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Taskmaster (character)

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For other uses, see Taskmaster.
Taskmaster
Taskmaster on the cover of The Avengers #196 (June 1980).
Art by George Pérez.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Avengers #195 (May 1980)[1]
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoAnthony "Tony" Masters
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliations
Notable aliases
  • Tasky
  • Contingency T
Abilities
  • Master assassin and tactician
  • Master martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant
  • Expert swordsman, marksman and archer
  • Photographic reflexes

Taskmaster (Anthony "Tony" Masters) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, the character made his debut in The Avengers #195 (May 1980).[2] Possessing photographic reflexes that allow him to mimic any fighting style at the cost of his long and short-term memory, he has served as an adversary of Marvel Universe superheroes such as Captain America, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man. He is usually depicted as a mercenary hired by criminal organizations to act as a training instructor.[3] He is the biological father of Finesse.

The character has been adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including several animated television series and video games. A female version of Taskmaster named Antonia Dreykov appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Widow (2021), portrayed by Olga Kurylenko. Kurylenko will reprise the role in the upcoming film Thunderbolts* (2025).

Publication history

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The Taskmaster first appeared briefly in The Avengers #195 (May 1980), created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez.[4] making his full debut in Avengers #196 (June 1980).[5]

The Taskmaster appeared in his own limited series Taskmaster #1–4 (2002), which was followed by a supporting role in Agent X #1–15 (2002–2003). The character went on to feature prominently in Avengers: The Initiative as a supporting character in #8–19 (2008–2009) and Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1 (2008) then later as a central character in #20–35 (2009–2010) during the Dark Reign and Siege storylines. Age of Heroes #3 (2010) provided the prologue for the Taskmaster's second limited series Taskmaster vol. 2 #1–4 (2010–2011). In 2011, Taskmaster received a solo graphic novel collecting a four-issue story—Taskmaster: Unthinkable.

In Marvel's 2012–2015 rebranding, Marvel NOW!, Taskmaster joins a new incarnation of the Secret Avengers.[5]

Fictional character biography

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Taskmaster is a mysterious figure believed to have been born in the Bronx, New York City. He is able to mimic the physical movements of anyone he witnesses; writers differ on whether this counts as a "super power".[6] He claims to have had this ability since childhood. Initially a combat instructor for other villains and criminals, Taskmaster becomes a mercenary to continue making money after the Avengers shut down some of his academies.[7]

In "Civil War", Taskmaster joins the Thunderbolts and is given temporary amnesty to take down the Secret Avengers.[8] However, he is defeated by Invisible Woman and imprisoned in the Negative Zone.[9] Taskmaster is freed by Deadpool and pardoned for testing the security of the Helicarrier.[10][11] He is tasked with training registered superheroes for the Fifty State Initiative.[12]

During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Taskmaster becomes the leader of the Shadow Initiative, consisting of Constrictor, Bengal, Typhoid Mary, and Komodo.[13] After Norman Osborn's defeat, Taskmaster and Constrictor return to mercenary work.[14]

Avengers Academy student Finesse later seeks out Taskmaster, believing him to be her long-lost father. When she finds Taskmaster, Finesse ends up sparring with him. After much sparring, Taskmaster relents to tell Finesse that he likely is her father, but that his abilities have affected his memories. Knowing he likely will not remember the conversation in a couple days, Taskmaster tells Finesse that he wanted to fight her so he might remember her.[15]

In the "Carnage Reigns" storyline, Taskmaster joins Agent Gao's Cape-Killers.[16]

Powers and abilities

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Taskmaster injected himself with SS-Hauptsturmführer Horst Gorscht's primer, an elaborate modification of the adrenal steroid cortisol designed to unlock the mind's procedural memory potential.[17] This increased Taskmaster's natural ability to absorb knowledge. This ability is linked to his muscle memory, allowing Taskmaster to instantly replicate the physical movement of peak-level humans. Taskmaster cannot duplicate a physical feat that requires superhuman effort, like lifting a car. These "photographic reflexes" have made Taskmaster highly skilled in various forms of combat: martial arts, swordfighting, and marksmanship.[18] A side effect of the primer is severe declarative memory loss. As he gains implicit memories (i.e., knowledge and abilities), he loses explicit memories (i.e., personal experiences).[17]

