In the world of comic books, super-soldiers are a dime a dozen, with most heroes that aren't powered by the sun or born from a celestial being having to take some kind of performance-enhancing drug to keep up with the gods of their world. While most use their newfound strength for good, others, like Deathstroke and Taskmaster, would rather use them for personal gain.
While their powers and abilities aren't identically, Deathstroke and Taskmaster are both considered deadly adversaries to the heroes of either DC or Marvel Comics, respectfully. However, both have also sided with the good guys on more than one occasion. If they ever had to face off against one another, it would be a very close match between these two mercenaries.
10 Deathstroke Wins: His Regenerative Powers
Although it isn't as powerful as the likes of Deadpool or Wolverine, who are basically immortal at this point, Deathstroke does have limited regenerative powers and has allowed him to survive otherwise fatal wounds in the past. Unfortunately, his powers aren't strong enough to grow back his missing eye, but in a fight where he is likely to be shot or stabbed multiple times, it is enough to keep him from dying after the first blow.
9 Taskmaster Wins: Super-Soldier Serum
Like many characters in the Marvel universe, Taskmaster has the same Nazi Super-Soldier serum as Winter Soldier, derived from the original one used on Captain America all the way back in World War II. Although not technically superhuman by comic standards, the serum was enough to allow him to fight on the same level as Captain America, with Taskmaster even being able to successfully fight against two different incarnations of him at the same time.
8 Deathstroke Wins: Enhanced Physiology And Intellect
Deathstroke has also been enhanced by a Super-Soldier serum, but this one was a little different from the one used on Captain America and Winter Soldier. Aside from enhancing his physical abilities to the point where he is able to cause trouble for even the likes of Batman, it also awakened a dormant metagene that enhanced his mental capabilities.
While the exact description of this enhancement is fairly stupid, being described as him being able to use 90% of his brain despite the fact this would make him less intelligent, the general consensus is that he is smart enough to plan for just about everything and has been able to outsmart the good guys on many occasions because of this.
7 Taskmaster Wins: Could Fend Off Multiple Asgardians At The Same Time
During the Seige event, where Norman Osborn and Loki assault Asgard under the pretense of them being a threat to humanity, bringing several members of the Dark Avengers with them, including Taskmaster. In the fight to bring down Asgard, Taskmaster was able to fight off two Asgardian soldiers at the same time and come out victorious, which is no small feat even if they were lesser Asgardians and nowhere near the same power level as the likes of Thor.
6 Deathstroke Wins: He's Very Hard To Kill
If there's one aspect of Deathstroke that Deadpool's character pulled from the most, it's how hard Slade is to not only kill, but keep dead once he is down for the count. After falling to Red Arrow following his escape from Arkham, Raptor decided, in a desperate attempt to bring him back to life, to infect his body with leprosy to trigger his healing factor and bring him back to life. Because he is a comic book character, this somehow worked and brought Slade back from the dead with a new lease on life.
5 Taskmaster Wins: His Superhuman Speed
In a move that is simultaneously brilliant and completely stupid, Taskmaster is revealed to be able to move at superhuman speeds using his photographic reflexes, by watching martial arts films in fast-forward then replicating them in real-time. Although he can't keep up this speed for very long, it is enough to give him an extra edge in battle, particularly against other super-powered heroes and villains who are able to outpace him.
4 Deathstroke Wins: His Fighting Skills
Deathstroke has been a soldier and a mercenary for a very long time, and as such, he is one of the most formidable fighters in the DC universe. Even before taking the super-soldier serum, Slade was a force to be reckoned with and a man that few were stupid enough to mess with.
These skills carried over into his life after the military, as he went on to operate under the Deathstroke name and become the world's deadliest assassin. Considering there is an entire League of Assassin's lead by an immortal madman who also kills for a living, this speaks volumes to his abilities in battle.
3 Taskmaster Wins: His Photographic Reflexes
Taskmaster's main ability, his photographic reflexes, allows him to copy any physical action he has seen, which he uses most often to copy the fighting styles of other heroes and villains and is part of what makes him so formidable in the first place, as he is able to predict his opponent's next move in battle. His powers aren't limited to combat scenarios, however, as he has also been able to mimic a person's voice flawlessly after hearing them speak.
2 Deathstroke Wins: Taskmaster's Memory Issues
For all the strengths Taskmaster has with both his photographic reflexes and enhanced physiology, he has one glaring weakness that comes along with it. Because the super-solider serum also enhanced his photographic reflexes, this caused Taskmaster to instantly absorb any new information, but at the cost of losing other memories to make room for this new information. On several occasions, Taskmaster has forgotten who he is or what his mission is because of this weakness, and if Deathstroke leaves him alone for long enough, Taskmaster will forget he was even fighting the Terminator.
1 Taskmaster Wins: Deathstroke's Lack Of Depth Perception
Deathstroke may be a master killer, soldier, and mercenary, but despite his regenerative abilities and physical prowess, he still only has one eye. While this hasn't stopped him in the past and it is likely to not affect him as much as would be expected, Deathtroke's lack of depth perception could be the one thing that Taskmaster could exploit to let him win in a battle between the two.