Taskmaster is a smaller Marvel villain who has gained a fair amount of traction with audiences over the years. Recently, he has been shown to be a bigger threat in the comics and has even appeared in Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PS4. Rumors have also begun circulating that indicate that Taskmaster will be the villain in the upcoming Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johanssen. While audiences nowadays are certainly familiar with Black Widow, not many people are likely to know much about Taskmaster. To help rectify the problem, here is our list of the 10 things to know about Marvel’s Taskmaster.
10 His Name
To this day, Taskmaster’s true identity has actually never been revealed. Few details are known about his past, but his true name has never actually been brought to light. At times, he is referred to as Tony Masters, though that name is clearly a play on his public name. However, Taskmaster has also had several other aliases, even posing as Captain America from time to time. Regardless of his true name, Taskmaster’s reputation tells you just about everything you need to know about him.
9 Photographic Reflexes
The official name for Taskmaster’s abilities is “Photographic Reflexes.” This means that, upon observing a technique or movement, Taskmaster is able to perfectly replicate it. For example, if he were watching a Kung Fu film, Taskmaster would be perfectly able to replicate all of the moves in the film. However, his abilities are limited in several ways.
Firstly, he wouldn’t suddenly know Kung Fu just by watching a film. Instead, he would only know the moves that were in the film. Any move or technique outside of the film would need to be acquired separately. Secondly, Taskmaster can’t duplicate force, only movement. This means that a punch delivered by Captain America, a genetically enhanced super soldier, would do far more damage than a punch from Taskmaster, even though both punches were delivered in identical manners.
8 Childhood
While Taskmaster’s name may remain a mystery, a few more details are known about his childhood. Taskmaster first discovered his abilities while watching a western film. After the big fight scene, he discovered that he could spin a lasso just as easily as the actor had. A few years later, Taskmaster found himself to be the quarterback of his high school football team, simply by watching videos of pro players on TV. Shortly after high school, Taskmaster would realize all the potential that his talents posed for him. He soon began to use his abilities for profit, and, eventually, killing.
7 The Name, Taskmaster
As he began building a reputation, Taskmaster eventually decided that he needed a name under which to operate. Though the name Taskmaster may itself appear rather cheesy at first, he actually pulled his inspiration from fellow Marvel Character, Spymaster. For those unfamiliar, Spymaster is typically an Iron Man villain who is also an expert in hand to hand combat. Though several people have come to call themselves Spymaster over the years, almost all of them are highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Likewise, since Taskmaster’s own abilities involve the heavy use of hand to hand combat, it is only fitting that the two share a similar name.
6 School of Henchmen
Shortly after assuming the name Taskmaster, he formed a school that’s purpose was to teach and train henchmen for villains. As such, Taskmaster would, of course, be a great instructor, as he had become highly skilled in various forms of hand to hand combat at this point. It is also rumored that he instructed people like Crossbones, Diamondback, and even some of the Deadpool interns. Considering how deadly some of his students turned out to be, it goes to show just how dangerous Taskmaster truly is.
5 Hired Assassin
Eventually, Taskmaster once again set out as a solo act, making a name for himself as a hired assassin. Taskmaster’s unique skills quickly established his reputation and earned him a lot of respect despite being a smaller scale villain. During this time, Taskmaster would also cross paths with several Marvel heroes, doing fairly well against some bigger names. While these encounters established his reputation, they also landed him in some tight spots and, eventually, prison. Here, Taskmaster would come to join a team known as The Thunderbolts, a group very similar to DC’s Suicide Squad.
4 Notable Opponents
Over the years, Taskmaster has gone up against some fairly big names in Marvel Comics. The hired assassin has held his own against both Iron Man and Captain America at the same time. Eventually, Taskmaster decided to flee only because he knew he couldn’t take them both down and he believed that running was a better option than prison. He has also established quite a grudge against Moon Knight, as both are formidable fighters. Taskmaster has even faced the likes of many Spider-Men and even been successful in some of his capturing contracts. Though he usually loses for plot purposes, he has still gone up against a wide variety of Marvel’s A-listers.
3 Time with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Following the Events of Marvel’s first Civil War, Taskmaster became an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. of sorts. As new helicarriers were being developed, Taskmaster was brought in to test the security systems. He was literally asked to break into some of the most secure places ever built just to make notes on where they could improve. As payment for his services, Taskmaster was granted a full pardon from Maria Hill herself. Eventually, Taskmaster would go back to his usual antics, though it is still interesting to know how he helped S.H.I.E.L.D. for a brief time.
2 In Other Media
As previously mentioned, Taskmaster is rumored to be the main villain in the upcoming Black Widow movie. However, this wouldn’t be the character’s first appearance outside of the comics. Taskmaster has made appearances in TV shows like Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble. Furthermore, he has also made appearances in some of Marvel’s animated features. However, his most famous appearance is likely in Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4. While the game could have certainly used him in a better way, it is still nice to see the character gain traction in other media.
1 Thunderbolts
Taskmaster also served as a member of the Thunderbolts for a time. During the events of Civil War once again, Taskmaster was assigned to fight against Captain America and his forces. Following Cap’s surrender though, Taskmaster was once again arrested. However, he would not be imprisoned for long, as Deadpool would eventually break him out just to fight him in a rematch and prove himself superior. Taskmaster is such a good fighter that he managed to humiliate Deadpool to the point where Deadpool broke him out of prison just to challenge him to a rematch. If that isn’t enough to show how Taskmaster’s reputation is well deserved, then nothing will be.