By viewing a video in fast-forward, Taskmaster can learn to replicate human movement at near-superhuman speed. However, this puts his body under intense strain and can only be used for short periods of time. He can manipulate his vocal cords to mimic others' voices. The Taskmaster is skilled in meditation techniques that allow him to slow his breathing and heart rate, allowing him to play dead or and survive for extended periods of time without air. Taskmaster was once shown to have aquaphobia (fear of water), but later overcame his fears.[19]

Weaponry

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Taskmaster carries many weapons. He most commonly uses a sword and a replica of Captain America's shield, but also carries a bow and a quiver of arrows, a billy club, a lasso, nunchaku, throwing darts, and various firearms. Taskmaster once used a stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. device that was able to create various forms of weaponry (such as arrows and shields) using solid energy.[20]

Other versions

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Age of Ultron

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-61112 appears in Age of Ultron. He works with Black Panther and Red Hulk to battle Ultron's drones, only for Red Hulk to kill Taskmaster after he attempts to take one of the drones for his own use.[21]

Avataars: Covenant of the Shield

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Deathmaster, a fantasy-themed incarnation of Taskmaster from the artificial planet Eurth, appears in Avataars: Covenant of the Shield.[22]

Deadpool Max

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A female version of Taskmaster from an unidentified universe appears in the Marvel Max series Deadpool Max. This version became a mother figure to a young version of Deadpool after kidnapping his Muskrat troop. She is later revealed to be a potential cult leader and child molester.[23]

House of M

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-58163 appears in House of M. This version is a member of the Brotherhood strike force.[24]

JLA/Avengers

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Taskmaster appears in JLA/Avengers #4 as a brainwashed minion of Krona.[25]

Marvel Apes

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-38831 appears in Marvel Apes.[26]

Marvel Universe Millennial Visions 2001

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-22000 appears in the one-shot Marvel Universe: Millennial Visions. This version was hypnotized by the Ringmaster and forced to reform and become a member of the Thunderbolts.[27]

Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-11080 appears in Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher #4, where he is killed by a cannibalistic Red Hulk.[28]

Ultimate Marvel

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-1610 appears in Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. This version is African-American and possesses the ability to absorb and redirect energy.[29]

What If

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An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-8909 appears in What If? #3. This version trained Super-Patriot to replace Captain America.[30]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Video games

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Merchandise

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  • Taskmaster received a figurine in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection.
  • Taskmaster received a figurine in Funko's "Marvel Pop!" line.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in Toy Biz's Marvel Legends line.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Marvel Minimates line.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Marvel Super Hero Squad line as part of a two-pack with Deadpool.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Marvel Universe line's "Marvel's Greatest Battles" sub-line as part of a two-pack with Deadpool.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Lego Marvel Super Heroes "Hulk Lab Smash" set.
  • Taskmaster, based on his second design in Ultimate Spider-Man, received a figure in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line via the "Mercenaries of Mayhem" sub-line.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Marvel Legends Avengers: Infinity War Thanos Build-A-Figure line.
  • The MCU incarnation of Taskmaster received a figure in Marvel Legends Black Widow line.
  • Taskmaster received a figure in the Marvel Legends "Cabal" three-pack of figures alongside Iron Patriot and Doctor Doom.

Miscellaneous

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  • The Marvel vs. Capcom 3 incarnation of Taskmaster appears in the game's one-shot tie-in comic.[46]
  • Taskmaster appears in the Marvel Rising motion comic, voiced again by Brian Bloom.[31]
  • Taskmaster appears in the HeroClix Collectible Miniatures game.
  • Taskmaster appears in the Marvel Crisis Protocol miniatures game.[47]

Collected editions

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Title Material Collected Published Date ISBN
Taskmaster: Anything You Can Do... Avengers #195–196, 223; Marvel Team-Up #103 and 146; Thing #26; Amazing Spider-Man #308; Iron Man #254; Daredevil #292–293; Deadpool (vol. 2) #2; Hawkeye: Earth's Mightiest Marksman #1; Avengers (vol. 2) #26; Captain America (vol. 2) #44; material from Captain America Annual #11 March 3, 2020 978-1302921316
Taskmaster: Unthinkable Taskmaster (vol. 2) #1–4 May 18, 2011 978-0785152606
Taskmaster: The Right Price Taskmaster (vol. 1) #1–4, Taskmaster (vol. 2) #1–4, and material from Marvel Comics Presents (vol. 2) #2, Age of Heroes #3 March 31, 2020 978-1302921323
Taskmaster: The Rubicon Trigger Taskmaster (vol. 3) #1–5 July 29, 2021 978-1302921712

