Taskmaster

: "He watches everything and he can do it. He's a perfect mimic. And he fights just like all of your friends."
: ―Dreykov to Natasha Romanova[src]
Anthony "Tony" Masters (Russian: Энтони Мастерс) is the son of General Dreykov. Having been gravely injured during an assassination attempt on his father, Tony had his mind and body controlled by a chip, which imbued him with uncanny photographic reflexes that allow him to mimic the fighting techniques of other individuals, turning him into Taskmaster. Becoming the Red Room's commander, Taskmaster had been ordered by his father to track down Yelena Belova, who had taken their Red Dust and could free the other Black Widows. This put Taskmaster on a collision course with the person who nearly killed her years earlier, Natasha Romanova. However, once Romanoff had killed Dreykov and destroyed the Red Room Academy, Taskmaster became exposed to the Red Dust, freeing his mind from Dreykov's control and allowing him to then escape the Red Room in order to rebuild his life.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
==== Raised by General Dreykov ====
Tony Masters was born to General Dreykov, leader of the Red Room. Unlike many other young girls, whom Masters would encounter throughout his life, Tony was not forced to go through the Red Room Academy and be trained to become a skilled assassin and a member of the Black Widows. Instead, Tony was actually allowed to attend a school while living in Budapest, and maintained a close relationship with his father.
==== Budapest Operation ====
: "Dreykov's son. You killed her.""I had to. I needed her to lead me to Dreykov. Dreykov's daughter was collateral damage."
: ―Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff[src]
Following a day at school, Tony Masters had gone to visit his father at his office in Budapest, where he happily ran up the stairs to greet his father, who was still working at that moment. However, not long after he had arrived, a bomb was detonated in the office, causing a massive fireball, caused by Black Widow and Hawkeye, who were attempting to assassinate Dreykov.
Despite being right in the middle of the fireball, Tony and his father barely survived the explosion, with Tony's face becoming severely disfigured by the flames, much to his father's disgust. Believing his targets dead, Romanova was haunted by the apparent death of Tony for years. In order to save Tony's life and stop him agonizing pain from the damage that he had sustained, Masters had inserted a chip into the back of his neck, nulling his senses and giving Dreykov complete control of him.
==== Transformed into Taskmaster ====
: "When your bomb exploded, it nearly killed my Tony. I had to put a chip in the back of his neck. In the back of his neck. Look at him. You find it difficult to look at him? I do."
: ―Dreykov to Natasha Romanoff[src]
Having survived the bombing that Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton had arranged, Tony had his emotions and senses disrupted by the chip that Dreykov had inserted into his head. With his under his complete control, Dreykov put his son through the Red Room, where he discovered that he had a skill for mimicry, and could recreate his enemies' movements by simply studying them closely enough. Over the years, Tony would successfully complete his training at the Red Room Academy, becoming Dreykov's finest assassin.
However, as Dreykov remained disgusted by the burns covering his son's face, he had provided him with his suit, including a mask to hide his scars and identity, which also provided him with a HUD to assist with combat. Tony was given the code name of Taskmaster, becoming the head of the Black Widows, under Dreykov's command, who would only send him on the most important missions. To become the superior assassin, Taskmaster would watch footage of the Avengers in combat, studying their fighting styles, in order to mimic them in combat.
=== Red Room Assassin ===
==== Given Him Next Assignment ====
: "Smile."
: ―Lerato to Taskmaster[src]
Having learned that Yelena Belova had come across the Red Dust during a mission to assassinate Oksana, and had subsequently escaped with it, General Dreykov chose to recruit Taskmaster to get the Red Dust back. While Taskmaster had been preparing for his next mission by watching video footage of the fight between Hawkeye and Black Panther, he was interrupted by Lerato, who installed new information into Taskmaster's helmet about the mission.
