Who is ‘Black Widow’s’ Taskmaster?
With the debut of Marvel’s Black Widow just on the horizon, fans have gotten a clearer picture of the characters Natasha Romanoff will encounter. A character still shroud in secrecy, however, is the weapon-wielding antagonist of the film; but who exactly is Taskmaster?
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are buzzing about the arrival of one of the franchise’s most anticipated films finally coming to fruition; seeing the beloved Natasha Romanoff confront the ghosts of her past.
The promotional material, outside of the main protagonists Scarlett Johansson’s Romanoff, Florence Pugh Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s The Red Guardian, and Rachel Wiesz’ Melina; has been used to highlight the haunting presence of The Taskmaster.
The character has widely been used by Marvel Comics as a lethal mercenary with an exceptional ability that makes him one of the deadliest hand-to-hand combatants of the Marvel universe.
In Marvel Comics, Anthony Masters is a highly skilled weapons user, and martial artist, that has the ability to mirror the movements of any person he’s fighting against.
This makes him incredibly difficult for ay Marvel heroes to defeat; because his ability to act as a shadow to their efforts allows him to never surrender the upper hand.
Taskmaster, however, can simply be perceived as a villain in the context of the greater Marvel Universe. The mercenary is known to sell his services for profit; viewing the battle for good and evil as strictly good business.
This is interesting in the context of Black Widow; as it can make Taskmaster’s talents purchasable by the program seeking to terminate its former members.
This outcome would eliminate any kind of history or ill will between Natasha and Masters; something that the trailers have been vague in identifying.
One facet of the character that the trailers have been focused on displaying to fans is his ability in different areas of combat.
A closed look at these abilities may actually tell us something deeper about the character.
In the comics, it is known that Taskmaster has been hired, on more than one occasion, as a teacher to varying villains and criminal organizations.
The basis of his teaching comes from his constant observance of the combat techniques of some of Marvel’s greatest heroes.
This will almost certainly be an aspect of his character in Black Widow.
It is no coincidence that Masters has been shown wielding four different weapons; a bow and arrow, a shield, claws that protrude from his fingers, and a sword.
This aspect easily verifies his study of the Avengers as the bow and arrow harken back to HAwkeye, the shield to Captain America, the Claws to Black Panther, and the sword being his signature weapon from the comic books.
The identity and motive of Taskmaster will be one of the more interesting developments of the film, and fans certainly can’t wait for the unfolding of Natasha Romanoff’s first solo outing in the MCU.