Today marks a week since Thunderbolts* moved from the upcoming Marvel movies slate to an offering on the 2025 movies schedule. Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster is among the latest MCU flick’s title protagonists, though the way she’s used is… jarring, to say the least. But on top of still thinking about Antonia Dreykov’s role in Thunderbolts*, now there’s even more weirdness to ponder, as apparently we came close to getting a much different version of the character in Black Widow.
This comes to us from actor O-T Fagbenle, who played Rick Mason, one of Natasha Romanoff’s allies from her S.H.I.E.L.D. days, in Black Widow. However, that wasn’t the role he originally auditioned to play. While promoting the Hulu subscription-exclusive The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6, Fagbenle informed The Direct that he was in the running to play Taskmaster instead, saying:
Basically, I first auditioned for Taskmaster, and it was this, it was a really incredible speech, actually. It was an audition I was very proud of. I've still got it in the back someplace. And, he was this — I made him with an African accent, and he was this kind of maniacal-like character.
A male Taskmaster hailing from somewhere in Africa… yeah, that’s a far cry from the Olga Kurylenko-portrayed version that we got. While the original Taskmaster from the comics is a mercenary named Tony Masters, it’s unclear if O-T Fagbenle would have been playing a version of this character or someone brand new. He also didn’t clarify if this Taskmaster was affiliated with the Red Room like Antonia Dreykov was, though unlike her, it doesn’t sound like he would have been a mind-controlled weapon.
Regardless, O-T Fagbenle said that by the time it came down to him or someone else for the role, Black Widow’s Taskmaster got overhauled, and he was instead offered the Rick Mason part. As the actor recalled:
And somewhere along the journey of writing and things above my pay grade — So, I basically got [told] that [the role] was down to like, 'Is it me or is it someone else.' That kind of thing for that version of Taskmaster. And in the various iterations of the movie, that version of Taskmaster went away, and then they just came to me and was like, 'Hey, there is this character called Mason, do you want to play Mason?'... So I was like, 'Hell yeah,' I'd love to play Mason!' And so, the Taskmaster that I was going to be didn't exist in that iteration of Black Widow.
Black Widow, which took place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, ended with Rick Mason giving Natasha Romanoff a Quintet so that she could off and help Steve Rogers save the incarcerated Avengers who sided against the Sokovia Accords. So within the MCU timeline, it’s been well over a decade since he was last seen. There’s no indication Mason will ever appear again, but as far as his version of Taskmaster goes, Fagbenle would welcome “another opportunity for me to pull that maniac out of the bag and put it on screen.”
Warning: SPOILERS for Thunderbolts* are ahead!
If the MCU still wants a Taskmaster around, it’s going to have to be a new version, whether they’re played by O-T Fagbenle or someone else. That’s because Olga Kurylenko’s version was killed off in Thunderbolts*, with Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost, shooting her in the head pretty early into the movie. While I enjoyed the Jake Schreier-directed movie for the most part, I wasn’t impressed with this creative decision, especially since in an earlier draft, Antonia played a larger role in the story.
Regardless, she’s gone now, so maybe Marvel Studios should hit Fagbenle back up about his Taskmaster. Otherwise, you can revisit Black Widow with your Disney+ subscription, which is also how you’ll be able to stream Thunderbolts* later this year.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