==== Ambush on Natasha Romanoff ====
Taskmaster was deployed in Norway to intercept Natasha Romanoff's transportation of the Red Dust. Taskmaster first attacked the spy by blasting his vehicle off the road with an explosive projectile and proceeded to approach her, but raised his shield to deflect sudden gunfire, then hurled it at the spy and wedged it in his car window before the latter could shoot again in order to obscure his vision. He then retrieved his shield and flipped off of Romanoff's car while blocking more gunfire, until he decided to disarm him of his pistol with a kick.
After attempting to throw his shield at Romanoff again, the spy attempted to subdue him with his traditional head-scissor throw, but Taskmaster used the same technique against his, resulting in the both of them lying on the ground. Taskmaster kip-upped into a fighting position nearly identical to Romanoff, much to the latter's bewilderment.
As Taskmaster attempted to collect the Red Dust from the crashed car, Romanoff used a grappling hook to tie a wire around his leg, launching Taskmaster into the air. However, Taskmaster then proceeded to use his sword to cut himself free, leaping down behind Romanoff, just as he was attempting to take the Red Dust for himself. Although Romanoff was able to use the shield to defend himself, Taskmaster was able to kick his off the bridge, before discovering that the Red Dust had been taken.
==== Chase for the Red Dust ====
Taskmaster eventually managed to track down Natasha Romanova and Yelena Belova in Budapest, where he and his team of Black Widows ambushed them and began chasing them through the streets. With Romanoff and Belova using a motorbike to drive through the streets, Taskmaster chased them in an armored car, plowing through the other cars in an attempt to catch up. Eventually, Romanoff and Belova got away from Taskmaster, crashing their motorbike in the process.
With Romanoff and Belova managing to steal a car, Taskmaster continued to chase them down, as he managed to drive behind them, before getting out of the roof to get a better look. Taskmaster had then armed himself with his Bow and Arrows, as he used his HUD to line up the perfect shot, before shooting an explosive arrow underneath their car, which caused Romanoff and Belova to crash, rolling their car down a flight of stairs and into train station.
Taskmaster proceeded to get out of his armored car and followed his targets into the train station, witnessing them pulling themselves out of the crashed car and attempting to flee. As Taskmaster then observed Romanoff and Belova leaping down the stairway, he proceeded to launch his shield after them, which was thrown perfectly down the stairs, and barely missed his targets, becoming embedded in a support beam, while Taskmaster still continued to follow his targets.
Getting to the bottom of the stairs, Taskmaster had then lost sight of his targets, but observed a trail of blood, left behind by the wounded Belova. Taskmaster followed this blood trail, which led him to a manhole cover, which he assumed they had used to get away. Taskmaster then stepped through the manhole, and chased down Romanoff and Belova, only to discover that this had been a deception, and Romanoff and Belova had been able to find another way to escape from Taskmaster.
==== Capturing the Targets ====
Taskmaster was contacted by Melina Vostokoff, informing her that Natasha Romanova and Yelena Belova had come to his home to seek information against the Red Room, as well as attempting to learn Dreykov's location. Following Vostokoff's lead, Taskmaster led his team of agents into Vostkoff's home, where they found swiftly found and captured Red Guardian, who had been swiftly subdued with multiple tranquilizers being shot directly into his chest.
With Taskmaster arriving onboard his Aircraft, he stepped inside the home, where he discovered that Vostokoff had already managed to subdue both Romanoff and Belova, having taken them off guard and used his Widow's Bite to electrocute them both. Once Taskmaster entered, Vostokoff stepped forward, suggesting that they bring Romanoff, Belova and Red Guardian back to the Red Room Academy, where they could be interrogated and then executed by Dreykov.
==== Secrets Revealed ====
: "What? You want to make him feel better? You want to tell him you’re sorry? Well, you should have thought of that before you blew her face off."
: ―Dreykov to Natasha Romanoff[src]
Having successfully captured his targets, Taskmaster had taken them back to the Red Room Academy, where he put Red Guardian and Natasha Romanova into their cells. Taskmaster had then returned to General Dreykov's office, where he was greeted by Melina Vostokoff, as Taskmaster stood by while Dreykov and Vostokoff discussed what would happen to Yelena Belova, who was due to be killed during their experimentations on his mind controlling.
