Warning: spoilers for Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1!
As far as superhero origins go, Iron Fist’s is pretty epic. After his parents were killed, a young Danny Rand was taken in by residents of the mystical city of K’un-Lun. He spent the next several years training to become an expert martial artist and was then granted the opportunity to gain the powers of the Iron Fist. To do this, Danny fought and killed a dragon with his bare hands. Defeating such a powerful beast is not a feat that many can claim, but Taskmaster just joined the dragon-slaying ranks in Marvel’s newest series.
Like Iron Fist, Taskmaster is one of Marvel’s most impressive hand-to-hand combatants. Thanks to his photographic reflexes, he can perfectly mimic another person’s movements just by watching them. This allows him to challenge many opponents who would otherwise be way out of his league. In fact, one of Taskmaster’s most recent accomplishments was taking down Hyperion, Marvel’s version of Superman, in a one-on-one fight. Clearly, there isn’t much this villain can’t do.
Taskmaster proves his mettle yet again in Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1 by writer Larry Hama and artist David Wachter. What’s supposed to be a simple expedition for Iron Fist and his friend Fooh quickly gets out of hand when they arrive in the Under City, which is under attack by undead ninjas. Iron Fist makes quick work of the invaders, but learns from some locals that Earth’s dragons are being targeted. The hero quickly makes his way to the city’s citadel but by the time he arrives, it’s too late. The Under City’s dragon lies dead at the feet of Taskmaster.
With the beast’s heart in his hand, Taskmaster pounces into battle, sending Iron Fist flying out of the building. The two engage in an intense brawl and, amid their scuffle, Taskmaster reveals that he has been hired by an undisclosed benefactor. The mercenary ends up getting enough of an upper hand in the battle to escape with the dragon’s heart. Realizing that there is much work to be done, Iron Fist and Fooh head back home to fend off more enemies.
While it makes sense that Taskmaster could kill a dragon, it’s still pretty shocking to see him standing over the creature’s corpse. What’s most impressive about this moment though, is that Taskmaster doesn’t seem to have any weapons with him when Iron Fist arrives. His gloves and boots are drenched in the dragon’s blood, but the villain’s iconic sword and shield are nowhere to be found. This points to the likelihood that, like Danny, Taskmaster was able to vanquish a dragon with nothing but his fists.
Considering how Taskmaster fled from his confrontation with Iron Fist, it’s quite possible that the villain will reappear in a later issue. Given that he just defeated a dragon and fought Iron Fist without using one of his hands, he will likely prove a major threat to the hero. At least Taskmaster won’t gain any chi-enhanced powers from this kill… right? Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.