Anna Daniels
Taskmaster is one of the most mysterious villains in Marvel history, and having him/her in Black Widow is going to offer some stunning revelations. One of those is the identity of the character under the skull mask. Three different people might be Taskmaster under disguise: Yelena Belova, Melina Vostokoff, or even Hawkeye.
Most think it’ll be the equally mysterious Rick Mason (O.T. Fagbenle), a possible former boyfriend of Natasha Romanoff’s.
No matter who it is, there may be one thing certain: Natasha will have a major challenge fighting Taskmaster. One reason is there’s a new thought the villain might be mimicking the skills of each Avenger seen in the MCU so far.
The ‘Black Widow’ trailer has given hints at how skilled Taskmaster is
In the most recent trailer for Black Widow, a few scenes show Natasha fighting Taskmaster and not having an easy time of it. The character is already a formidable foe due to him having the ability to imitate anyone at first glance, including Natasha’s own moves.
Fans on Reddit recently took this to the extreme and almost a satirical level. One suggested if Taskmaster was able to buy all the Avengers movies on DVD in a boxed set, he could probably imitate every skill of those superheroes.
Maybe he really has, though the film would never get that meta. It isn’t to say they won’t show Taskmaster learning those skills online since the Avengers are mainstream heroes in the America of the MCU. Surreal as it’ll be to see this villain acquiring those skills through online videos, it makes sense within the realms of the modern world.
It all could mean a very dangerous situation for Natasha, outside of someone ultimately losing other than her.
Will Taskmaster acquire the skill of each Avenger?
Imagining the scenario of Taskmaster learning every fighting skill from each Avenger is truly chilling. If everyone thought Thanos was the most omniscient and all-powerful character in the entire Marvel world, having to battle one person with all the Avengers skills in one is arguably equally risky.
Then again, with Natasha training under Russia’s secret Red Room program in the KGB, she knows every fight skill in the book. She also likely recognizes those mimicked skills from her fellow Avengers.
Black Widow will probably have another epic battle of wits in addition to badass physicality. What the outcome will be, though, is being kept tightly under wraps. Would there be an epic reveal somehow that Natasha didn’t die at the end of Endgame? Perhaps she’ll find a truce with Taskmaster by the end.
By chance she unmasks Taskmaster at the end as her former lover Rick Mason, it might be a shock of an ending if she’s able to kill him off.
The battle with Taskmaster will probably set up more movies with Natasha Romanoff
At least it’s known Natasha doesn’t die in Black Widow since this is entirely flashback. Unless there’s some kind of major twist where she does die and Yelena manages to go under disguise as her fellow Black Widow sister.
Theories like that are better made for Reddit than in the mainstream media. Nevertheless, they fit into the basic inevitable structure of Black Widow, a franchise Marvel will likely want to continue based on audience response.
A more logical way to continue Natasha’s story is to have her survive her death in Endgame, even if initially known as a self-sacrifice to obtain the Soul Stone. Battling and defeating Taskmaster, however, would be the ultimate reveal on how tough Natasha really is, proving those without real superpowers can be equally as powerful.
Written by: Cheat