However, during the discussion, Taskmaster had then witnessed Dreykov removing the Photostatic Veil from Vostokoff, revealing her to actually be Romanoff in disguise, as part of her attempt to assassinate Dreykov. Although Taskmaster responded by immediately drawing his gun, he was ordered to stand down by Dreykov. Taskmaster then stood by, as Dreykov and Romanoff discussed his past, including the death of Romanova's mother, which Dreykov showed no sympathy for as he mocked him.
In response, Romanoff asked Dreykov if he felt anything when his son was seemingly killed when he and Clint Barton had bombed Dreykov's Office, unaware of his survival. As the result, Dreykov then turned to Taskmaster, and ordered him to remove her helmet, revealing her identity and horrifically scarred face to Romanoff, who was shocked at the revelation, while Dreykov explained how they were able to survive the explosion, and how she turned into the Red Room's most skilled assassin.
Seeing Romanoff's reaction to Taskmaster's identity, Dreykov had mocked him by asking if he intended to apologize to him, noting that it would not make him feel better. Dreykov had also admitted that he was disgusted by his son's burns, which was why he kept his identity hidden behind his helmet. Knowing that Red Guardian was working with Vostokoff and Belova to sabotage the Academy, Dreykov sent Taskmaster to assassinate them, as Taskmaster left Romanoff and Dreykov alone.
==== Battling Red Guardian ====
: "There's nothing for me to do, and I want to, I want to break something!""There's something you can break."
: ―Red Guardian and Melina Vostokoff[src]
Following the orders of Dreykov, Taskmaster went to confront Red Guardian and Melina Vostokoff, who had managed to get out of their cells, and were discussing the next step of their plan to bring down the Red Room Academy. While Vostokoff left them alone, Taskmaster faced Red Guardian, who got ready to fight, while Taskmaster drew his claws, based on Black Panther's designs, and they began to fight.
During their clash, Taskmaster threw his shield at Red Guardian, who managed to block it, before Taskmaster drew his knife and began slashing at him, using tactics copied from Winter Soldier. Despite Red Guardian's superior strength, Taskmaster was able use his tactics against him, throwing Red Guardian through a glass wall, before reclaiming his shield and continuing the fight, striking Red Guardian repeatedly, and throwing his shield at his back.
With Red Guardian struggling to get back onto his feet, Taskmaster walked up behind him and got him into an arm lock, before drawing a hidden blade from his suit, which he attempted to stab into the back of Red Guardian's neck. However, before he could deliver the final blow, Taskmaster was unexpectedly tackled by Vostokoff, who threw Taskmaster into one of the cells and locked him inside, leaving Taskmaster furiously punching at the protective glass, angered by the defeat.
==== Destruction of the Red Room ====
: "I'm not going to leave you here."
: ―Natasha Romanoff to Taskmaster[src]
Taskmaster was left inside his cell by Melina Vostokoff, as he witnessed the Red Room Academy beginning to fall out of the sky and explode. However, Taskmaster was eventually discovered by Natasha Romanoff, who told Taskmaster that he could not allow him to die in the academy, despite knowing that Taskmaster would attempt to kill her. Ignoring the way Taskmaster furiously punched at the protective glass, Romanoff opened the cell door and allowed him to walk free.
Taskmaster had then stepped out of her cell, and prepared to attack Romanoff, determined to finally get his revenge for the bombing that had scarred his face and destroyed his life. However, before Taskmaster could attack and kill Romanoff, an explosion caused the ceiling between them to collapse, which in turn destroyed the floor underneath Taskmaster, causing him to fall to the level below, while Romanoff was then able to make him escape from the exploding academy.
==== Freedom from Control ====
: "Is he gone?"
: ―Taskmaster to Black Widow[src]
With the Red Room Academy falling from the sky, Taskmaster eventually caught up with Natasha Romanoff, who had just saved Yelena Belova from falling to her death, as they both floated towards the ground with a parachute. Determined to kill Romanoff, Taskmaster had leapt off the academy, and dived towards her, armed with his sword, as Romanoff then let go of Belova as she prepared to fight against Taskmaster in midair, using some of the falling debris from the academy to attempt to slow his fall.
