaster took a bullet to highlight this. "Obviously, I think Olga is a wonderful actress. It’s a hard thing to do," he noted. "It’s just showing that, for these characters, this is a thing that’s done, and they feel that all of their lives don’t have a ton of value."

But just because one of the original Thunderbolts* is out of action, doesn't mean the remaining team that now go by the name of the New Avengers aren't at risk when they appear in Avengers: Doomsday. We'll have to see who makes it out alive when the film arrives on December 18. 2026. Also, be sure to check out our list for every upcoming Marvel movie and TV show headed our way here.