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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 films Black Widow (2021) and Thunderbolts* (2025), portrayed by Olga Kurylenko.

Publication history

[edit]

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

[edit]

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]

Taskmaster 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 during the Siege of Asgard, 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]

During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Taskmaster comes to the aid of Alpha Flight when it comes to forming a resistance against the Unity Party that was formed by Master of the World.[16]

When Taskmaster and Black Ant (Eric O'Grady's Life Model Decoy counterpart) found out what was done to Captain America to be made into a Hydra sleeper agent, they planned to have a parley with Maria Hill to discuss this with only for the new Madame Hydra (Elisa Sinclair) to get to them first.[17] Impressed with the fighting skills of the two of them, Madame Hydra made them bodyguards.[18]

During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Taskmaster appears as a member of Hydra's Avengers.[19] During the battle in Washington DC, Taskmaster and Black Ant witness their teammate Odinson having enough of working for Hydra and striking them down. The two of them defect from Hydra and free the captive Champions. When Taskmaster and Black Ant asks for them to put in a good word for them, Spider-Man webs them up anyway.[20]

Taskmaster and Black Ant later attack Empire State University where Curt Connors was teaching a class. As the inhibitor chip prevents Connors into turning into Lizard, Peter Parker sneaks off to become Spider-Man. During his fight with Black Ant and Taskmaster, Spider-Man is exposed to the Isotope Genome Accelerator that splits him from his Peter Parker side.[21]

In a prelude to "Hunted", Taskmaster and Black Ant work with Kraven the Hunter and Arcade in capturing some animal-themed characters for his upcoming hunt. After Spider-Man thwarted the hunt, Taskmaster and Black Ant got away.[22]

During the "King in Black" storyline, Taskmaster is among the villains recruited by Mayor Wilson Fisk to lead his Thunderbolts at the time of Knull's invasion.[23]

At the conclusion of "The Chameleon Conspiracy" arc, Foreigner hired Taskmaster and Black Ant to help get revenge on Spider-Man.[24]

During the "Sinister War" storyline, Taskmaster was with Foreigner, Black Ant, Chance, Jack O'Lantern, and Slyde when they are sent by Kindred to attack Spider-Man after Kindred had disrupted their armored car robbery.[25]

During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Taskmaster appears as a member of Mayor Wilson Fisk's latest incarnation of the Thunderbolts at the time when Mayor Fisk passed a law that forbids superhero activity.[26]

In the "Carnage Reigns" storyline, Taskmaster joins Agent Gao's Cape-Killers.[27]

Taskmaster was at the Bar with No Name when Spider-Woman arrived. They went outside to fight as Spider-Woman gets the information on some of the thugs he recently trained.[28]

As Captain America is transporting a specific cargo, his futuristic helicopter gets Spider-Boy as a passenger due to his spider-senses stating that Captain America needs help from Taskmaster. Captain America figures out that one of the soldiers is actually Taskmaster using an Image Inducer as the cargo in question is Super-Adaptoid. Even though Captain America and Spider-Boy fend off Taskmaster, he makes off with Super-Adaptoid's left hand as he plans to give it to Killionaire.[29] Taskmaster was later seen at Empire Unlimited getting reprimanded by Killionaire for not bringing all of Super-Adaptoid to him so that Shannon Stillwell can rebuild it into a suit that would give him the powers of the Avengers. When Killionaire threatened to dox Taskmaster and Shannon Stillwell, Killionaire was impressed with the latter reverse-engineering it to make the Toy Soldier that still can copy the abilities of all the Avengers and be remote-controlled by Killionaire. When Taskmaster asks for his cut, Killionaire takes Toy Soldier out for a test drive by having it attack Taskmaster.[30]

During the "Gang War" storyline, Taskmaster was with Agent Gao's Cape-Killers at the time when Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Misty Knight, and Colleen Wing defeated Bumbler's group and Frost Pharaoh's group.[31]

Powers and abilities

[edit]

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.[32] 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.[33] 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).[32]

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.[34]

Weaponry

[edit]

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.[35]

Other versions

[edit]

Age of Ultron

[edit]

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.[36]

Avataars: Covenant of the Shield

[edit]

Deathmaster, a fantasy-themed incarnation of Taskmaster from the artificial planet Eurth, appears in Avataars: Covenant of the Shield.[37]

Deadpool Max

[edit]

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.[38]

House of M

[edit]

An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-58163 appears in House of M. This version is a member of the Brotherhood strike force.[39]

JLA/Avengers

[edit]

Taskmaster appears in JLA/Avengers #4 as a brainwashed minion of Krona.[40]

Marvel Apes

[edit]

An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-38831 appears in Marvel Apes.[41]

Marvel Universe Millennial Visions 2001

[edit]

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.[42]

Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher

[edit]

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.[43]

Ultimate Marvel

[edit]

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.[44]

What If

[edit]

An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-8909 appears in What If? #3. This version trained Super-Patriot to replace Captain America.[45]

In other media

[edit]

Television

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Video games

[edit]

Merchandise

[edit]
  • 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

[edit]
  • The Marvel vs. Capcom 3 incarnation of Taskmaster appears in the game's one-shot tie-in comic.[61]
  • Taskmaster appears in the Marvel Rising motion comic, voiced again by Brian Bloom.[46]
  • Taskmaster appears in the HeroClix Collectible Miniatures game.
  • Taskmaster appears in the Marvel Crisis Protocol miniatures game.[62]

Collected editions

[edit]
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]
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[edit]
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