WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Taskmaster #3, by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Vitti, Guru-eFX and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.

While Black Widow is still tentatively set for a May theatrical release, bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to the big screen, fans can get the chance to see Natasha Romanoff take on her upcoming cinematic antagonist in Marvel's Taskmaster comic book miniseries. And while the MCU iteration of the masked mercenary is poised to be every inch capable of taking on Natasha on the big screen, the comic book incarnation has surprised everyone by doing something unthinkable for all parties involved.

In Taskmaster #3, the villain defeats and spares Black Widow's life during a heated confrontation in South Korea.

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Black Widow Taskmaster Spared

Black Widow and Taskmaster's latest feud was ignited when the master assassin was framed for the murder of former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill. Tracking down the antihero to a mafia-sponsored golf tournament, Widow came at Taskmaster guns blazing, with the mercenary barely escaping with his life. Nick Fury, Jr. agreed to help Taskmaster clear his name, under the condition that he help him gain access to valuable information stored in encrypted H.A.M.M.E.R. mainframes. Left with little choice, Taskmaster took the assignment to obtain biometric from a number of figures in the intelligence community around the world while trying to stay one step ahead of Black Widow as Natasha continued her own relentless vendetta.

The two crossed paths again in South Korea as Taskmaster infiltrated the East Asian country's intelligence agency to obtain biometric data from its director Ami Han. As Taskmaster's extraction went haywire as his counterfeit Pym Particles began to fail him, Black Widow arrived on the scene as the antihero battled his way out. Outnumbered and with the odds quickly turning against him, Taskmaster unveiled another secret weapon: A device that caused psychic feedback. Protected by his own set of telepathic inhibitors, Taskmaster triggered the weapon, rendering all the personnel in the immediate vicinity unconscious. With Black Widow now completely incapacitated at his feet, Taskmaster finds himself at a crossroads with how best to deal with the woman that has hunted him across the globe with the intent to terminate him with extreme prejudice.

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Black Widow Taskmaster 2

Surprising even himself, Taskmaster's more noble nature wins out and he leaves Natasha prone back at the secret South Korean facility but not without leaving a message to his pursuer: Carved into the wall with his combat knife is a declaration that he did not kill Maria Hill, despite all the evidence against him surrounding Maria's death. Whether Natasha will actually take this message to heart, especially in light of Taskmaster sparing her life when she was left completely vulnerable, is unknown but Taskmaster is already in the wind, headed to obtain additional biometric data from his next target to clear his name with the authorities.

Taskmaster has proven himself as someone literally with enough tricks up his sleeves to take down Black Widow and the entire South Korean intelligence agency singlehandedly. The master mercenary has a whole arsenal of black market weaponry derived from the powers of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and has used them with deadly efficiency.

Despite this, Taskmaster has also shown a surprising amount of mercy, more intent on clearing his name than permanently eliminating the opposition...at least for now. And if Black Widow continues her hunt, she might find Taskmaster to be a lot less forgiving in a potential rematch.

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