Black Widow may have to defeat every Avenger to takedown Taskmaster
We got a much better look at Taskmaster in the latest Black Widow trailer and what we did see fills me with optimism. Taskmaster has appeared in Marvel comics, cartoons and video games but this will be his first live action appearance in a film. For those who don’t know Taskmaster has an ability to absorb knowledge instantaneously. This is linked to his muscle memory and thus allows him to mimic the movement of any person he sees.
How does this work in practice? Well as the trailer shows he is seen wielding a shield which he uses to not only stop a barrage of bullets but also throws it like a certain Captain America. Taskmaster is then seen watching footage of Black Widow which one can assume is where he gets his hand-to-hand combat skills from (the first trailer saw him and Black Widow briefly fighting to a standstill, unable to best each other). We also see Taskmaster using a bow and arrow, the weapon of choice for the Avenger Natasha Romanoff is closest to Hawkeye.
Finally, when facing off against The Red Guardian in the trailer he is even seen using sharp retractable claws from his fingertips in what appears to be a nod to Black Panther. We only get to see moves from these Avengers in the trailer, but the possibilities are endless and the potential is there for Taskmaster to have studied others and be a prohibitively difficult opponent to beat. Who is Taskmaster? An introduction to the main antagonist starring opposite Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.
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As great as the Marvel films have been received by the masses (they do get most things right) it can be argued that the villains in their films haven’t been great overall. I mean sure Thanos and Loki (before his transition to antihero) were both excellent and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger had a backstory that actually had some viewers rooting for him but, for the most part, the villains have been thoroughly overshadowed by the heroes.
Despite a rich catalogue of characters to choose from villains like Obadiah Stane (Iron Man), Ronan the Accusor (Guardians of the Galaxy), Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3), Malekith (Thor the Dark World), Yellow Jacket (Ant-Man) and Kaecilius (Dr. Strange) have been underwhelming. Even a villain as iconic as The Red Skull wasn’t done justice, relegated to a bit part role as the guide to the Soul Stone in the Infinity Saga after a promising yet unfulfilling debut showing in Captain America The First Avenger.
With the final Black Widow trailer (which you can see here) out and the film less than 2 months away from release now is a good time to introduce you to the villain starring opposite Black Widow, a character with a unique set of skills that should make him at the very least fun to watch and a formidable foe.
We got a much better look at Taskmaster in the latest Black Widow trailer and what we did see fills me with optimism. Taskmaster has appeared in Marvel comics, cartoons and video games but this will be his first live action appearance in a film. For those who don’t know Taskmaster has an ability to absorb knowledge instantaneously. This is linked to his muscle memory and thus allows him to mimic the movement of any person he sees.
How does this work in practice? Well as the trailer shows he is seen wielding a shield which he uses to not only stop a barrage of bullets but also throws it like a certain Captain America. Taskmaster is then seen watching footage of Black Widow which one can assume is where he gets his hand-to-hand combat skills from (the first trailer saw him and Black Widow briefly fighting to a standstill, unable to best each other). We also see Taskmaster using a bow and arrow, the weapon of choice for the Avenger Natasha Romanoff is closest to Hawkeye.
Finally, when facing off against The Red Guardian in the trailer he is even seen using sharp retractable claws from his fingertips in what appears to be a nod to Black Panther. We only get to see moves from these Avengers in the trailer but the possibilities are endless, and the potential is there for Taskmaster to have studied others and be a prohibitively difficult opponent to beat.
If (as the trailer alludes to) Taskmaster has gained the ability to mimic the proficiency of many of Black Widow’s own team it would be akin to her going up against multiple Avengers at once which, as past movies have shown, is a tall task for a whole team of villains. How will Black Widow overcome such daunting odds? We won’t have long to find out, Black Widow is in cinemas 1st May
