Black Widow: 10 Questions About Taskmaster, Answered

Warning: This article contains major spoilers from Black Widow (movie).

For years, Marvel comic books have employed Taskmaster as an intimidating force against the likes of Spider-Man and Deadpool. With a skull mask and an impressive power set, Taskmaster makes for some great splash pages in comics. However, the character has also made a splash on the big screen in live-action as one of the adversaries in Black Widow.

Taskmaster has frequently gone up against Black Widow in the comics, but the screen version of the character is a little different. Some fans who aren’t familiar with the character’s comic book backstory might be left with more questions than answers after the events of the film.

10 When Did Taskmaster Make His Comic Book Debut?

Taskmaster’s first appearance in a comic book actually appears at the very end of an Avengers issue. In 1980’s Avengers #195, Wasp finds herself held at what is supposed to be a psychiatric facility. She was captured after following a patient, who believed someone was after him.

As it turns out, the institute is actually a training facility for lackeys of supervillains, though some of those being trained are doing it against their will. Writer David Michelinie and artist George Perez brought Taskmaster in as the reveal for who was in charge of the facility. The character’s story would build over the next few months, and he would eventually even get his own miniseries before being used in heavy rotation in Spider-man and Deadpool stories.

9 What Was His Occupation?

Before Taskmaster began training villains for top dollar, he had a different life. Named Anthony “Tony” Masters, he was one of SHIELD’s best agents.

Of course, the comics do leave his identity more than a little ambiguous. It’s entirely possible that Tony Masters isn’t even his real name, but one of many covers used over the years, and it’s simply the name that sticks with him. Even while working as Taskmaster, he has a SHIELD handler, though isn’t always aware of that fact.

8 What Exactly Is His Power Set?

While Taskmaster can use a variety of weapons, even as fans see in the Black Widow movie, the character doesn’t have to rely on weapons. That’s because he can exactly mimic muscle movements after seeing someone else in action. In short, he can mimic the fighting style and skills of others perfectly, such as Black Widow’s deadliest moves.

His abilities aren’t just limited to fighting skills though. Thanks to his ability, he can also mimic voices and learn tricks, like diving before he even learns to swim as a child.

7 When Did He First Discover His Abilities?

Taskmaster first discovered his ability to mimic muscle movements as a child, though he didn’t exactly know what he was doing. Not only did he make a perfect dive at a community pool without knowing how to swim (and have to be rescued), but he also perfected a lasso technique just by watching cowboys on television.

It’s after the latter that his mother grew concerned and took him to a psychiatrist for help. As he grew up, however, he kept mimicking the abilities of others, acquiring a lot of unique skills.

6 What Is A Side Effect Of Taskmaster’s Abilities?

While his mimicking ability is impressive at a young age, one SHIELD mission granted him the chance to make them even more impressive.

His abilities would be augmented by him taking a super-soldier serum while on a SHIELD mission to stop Hydra scientists. The serum increased his ability to remember those skills he observed, but as a side effect of keeping those task-oriented memories permanently, he would slowly forget his own personal memories.

That meant while he might catalog hundreds of martial arts moves, eventually, he wouldn’t even remember that he was married. Most of his memories are shown via flashbacks in the comics that he’s not even cognizant of.

5 Who Is One Marvel Character Who Can Beat Him Easily?

One of the reasons Taskmaster is able to copy the skills of others so easily and quickly, and match them in a fight, is because of how formulaic they are. Those trained by SHIELD, for example, have a specific fighting style. Those who master specific forms of martial arts have easily telegraphed moves for someone like him.

The one character who doesn’t telegraph their movies in a fight, or stick to a style that Taskmaster sees over and over again, is Deadpool. Deadpool does what he wants in a fight, partly because he knows he’ll always heal from his injuries. It allows him to be reckless and unpredictable, keeping Taskmaster guessing and making it more difficult for Deadpool’s style to be mimicked.

4 Is Taskmaster A Villain?

Like the majority of characters in Marvel comics, Taskmaster often straddles the line between good and evil. He begins his professional career as a SHIELD agent wanting to do the right thing. Eventually, however, he’ll train anyone for a fee – villain or hero.

That makes him seem more like a neutral party in the comics. He spends a lot of time just getting a paycheck instead of really taking a side. He does, however, tend to play more with villains than he does heroes, which will likely lead a lot of comic book fans to classify Taskmaster as a villain.

3 How Is Taskmaster Related To The Org?

In Marvel comics, The Org is thought of as an underground organization that acts to link all criminal enterprises to one another. It’s actually one person acting as a go-between between different criminal groups, allowing them a neutral point of contact to facilitate transactions and alliances.

That one person is Mercedes Merced. She’s not actually a criminal, however. Instead, she’s the SHIELD agent who was partnered with Tony Masters when he took the super-soldier serum. She acts as his handler as his memory loss begins and he becomes a mercenary – often without him remembering her. Mercedes goes undercover as The Org in order to remain close to him and help guide him, often against SHIELD orders. She also happens to be the wife he doesn’t remember.

2 Has The Character Ever Appeared In Live Action?

Taskmaster is a very popular comic book character for Marvel. Since his debut in 1980, he’s appeared in a dozen alternate timeline/universe stories in addition to the main Marvel timeline. He’s also appeared in even more video games and has had a handful of appearances in animated projects like Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble.

The MCU’s Black Widow movie, however, marks the first appearance of Taskmaster in a live action property. The character is never named as Taskmaster, but referenced as part of the Taskmaster program while sent out to fight the likes of Black Widow and the Red Guardian, and has one major change compared to the comics.

1 How Did The Black Widow Movie Change Taskmaster?

The identity of Taskmaster was a mystery throughout the marketing of Black Widow. Or rather, the identity of the actor playing Taskmaster was a mystery. Most fans assumed Taskmaster would still be revealed as Tony Masters in the movie. That’s not the case.

Instead, the person wearing the Taskmaster gear is a woman Natasha Romanoff believed she killed as a child when she defected to SHIELD. This Taskmaster isn’t a natural at mimicking and isn’t enhanced by a super-soldier serum, but is instead a severely injured young woman, who has a computer chip used to enhance her abilities and is given a super suit to protect her.

The change serves to show the audience how far Black Widow has come since her days in the Red Room, understanding that the “collateral damage” she left behind was a real person, not just part of a mission’s outcome.

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