Black Widow: Everything You Need To Know About Taskmaster

If you haven't read the comics, you may be only vaguely familiar with Taskmaster. "Oh yeah, the skull guy with the white cloak."

But Taskmaster isn't just a run-of-the-mill villain. He is one of the deadliest baddies in Marvel Comics. He is one of the few who has taken on the Avengers alone. He has stood his own against Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

So, what makes him so dangerous? He's not a sorcerer. He's not a god. Instead, he is blessed with one of the coolest and most unique superpowers in comics. He is gifted with photographic reflexes. Anything he sees, he can do. In his own words, "I got this... memory... thing." (Okay, Taskmaster is deadly but he's not the most articulate person in the world.) Although it takes a martial artist years to master their craft, Taskmaster can reach the same level of skill in seconds.

Although he's been duking it out with Wolverine, Deadpool, Captain America, and many others for nearly 40 years in the comics, very little is known about him.

However, since he is making his live-action debut in the 2020 film, Black Widow, we had to look at the some of the most interesting facts about this enigmatic supervillain.

Tony Masters debuted as Taskmaster in Avengers #195 in 1980. In the story, the Avengers storm a suspicious institution, only to learn it is a front for training supervillains. When Taskmaster revealed himself to the team, he defeated Yellowjacket and Ant-Man in seconds. He divulges the fact that he can duplicate anything he witnesses. Since he has studied dozens of superheroes, Taskmaster can shoot arrows like Hawkeye, throw a Billy club like Daredevil, hurl a shield like Captain America, and somersault like Spider-Man.

Masters learned he had this ability when he was eight years old. Just by watching television, he learned to twirl a lasso like a cowboy, shoot hoops like an NBA player, or dive into a pool like an Olympic swimmer.

He has personally studied the moves of Ant Man, Batroc, Black Widow, Boomerang, Bushwacker, Blacklash, Black Knight, Black Panther, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Cable, Crossbones, Daredevil, Deadpool, Elektra, Falcon, Fatale, Firestar, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Justice, Libra, Machete, Moon Knight, Oddball, Power Man, Puma, Punisher, Razorfist, Shockwave, Silverclaw, Silver Samurai, Spider-Man, Shatterstar, Swordsman, Tigra, Tumbler, USAgent, Warbird, Wolverine, and Zaran.

Trying to fight Taskmaster is like fighting over 40 superbeings at the same time. Anyone who challenges Taskmaster has their work cut out for themselves.