Not many people other than real comic book lovers know who Taskmaster is. On first impression one may think that the high-school prop department got raided and is being used for his super suits by the multiple different costume designs Taskmaster has been seen using.
Taskmasters super powers are pretty cool, he has “photographic reflexes,” or in more scientific terms, a “magic plot device brain.” Any physical skill he sees someone else do, he can instantly copy. Which means not only is he as capable as any athlete he’s ever seen, but is just as capable as any foe that he faces making him a challenge for anyone in his way. You think this is a pretty cool super power right? Ditto.
While this may seem like one of the best super powers, there is quite the set back that comes with it. While every new skill that Taskmaster acquires, he loses a previous memory that he has had. As a professional mercenary, Taskmaster goes through quite a few skills, and so nearly everything about his old life is now lost to him. It’s later revealed that his wife, whom he no longer remembers, has been quietly keeping tabs on him from afar, organizing his affairs and watching over him while he wanders through life in his amnesiac state. Taskmaster even meets a girl who is probably his daughter, but he’s unable to tell her so for sure, or even that he’ll remember her after they meet. There is an impressive amount of a background story put behind Taskmaster, being the B-list supervillain that he is.
Here is some more information:
The character first appeared in The Avengers vol. 1 #195 (May 1980)
In Taskmaster vol. 2 #3 (2011), the character was revealed to be a sleeper agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. planted by Nick Fury to gather intelligence in the criminal underworld.
Taskmaster is featured as a playable character in the crossover fighting games Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
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