Overview

• Eric Pearson’s original script for Thunderbolts featured Taskmaster surviving and playing a key role, including a subplot with Ghost.
• Marvel Studios decided to kill Taskmaster early in the film, a major departure from Pearson’s script, to create narrative unpredictability.
• Taskmaster’s death, executed by Ghost in an early vault scene, was intended to surprise audiences and raise the stakes, according to director Jake Schreier.
• Pearson only learned about the change after watching the first cut of the film, expressing surprise at the decision to remove her arc.
• The original subplot involved Taskmaster and Ghost bonding over their shared experiences of being controlled in labs, with Ghost mentoring Taskmaster on regaining autonomy.