Since debuting in 1980's Avengers #195, the Taskmaster has grown from a generic villain into one of the most interesting figures in all of Marvel Comics. With a mysterious past, interesting powers, and an equally heroic and villainous track record, Taskmaster has never been an easy character for even the most die-hard comic fans to explain.
The character made their live-action debut in Black Widow, and the film reimagined the character quite a bit. Taskmaster from the comics, however, has a long and complicated backstory, full of contradictions, casualties, and conundrums.
Taskmaster's Main Power Is Having Photographic Reflexes
As established in his first appearance, Taskmaster's primary power is his "photographic reflexes," which allow him to instantly memorize and replicate any physical movements he has seen performed, no matter how complex, and even if observed only briefly.
This ability transcends beyond what he is able to physically, in-person witness, with Taskmaster also capable of reviewing and retaining video footage to the same effect. Having studied the signature moves and fighting styles of a plethora of Marvel's heroes, Taskmaster boasts a fighting prowess that includes exact duplications of the hand-to-hand arsenals of Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Fist, and many more.
His Powers Cause Amnesia
While his powers have allowed him to amass a vast and instantly recallable catalog of fighting styles collected from various Marvel heroes and villains, Taskmaster's unique abilities are a double-edged sword. As he continues to accumulate abilities to add to his arsenal, his personal memories have slowly become erased in the process.
With each new fighting style he logs for future replication, Taskmaster forgets another piece of his past, which at this point includes most of his life before becoming a costumed mercenary, including his original identity, given name, and family.
He Was A Former SHIELD Agent
While Taskmaster remained a mostly enigmatic antagonist for over 30 years following his debut, his 2010 self-titled mini-series finally began to shed some light upon his mysterious backstory. As it was revealed, the man who would become Taskmaster was originally an agent of SHIELD named Tony Masters, who was recruited due to his natural gifts of eidetic memory and physical action replication.
At the time, this ability was not yet immediate, and Tony had to spend time studying the moves of others before being able to perform them himself. During the course of one particular mission, however, Masters would consume an experimental serum resulting in an increase in his brain's ability to process and retain information, turning his retention instantaneous. As the side-effects of this upgrade gradually erased his personal memories, Tony would eventually completely forget his time as a SHIELD Agent, ironically going on to battle against the organization on numerous occasions.
He's Both A Hero and Villain
Throughout his mercenary career, Taskmaster has typically always followed the money. To this end, he has participated in training and team-ups with both heroes and villains alike, always entirely dependant upon what suits his immediate interests. In his earliest appearances, Taskmaster ran a secret school for henchmen, training operatives for terrorist groups such as Hydra and AIM, and coming into conflict with heroes such as Captain America and The Avengers.
More recently, he was pardoned and recruited to train the young super-powered recruits at Camp Hammond, better known as the Avengers Academy. As an instructor at the school, Taskmaster fought alongside Marvel's heroes in multiple campaigns but didn't hesitate to change allegiances when the next lucrative opportunity presented itself, unflinchingly betraying the heroes who had taken him in.
He Helped Train US Agent
When the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, abandoned the iconic role due to increased pressures to operate on behalf of a government he didn't agree with, the United States Commission on Superhuman Activities quickly sought to replace him with a more agreeable agent. When decorated soldier John Walker was selected to inherit the role, it was clear that he would need extra training in order to handle the associated expectations.
In a typical bureaucratic fashion, the Commission sought to hire the best possible combat instructor for the price, regardless of any sordid past they may have. Knowing that he already possessed an exact, photographic knowledge of the fighting style of the original, the CSA hired Taskmaster to train Walker in the optimal use of Captain America's legendary shield. Walker would serve as Captain America for a time, before becoming the US Agent, but his heroic career would have never succeeded if not for Taskmaster's initial training.
The Taskmaster Was Married
As a side effect of his abilities, Taskmaster has forgotten most of the details of his past before donning his current identity, including his previous interpersonal relationships. In his past life as an agent of SHIELD, however, Tony Masters once frequently executed missions alongside Agent Mercedes Merced; his then-wife.
When Masters' powers began to overwrite his personal memories, Agent Merced took on the role of his mysterious "handler," assigning him his early mercenary missions while secretly taking notes on his predicament for SHIELD intel. Despite being reminded of his past married life during subsequent interactions with Merced, Taskmaster is cursed to always inevitably forget the life they once shared.
He Might Have A Child
While operating as an instructor at The Avengers Academy, Taskmaster serendipitously became responsible for the training of a student who possessed his exact "photographic reflex" abilities. Jeanne Foucault was a young superhero in training from a broken home, where she had been exploited by her mother for her natural ability to replicate any actions she had seen, given enough time to study.
Having never known her biological father, and considering the similarity of their powers, Jeanne would eventually approach her teacher with the possibility that he may have been her paternal progenitor. Aware of the massive gaps in his own memory, including how many women he may or may not have been intimate with, Taskmaster came to entertain the possibility that Foucault may indeed be his biological daughter, though this has never been officially confirmed.
Meaning Of The Mask
Throughout each of his depictions, including occasional modifications to his attire, Taskmaster has consistently worn his immediately recognizable skull-faced mask. While useful for its intimidating appearance, this iconic piece of uniform actually carries significant meaning for Tony Masters, even if he likely doesn't remember it specifically.
After deciding to make his way as a trainer of mercenaries and miscreants, one of Taskmaster's first clients was the Mexican criminal cartel leader, Don of the Dead. In an effort to show solidarity with Don and his associates, Taskmaster would adopt the skull-faced mask that he uses to this day, an homage to the Santa Muerte, a Catholic personification of the entity Death.
He Can't Copy Everybody
With his ability to replicate the movements of any person he's ever encountered, Taskmaster has a well-established history of using the fighting styles of Marvel's own heroes against them. There have been a few instances, however, in which he was unable to adequately utilize this ability.
First depicted during a confrontation with the robotic Avenger, Jocasta, Taskmaster has been shown to be unable to mimic the movements of synthetic beings, as their lack of predictable human movement offsets his ability to immediately emulate. As depicted in later stories, Taskmaster is also unable to copy the moves of Deadpool, due entirely to Wade Wilson's unpredictable and erratic behavior and lack of any consistent fighting style.
He Has Some Surprising Friends
Despite mostly engaging his conflicts solo, and his sense of self-preservation justifying his frequent betrayals of would-be allies, Taskmaster is not opposed to a team-up, partnership, or true friendship from time to time. Following his first altercation with Deadpool, he would become a frequent associate of the fledgling mercenary group, Agency X, building a begrudging but mutually respectful working relationship with Deadpool and his duplicate Alex Hayden, while also romancing agency receptionist Sandi Brandenberg.
As an instructor at the Avengers Academy, he frequently compared stories with his colleague and fellow "reformed" villain turned teacher Constrictor, building a casual workplace friendship. More recently, Taskmaster has been depicted as having a close camaraderie with Eric O'Grady, otherwise known as the Pym Particle empowered villain Black Ant, even going so far as to doublecross an employer on his behalf, eschewing a guaranteed payday to protect the safety of his friend.