Taskmaster dived directly at Romanoff, causing them to smash through a falling glass wall while Romanoff punched at him and avoided his sword. As the pair grappled in midair, Romanoff was able to pull Taskmaster's parachute just in time, as the pair awkwardly crash landed on the ground. Getting back onto his feet, Taskmaster had then armed himself with his sword and prepared to kill Romanoff, as the pair grappled for control over the sword, with Romanoff managing to take it from Taskmaster.
Although Romanoff still refused to kill Taskmaster, dropping the sword on the ground, due to the guilt he felt for almost killing her in Budapest, Taskmaster remained determined and furiously grabbed Romanoff by the throat and attempting to strangle her. However, Romanoff was able to break free from Taskmaster's grip, and managed to get behind him, pressing buttons on Taskmaster's suit, which caused his helmet to come off, before Romanoff threw Taskmaster down to the ground.
However, before Taskmaster could strike at Romanoff again, Romanoff broke the final vial of Red Dust, causing the powder to hit Taskmaster in the face, freeing him from his mind control. Taskmaster then froze in mid-punch, staring in shock and amazement at Romanoff, having finally regained control of his mind again. Dropping to the ground, Tony reached out to Romanoff, questioning if Dreykov was dead, which Romanoff confirmed, as he had been killed in an earlier explosion.
With Dreykov dead and the Red Room destroyed, Tony was unsure what he would do next. They were then rejoined by the surviving members of the Widows, who had also been freed from Dreykov's mind control. Having been given the opportunity to build new lives for themselves, the Widows took Tony into their care, with Lerato helping Tony onto his feet, and bringing him onboard the plane they used to escape before the authorities had arrived.
== Personality ==
Prior to his injuries sustained in the Budapest Operation, not much is known of Tony's true personality. Once his father Dreykov subjected him to the Red Room, Tony was devoid of all personality and repurposed into what he saw as his "greatest weapon" during his brainwashing, carrying out orders with sharp proficiency. When freed from Dreykov's control, Tony begged Romanova to know if Dreykov was gone, showing he loathed being controlled by his own father.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "He can mimic anyone he's ever seen. It's like fighting a mirror."
: ―Yelena Belova to Natasha Romanoff[src]
* Photographic Reflexes: By viewing how another person fights, Taskmaster is able to perfectly replicate his or his fighting style and movements. He is able to retain this information and use previously replicated fighting styles against different opponents, and can virtually predict his enemies' attacks. Taskmaster has been shown to copy the fighting styles of Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Winter Soldier, and Spider-Man. While he can replicate a style, he cannot copy any innate powers, and he can still be hampered if he does not have access to the same equipment, such as his version of Captain America's shield. He also does not copy the dominant hands of the individuals, as Hawkeye and Black Widow are left-handed, while he is a right-handed archer. This ability is thanks to the electronic chip implanted in his neck, and is augmented by the HUD in his helmet.
* Enhanced Strength: Taskmaster also has artificially elevated strength from the chip in his neck, which allowed him to send Black Widow and Red Guardian back long distances with his strikes. He could also throw his shield with enough force for it to embed itself into metal beams.
==== Replicated Skills ====
Individual 	Image	Description
Captain America	 	Taskmaster copied Captain America's skill with his shield, even owning one himself. He can throw his shield with force and accuracy, and even stomp on it to make it return to his grip similar to what Rogers did after his fight in an elevator.
Black Widow 	 	Taskmaster copied Black Widow's agile martial arts techniques and gymnastic maneuvers, as he was seen watching footage of the Infiltration into Hammer Industries Headquarters.
Hawkeye 	 	Taskmaster copied Hawkeye's skill with a bow and arrow, as he was seen watching him fight Black Panther during the Clash of the Avengers.
Black Panther 	 	Taskmaster copied Black Panther's claw-based fighting style, as seen when he fought the Red Guardian.
