WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Taskmaster #1, by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Vitti, Guru-eFX and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
As one of the leading spies in the Marvel Universe, Nick Fury hasn't been shy about cutting deals with less altruistic figures, including outright villains, if it's all in service towards the greater good. From brainwashing superheroes to toppling foreign despots to maintaining all the dark, dirty secrets of his old friends, Fury has certainly made more than his fair share of morally questionable decisions. And in the wake of the apparent murder of retired S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill, Fury's son reminds everyone he's just as manipulative as his old man and paternal namesake as he takes Taskmaster under his wing to give him a new, globe-trotting assignment.
Taskmaster is one of the most wanted men in the Marvel Universe, implicated in Hill's murder after his signature shield is found at the grisly murder scene. Barely escaping an retaliatory attack from Black Widow while participating in a criminal golf tournament organized by the Maggia crime syndicate, Taskmaster is recovered by Fury, with the duo speeding away before Natasha Romanoff can make good on avenging Hill's death. Taken to a safe house and briefed on his perilous predicament, Taskmaster pleads with Fury to give him anything that would help clear his name and track down the true culprits. Convinced of Taskmaster's innocence, Fury gives the masked mercenary three targets for him to track down and impersonate to gain access to a encrypted H.A.M.M.E.R. system: Phil Coulson, Okoye and South Korean intelligence director Ami Han.
Fury reveals to Taskmaster that Maria was investigating something in her retirement that got her killed, trying to access H.A.M.M.E.R. mainframes. The encrypted information is locked behind a security system known as the Rubicon Trigger, requiring the simultaneous biometrics of Fury's three targets for Taskmaster. The system can only be unlocked if Taskmaster perfectly replicates the body language and movement of the three targets within 30 seconds of each other. Despite Taskmaster possessing the power to replicate those he observes through his photographic reflexes, the mercenary admits he will have to closely study each of three targets in person in order to accurately fool the Rubicon Trigger's sensors.
Since falling out with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson has become the director of the Squadron Supreme of America Project, a superhero initiative sponsored by the federal government and based out of Washington, D.C. in direct opposition to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Okoye, head of the Wakanda's elite Dora Milaje, serves as the strong right hand of her king T'Challa while overseeing the African nation's covert force the Agents of Wakanda. Han is a mythical Kumiho from Korean legend, capable of shape-shifting into her superhero persona known as the White Fox. In addition to heading the South Korean National Intelligence Service's Tiger Division, Han also has links to the Agents of Atlas.
With each of the targets located on different ends of the Earth, Taskmaster is going to have go through considerable distances to secretly observe and study his three marks.
In addition to staying undetected by those safeguarding H.A.M.M.E.R.'s secrets, Taskmaster will also have to remain at least one step ahead of Black Widow, with the vengeful Natasha still on his trail. From three prominent targets, each formidable in their own right, and on the run from the superhero community, Taskmaster has just taken his most challenging, desperate assignment yet.