A brand new Thunderbolts* concept art has arrived online, featuring the titular team jumping out together from what looks like the former Avengers Tower. Interestingly, Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster is also included in this group scene, hinting at Marvel Studios‘ original plans for her character.
Thunderbolts* was directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay written by Lee Sung Jin, based on the first draft by Eric Pearson. Since making its debut, it has already garnered a Certified Fresh rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 358 reviews. Because of this, it has now become the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s highest-rated Phase 5 movie.
What does the new Thunderbolts* concept art show?
Shared by Marvel concept artist Aleksi Briclot, the new concept art confirmed that the studio has indeed originally planned to give Taskmaster a longer screentime in the Thunderbolts* movie. In the final cut, the Black Widow character was surprisingly killed early into the film.
In a previous interview, Kurylenko opened up about the script changes that Thunderbolts* had throughout the production. Prior to the writer’s strike in 2023, the original script featured Taskmaster making it through the entire movie.
“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,” Kurylenko shared. “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.
Following its digital release, the movie will also be available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD starting on July 29.
(Source: Aleksi Briclot via Instagram)