References

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  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 370. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  3. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 336–337. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  4. ^ DeFalco, Tom (2008). "1980s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. p. 197. ISBN 978-0756641238. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, Taskmaster could mimic any physical skill he had ever seen.
  5. ^ a b Lovett, Jamie (July 22, 2019). "Black Widow: Who Is Taskmaster?". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. ^ The Avengers #196 (June 1980)
  7. ^ Moon Knight (vol. 5) #3 (August 2006)
  8. ^ Civil War #4 (October 2006)
  9. ^ Civil War #7 (January 2007)
  10. ^ Cable & Deadpool #36 (March 2007)
  11. ^ Marvel Comics Presents (vol. 2) #2 (December 2007)
  12. ^ Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1 (January 2008)
  13. ^ Richards, Dave (December 4, 2009). "STORMING HEAVEN: "Siege: The Cabal"". CBR. Archived from the original on December 5, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  14. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #35 (June 2010)
  15. ^ Avengers Academy #9 (April 2011)
  16. ^ Miles Morales: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #6 (July 2023)
  17. ^ a b Taskmaster (vol. 2) #3 (January 2011)
  18. ^ Taskmaster (vol. 2) #4 (February 2011)
  19. ^ Lord-Moncrief, Devon (November 15, 2020). "One of the MCU's Next Big Villains Has ANOTHER Serious Weakness". CBR. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  20. ^ Taskmaster #1 (April 2002)
  21. ^ Age of Ultron #3 - 4 (May - June 2013)
  22. ^ Avataars: Covenant of the Shield #1 (September 2000)
  23. ^ Deadpool Max #5 (April 2011)
  24. ^ House of M: Avengers #2 (February 2008)
  25. ^ JLA/Avengers #4 (February 2004)
  26. ^ Marvel Apes: Grunt Line Special one-shot (July 2009)
  27. ^ Marvel Universe: Millennial Visions one-shot (February 2002)
  28. ^ Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher #4 (September 2010)
  29. ^ Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #26 - 27 (October - November 2013)
  30. ^ What If...? (vol. 2) #3 (May 1989)
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Taskmaster Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 18, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  32. ^ "Marvel Anime (Part 6): Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher". Casualcomixcritique. February 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Molina-Whyte, Lidia (July 7, 2021). "Who is Taskmaster in Marvel's Black Widow?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  34. ^ Panaligan, EJ (September 10, 2022). "Marvel's 'Thunderbolts' Recruits Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and More". Variety. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c Schedeen, Jesse (July 21, 2019). "Marvel's Taskmaster Explained: Who Is the Villain of the Black Widow Movie?". IGN. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  36. ^ "Captain America Joins the Battle in Second Episode of Marvel's Avengers Initiative". Disney. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  37. ^ Abercrombie, Dana (March 9, 2014). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy Coming to Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Taskmaster to Be a Playable Character". Dualshockers. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  38. ^ Siegel, Lucas (June 4, 2014). "AVENGERS ALLIANCE Expands, GAUNTLET Returns, Zombies Play Pinball". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  39. ^ Melrose, Kevin (March 28, 2014). "'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' mobile game launches". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  40. ^ Montoya, Adam (February 5, 2016). "SUPER HERO SEANANNERS (Marvel Avengers Academy)". YouTube. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  41. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: LEGO Marvel's Avengers Character Preview Gallery". ComicBook.com. September 6, 2017. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  42. ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (April 4, 2018). "Marvel's Spider-Man Gameplay, Story Details Revealed". IGN. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  43. ^ Polo, Susana (June 11, 2019). "Marvel confirms the identity of the villain in Square Enix's Avengers game". Polygon.
  44. ^ "Tier List for Marvel Future Fight". Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  45. ^ "Marvel Royalty and Warriors Pack". Epic Games' Fortnite.
  46. ^ Marvel vs. Capcom: Fate of Two Worlds #1 (February 2011)
  47. ^ Lara, René (August 5, 2020). "Daredevil, She-Hulk, Punisher y otros llegan a Marvel Crisis Protocol". Wargarage.org. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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