Here’s How Marvel Tricked Fans About [SPOILER]’s Death in Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts*, with an asterisk, is a big swing for the MCU. Particularly considering that the movie is actually an Avengers movie in disguise, but featuring anti-heroes turned heroes in Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier, Ghost, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent aka John Walker, and Taskmaster. By the time the movie ends, the asterisk is gone and the name is no longer Thunderbolts, but New Avengers, courtesy of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
But the entire team of superheroes doesn’t quite make it to the end of the movie. And it’s hard to actually call this ragtag group of heroes a team, though they become something like that by the end of the movie, and pick up one more member along the way, Bob. And by Bob, we mean both Sentry and The Void. It’s complicated. Bob is both a member of the team and the antagonist of the movie, not that he means to be. But he’s also a pretty nice guy!
Way before all of that happens, however, all of the members of this team are working for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is the Director of the CIA at this point. Why not? Stranger things have happened. She’s under Congressional investigation, so she’s trying to get rid of all the evidence about all the dirty stuff she’s done. That evidence includes the people doing her bidding. So, she sends them to kill each other at a remote black site.
But what happens once the team gets there? Does Taskmaster really die in Thunderbolts*?
Does Taskmaster really die in Thunderbolts*?
Yes, Taskmaster really does die in Thunderbolts* and pretty early on too. Fans had predicted this would be the case as there wasn’t much of her in the trailers, despite the fact that she was featured in the main poster and was supposed to be one of the leads. So yes, those pictures of Taskmaster in the final battle? Definitely photoshopped and just Marvel trying to throw us off, just like they did with the photoshopped Hulk in the Infinity War trailer, all those years ago. Never trust Marvel publicity materials.
After Valentina Allegra de Fontaine sends Yelena Belova, Ghost, Red Guardian, John Walker, and Taskmaster to kill each other, they end up trapped in a vault with Bob, aka Sentry. At that point, they don’t realize Bob has powers, and to be fair, Bob also doesn’t realize he has powers. But at first, they’re all trying to fulfill their assignment, which is to kill each other. Turns out the only one who actually achieves it is Ghost, who does actually kill Taskmaster.
The rest pretty much fail, which is a good thing, as they need to work together alongside Bob to escape, and then they need to work together alongside Bucky and Red Guardian, Yelena’s dad, to save Bob, and while they’re at it, save New York, again. There’s truly nothing more dangerous than living in New York in the MCU.
By the end of the movie, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, in an attempt to avoid any oversight, traps the team into giving a press conference and declaring themselves the New Avengers. This kinda flies in the face of Sam Wilson’s plans to reform the Avengers from the end of Captain America: Brave New World, so Sam isn’t exactly happy with his friend Bucky. Oh, and the final post-credits scene shows the Fantastic Four are coming. Just another day in the Marvel universe.