Winter Soldier 	 	Taskmaster copied the Winter Soldier's knife-wielding skills, as seen when he fought the Red Guardian in a manner similar to the duel between the former and Captain America in Washington, D.C.. He even replicated his knife flip.
=== Abilities ===
* Master Martial Artist: Having studied and copied the fighting styles of most of the Avengers during their battle at the airport, primarily Black Widow, Captain America, and Black Panther, Taskmaster became an extremely skilled and formidable hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, surpassing all other Widows, making him one of the most dangerous and deadliest fighters on the planet. He was able to fight Black Widow twice, defeating her the first time, though was cured of his brainwashing during the second fight. He even defeated and almost killed the super-soldier Red Guardian. During his first duel with Black Widow, he effortlessly reversed the latter's head-scissor throw. While mimicking Black Panther, he utilized razor-sharp claws and his swiping techniques against Red Guardian.
* Shield Mastery: Having studied and copied the fighting style of Captain America, Taskmaster is highly skilled at using a shield in combat, and throwing it with deadly precision. He used his shield to deflect gunfire from Black Widow, and he was able to accurately throw it down an escalator to reach her. Against Red Guardian, he used the shield's blunt edges to strike him. Like Captain America, he can stomp on the shield's edge to flip it into his hands.
* Knife Mastery: Having studied and copied the fighting style of Winter Soldier, Taskmaster is highly skilled at using a knife in combat. This is seen during the fight against Red Guardian. He also attempted to stab Red Guardian with retractable blade in his gauntlet before being flung into a cell by Melina Vostokoff.
* Sword Mastery: Taskmaster is highly skilled at using a sword in combat, best demonstrated during both fights against Black Widow. He was able to cut a trick wire around his leg before it pulled him all the way up.
* Master Marksman: Having studied and copied the marksmanship of Hawkeye, Taskmaster is an extremely skilled marksman, with very accurate aim when using a bow, with additional features like an explosive device. He was able to overturn Romanova and Belova's vehicle by ricocheting an explosive arrow from the ground to underneath their vehicle. His skill extends to firearms, as he was later prepared to shoot Romanoff with his revolver until his father ordered him to stand down.
* Master Acrobat: Having studied and copied the gymnastic feats of Black Widow, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye, Taskmaster become an extremely skilled master gymnast, acrobat and aerialist, being able to perform highly acrobatic feats during fights. This can be seen in his fights against Black Widow and Red Guardian.
* Master Spy: Taskmaster is highly skilled in espionage, stealth, disguise, infiltration, and demolitions, surpassing all other Widows.
: "You just sent away the one thing that would stop me from killing you."
: ―Black Widow to Dreykov[src]
* Master Assassin: Serving as Dreykov's personal enforcer, Taskmaster is the best assassin in the Red Room, surpassing all other Widows. Therefore, Taskmaster would only be sent on the most important and dangerous missions, often being tasked to track and eliminate the defectors from the Red Room.
* Bilingualism: Taskmaster is fluent in his native Russian, and understands English.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
* Shield: Taskmaster carried a metallic circular shield similar to the one used by Captain America. The shield is retractable and magnetically attached to Taskmaster's gauntlets. The shield is made of a durable bulletproof material and shaped aerodynamically so that it can be thrown. Upon ambushing Natasha Romanoff to obtain the Red Dust, Taskmaster used his shield to block Romanoff's gunshots, before attempting to launch the shield at her. Taskmaster would later use the shield during his clash against Red Guardian, only to be defeated and have Red Guardian steal the shield.
* Sword: Taskmaster carried a collapsible single edged sword similar in appearance to a katana or ninjato sword. The sword is stored on the back compartment of the suit. Upon being tied up with Romanoff's grappling hook, Taskmaster drew his sword to cut himself free, before continuing to battle against Romanoff. Taskmaster would also use his sword, as he attempted to kill Romanoff following the destruction of the Red Room Academy, using it to slow his fall from the crashing base by grinding it through the debris. Upon landing on the ground, Taskmaster continued using the sword against Romanoff, until he was disarmed and had Red Dust thrown in his face, ending him brainwashing.
