At this time marks per week since Thunderbolts* moved from the upcoming Marvel films slate to an providing on the 2025 films schedule. Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster is among the many newest MCU flick’s title protagonists, although the best way she’s used is… jarring, to say the least. However on prime of nonetheless eager about Antonia Dreykov’s function in Thunderbolts*, now there’s much more weirdness to ponder, as apparently we got here near getting a a lot totally different model of the character in Black Widow.
This involves us from actor O-T Fagbenle, who performed Rick Mason, certainly one of Natasha Romanoff’s allies from her S.H.I.E.L.D. days, in Black Widow. Nonetheless, that wasn’t the function he initially auditioned to play. Whereas selling the Hulu subscription-exclusive The Handmaid’s Story Season 6, Fagbenle knowledgeable The Direct that he was within the operating to play Taskmaster as a substitute, saying:
Principally, I first auditioned for Taskmaster, and it was this, it was a extremely unbelievable speech, truly. It was an audition I used to be very pleased with. I’ve nonetheless received it within the again someplace. And, he was this — I made him with an African accent, and he was this sort of maniacal-like character.
A male Taskmaster hailing from someplace in Africa… yeah, that’s a far cry from the Olga Kurylenko-portrayed model that we received. Whereas the unique Taskmaster from the comics is a mercenary named Tony Masters, it’s unclear if O-T Fagbenle would have been taking part in a model of this character or somebody model new. He additionally didn’t make clear if this Taskmaster was affiliated with the Pink Room like Antonia Dreykov was, although not like her, it doesn’t sound like he would have been a mind-controlled weapon.
Regardless, O-T Fagbenle stated that by the point it got here all the way down to him or another person for the function, Black Widow’s Taskmaster received overhauled, and he was as a substitute provided the Rick Mason half. Because the actor recalled:
And someplace alongside the journey of writing and issues above my pay grade — So, I mainly received [told] that [the role] was down to love, ‘Is it me or is it another person.’ That form of factor for that model of Taskmaster. And within the varied iterations of the film, that model of Taskmaster went away, after which they only got here to me and was like, ‘Hey, there may be this character known as Mason, do you wish to play Mason?’… So I used to be like, ‘Hell yeah,’ I might like to play Mason!’ And so, the Taskmaster that I used to be going to be did not exist in that iteration of Black Widow.
Black Widow, which came about between Captain America: Civil Conflict and Avengers: Infinity Conflict, ended with Rick Mason giving Natasha Romanoff a Quintet in order that she may off and assist Steve Rogers save the incarcerated Avengers who sided in opposition to the Sokovia Accords. So inside the MCU timeline, it’s been effectively over a decade since he was final seen. There’s no indication Mason will ever seem once more, however so far as his model of Taskmaster goes, Fagbenle would welcome “one other alternative for me to drag that maniac out of the bag and put it on display.”
Warning: SPOILERS for Thunderbolts* are forward!
If the MCU nonetheless desires a Taskmaster round, it’s going to need to be a brand new model, whether or not they’re performed by O-T Fagbenle or another person. That’s as a result of Olga Kurylenko’s model was killed off in Thunderbolts*, with Ava Starr, a.okay.a. Ghost, capturing her within the head fairly early into the film. Whereas I loved the Jake Schreier-directed film for essentially the most half, I wasn’t impressed with this artistic resolution, particularly since in an earlier draft, Antonia performed a bigger function within the story.
Regardless, she’s gone now, so possibly Marvel Studios ought to hit Fagbenle again up about his Taskmaster. In any other case, you’ll be able to revisit Black Widow along with your Disney+ subscription, which can be the way you’ll have the ability to stream Thunderbolts* later this 12 months.