SPOILERS FOR BLACK WIDOW AHEAD!

The Black Widow movie presented us with the villain Taskmaster, but she’s rather different in the comics! For starters, Antonia and actually Anthony, and is not related to Dreykov at all!

So who is the comic Taskmaster? Read on to find out!

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Name: Tony Masters

Superhero Name: Taskmaster

Created By: David Michelinie and George Perez

Played By: Olga Kurylenko

Powers: Absorbs knowledge instantly, photographic reflexes, martial artist, expert with various weapons

Mini Bio: Tony Masters first realised he could duplicate other people’s movements during childhood while watching a cowboy show on tv, when he managed to copy a complicated rope trick without any previous training. When tested by psychiatrist’s, Tony was told he had photographic reflexes, a form of photographic memory, meaning he could remember and copy anything he watched.

During his childhood, he used this power to become a star quarterback at his high school. After graduating, he considered fighting crime, but decided that being a professional criminal would earn him more money. To do this, Tony watched archive footage of various heroes and villains and used his skills to perform grand larceny. But, discovering how dangerous it was, he turned his sights to training aspiring criminals instead.

He was so successful, he opened several training academies across the United States, and wasn’t discovered for years. When he was, he held his own against Captain America and Iron Man, before managing to escape to Manhattan.

Since then, Taskmaster has fought the Avengers, and escaped, multiple times. He’s set up several academies, taken up mercenary work, trained multiple villains, and worked with the government to train US Agent.

First Comic Appearance: The Avengers issue 195 (May 1980)

Most Common Team Ups: A.I.M. and the Thunderbolts

Comic Recommendations: Taskmaster (June, 2002), Thunderbolts: Dark Reign (May 2009), Taskmaster (May 2021)