* Bow: Taskmaster carried a blue and orange foldable composite bow similar to the one used by Hawkeye, which was used to fire an explosive arrow to overturn Romanoff and Yelena Belova's vehicle. Taskmaster was able to use his helmet's HUD display to ensure that he would have the perfect shot with the bow.
** Explosive Arrows: Taskmaster carried explosive arrows like Hawkeye, which was used to overturn Romanoff and Belova's vehicle, managing to get the perfect shot under their car, causing it to crash.
* Chiappa Rhino: Taskmaster had this revolver holstered on his right thigh. Taskmaster drew this gun on Black Widow to protect Dreykov, only for Dreykov to order him to put it away, due to his knowledge that Black Widow would not actually be able to kill him.
* Combat Knife: Taskmaster carried a tanto style combat knife on him which was used during his fight against Red Guardian.
=== Other Equipment ===
* Suit: Taskmaster wore a hooded tactical armored suit when operating on missions. The helmet is retractable and can be removed by a button on the right gauntlet.
** HUD: Taskmaster's mask has a heads-up display which analyzes battlefield data. Using this HUD, Taskmaster was able to predict his opponents' movement patterns, which he used against Natasha Romanova during their first confrontation, allowing him to able to overpower Romanova with ease. Taskmaster would later use the HUD to assist with his aim while using his bow to shoot at Romanova and Yelena Belova's car, finding the perfect moment to shoot underneath the car and cause it to crash.
** Retractable Claws: Taskmaster's gloves contain retractable metal claws similar to those of Black Panther, which were used against Red Guardian.
** Retractable Gauntlet Blade: Taskmaster's left gauntlet contains a retractable blade similar to the ones used by Crossbones which was used in an attempt to kill Red Guardian. However, Melina Vostokoff managed to attack and entrap Taskmaster before he could kill Red Guardian with the blade.
=== Vehicles ===
* APC: To be added
== Facilities ==
* Masters' Budapest Office: To be added
* Red Room Academy: To be added
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Dreykov † - Father and Former Enthraller
=== Allies ===
* Black Widows - Former Colleagues
** Lerato - Caretaker
** Ingrid †
** Helen
** Agnesa
** Finnish Widow
* Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow † - Former Attempted Killer and Former Attempted Victim
* Melina Vostokoff - Former Enemy
* Thunderbolts - Teammates
** Yelena Belova - Former Enemy
** Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian - Former Enemy	
=== Enemies ===
* S.H.I.E.L.D.
** Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Attempted Killer
* Red Room - Former Colleagues
* Oksana † - Former Colleague
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, Anthony "Tony" Masters, better known as Taskmaster, was a mercenary hired as a training instructor by various criminal organizations such as HYDRA and A.I.M., who had the uncanny ability to mimic the fighting moves of his opponents.
** Some of the people he has copied include (but are not limited to) Ant-Man, Black Knight, Black Panther, Black Widow, Bullseye, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Elektra, Falcon, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Moon Knight, Punisher, Shang-Chi, Spider-Man, and U.S. Agent. He also trained U.S. Agent, Crossbones, and Red Skull.
* In the video game Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game, Taskmaster is a male, like his comics counterpart. He was a terrorist hired by Sin and King Cobra, who was brought into conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D. after stealing nuclear warheads from Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.. He became an adversary of Captain America before he was taken into custody.
* In a deleted scene from Black Widow, Taskmaster is seen being arrested by the United States Army, under the supervision of Thaddeus Ross.
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Taskmaster.
# ↑ Jump up to:1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Black Widow
# ↑ D23 Expo 2022: Marvel Studios' 'Thunderbolts’ Casting Announced
# ↑ The Avengers
# ↑ Captain America: The Winter Soldier - The Official Game
# ↑ Black Widow Writer Eric Pearson on Budapest, Taskmaster, and Post-Credits Scene (Exclusive)
== External Links ==
* Taskmaster on Marvel Database
* Taskmaster on Wikipedia
* Taskmaster on Marvel Website