| Taskmaster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers #195 (May 1980)[1] |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Anthony "Tony" Masters |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases |
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| Abilities |
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Taskmaster (Anthony "Tony"Masters) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerDavid Michelinie and artistGeorge Pérez, the character made his debut inThe 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 ofMarvel Universesuperheroes such asCaptain America,Ant-Man, andSpider-Man. He is usually depicted as amercenary hired by criminal organizations to act as a training instructor.[3] He is the biological father ofFinesse.
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 namedAntonia Dreykov appears in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmsBlack Widow (2021) andThunderbolts* (2025), portrayed byOlga Kurylenko.
The Taskmaster first appeared briefly inThe Avengers #195 (May 1980), created by writerDavid Michelinie and artistGeorge Pérez.[4] making his full debut inAvengers #196 (June 1980).[5]
The Taskmaster appeared in his own limited seriesTaskmaster #1–4 (2002), which was followed by a supporting role inAgent X #1–15 (2002–2003). The character went on to feature prominently inAvengers: The Initiative as a supporting character in #8–19 (2008–2009) andAvengers: The Initiative Annual #1 (2008) then later as a central character in #20–35 (2009–2010) during theDark Reign andSiege storylines.Age of Heroes #3 (2010) provided the prologue for the Taskmaster's second limited seriesTaskmaster 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 theSecret Avengers.[5]
Taskmaster is a mysterious figure believed to have been born in theBronx, 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 theThunderbolts and is given temporary amnesty to take down theSecret Avengers.[8] However, he is defeated byInvisible Woman and imprisoned in theNegative Zone.[9]
Taskmaster is freed byDeadpool and pardoned for testing the security of theHelicarrier.[10][11]
Taskmaster is tasked with training registered superheroes for theFifty State Initiative.[12]
During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Taskmaster becomes the leader of theShadow Initiative, consisting ofConstrictor,Bengal,Typhoid Mary, andKomodo.[13] AfterNorman Osborn's defeat during theSiege of Asgard, Taskmaster and Constrictor return to mercenary work.[14]
Avengers Academy studentFinesse 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 ofAlpha Flight, forming a resistance against the Unity Party that was formed byMaster of the World.[16]
When Taskmaster andBlack Ant (Eric O'Grady'sLife 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 withMaria Hill to discuss this with only for the newMadame 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 captiveChampions. 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 whereCurt 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 withKraven the Hunter andArcade in capturing animal-themed individuals for his upcoming hunt. After Spider-Man thwarts the hunt, Taskmaster and Black Ant escape.[22]
During the "King in Black" storyline, Taskmaster is among the villains recruited by MayorWilson Fisk to lead hisThunderbolts at the time ofKnull'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, andSlyde when they are sent byKindred 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 after Fisk passes a law that forbids superhero activity.[26]
In the "Carnage Reigns" storyline, Taskmaster joinsJulia Gao'sCape-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 getsSpider-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 isSuper-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 toKillionaire.[29] Taskmaster was later seen at Empire Unlimited getting reprimanded by Killionaire for not bringing all of Super-Adaptoid to him so thatShannon 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 whenSpider-Man (Miles Morales),Misty Knight, andColleen Wing defeatedBumbler's group andFrost Pharaoh's group.[31]
After the failure of the Cape-Killers, Taskmaster joined Deadpool's for hire assassin business, Deadpool and Daughters.[32]
Taskmaster injected himself withSS-Hauptsturmführer Horst Gorscht's primer, an elaborate modification of the adrenal steroidcortisol designed to unlock the mind'sprocedural memory potential.[33] This increased Taskmaster's natural ability to absorb knowledge. This ability is linked to hismuscle 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.[34] A side effect of the primer is severedeclarative memory loss. As he gains implicit memories (i.e., knowledge and abilities), he loses explicit memories (i.e., personal experiences).[33]
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 haveaquaphobia (fear of water), but later overcame his fears.[35]
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 stolenS.H.I.E.L.D. device that was able to create various forms of weaponry (such as arrows and shields) using solid energy.[36]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-61112 appears inAge of Ultron. He works withBlack Panther andRed Hulk to battleUltron's drones, only for Red Hulk to kill Taskmaster after he attempts to take one of the drones for his own use.[37]
Deathmaster, a fantasy-themed incarnation of Taskmaster from the artificial planet Eurth, appears inAvataars: Covenant of the Shield.[38]
A female version of Taskmaster from an unidentified universe appears in theMarvel Max seriesDeadpool Max. This version became a mother figure and mentor to a young version ofDeadpool after kidnapping his Muskrat troop. She is later revealed to be a potential cult leader and child molester.[39]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-58163 appears inHouse of M. This version is a member of the Brotherhood strike force.[40]
Taskmaster appears inJLA/Avengers #4 as a brainwashed minion ofKrona.[41]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-38831 appears inMarvel Apes.[42]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-22000 appears in the one-shotMarvel Universe: Millennial Visions. This version was hypnotized by theRingmaster and forced to reform and become a member of theThunderbolts.[43]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-11080 appears inMarvel Universe vs. the Punisher #4, where he is killed by a cannibalistic Red Hulk.[44]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster fromEarth-1610 appears inUltimate Comics: Spider-Man. This version is African-American and possesses the ability to absorb and redirect energy.[45]
An alternate universe variant of Taskmaster from Earth-8909 appears inWhat If? #3. This version trainedSuper-Patriot to replaceCaptain America.[46]
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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 fromCaptain 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 fromMarvel 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 |
Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, Taskmaster could mimic any physical skill he had ever seen.
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