History ComicBook / Taskmaster

-->Stewardess: "We're in trouble! The pilot and co-pilot are both out cold. Do you know how to land a 747?"
-->Taskmaster: "I've seen it done."
* ArchEnemy: To Scott Lang. Its not mutual though; Tasky doesn't even consider him a threat.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sometimes it usually depends on how incompetent his students are, what he's getting paid for, and how he wans to work them.

* TheFaceless: He never takes off his mask in-panel, whether others are around or not. When he is defeated and his mask is stolen in his own miniseries, we see him only in silhouette, and then from behind, before he retrieves his mask and makes sure the ones who took it aren't going to be telling anyone.

* ProfessionalKiller: Compared to Deapool, Bullseye, Lady Bullseye, Deathstrike, and even Wolverine he is the most professional assassin natch.

Taskmaster is a Creator/MarvelComics character. He first appeared in ''"[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]''" vol. 1 #195 (May, 1980), created by David Michelinie and George Pérez. He serves as a [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor sometimes hero, sometimes villain]] of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. His trademark is the ability to [[PowerCopying copy the movements, and, therefore, skills of those he watches]], which he calls "photographic reflexes". What's interesting about him as compared to other power mimics is that he doesn't copy the powers of those individuals he sees, only their mundane skills. One example of this is when he's [[ComicBook/TheAvengers working for the 50 State Initiative]] and copies the movement skills of ComicBook/SpiderMan for use in training the Scarlet Spiders.

** ''Black Widow''

* DittoFighter: He can mimic every move he does once, but he cannot replicate the strength of the opponent he's copied. So he can mimic Hulk's smash but not the sheer destructive power.

* IKnowMortalKombat: He is capable of doing this, as this is his power. Due to "photographic reflexes", he can perfectly emulate any humanly possible physical action he's seen someone else perform, both in person and on video. He once used GunFu on a bunch of guys and claims he learned it from a Creator/JetLi movie marathon he'd watched the previous night. He has even been known to watch kung-fu movies on fast-forward and temporarily use the styles he saw at the same increased speed. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: it also erases an equal portion of memory from his brain to make space for the new technique, i.e., his name or knowing that he has a wife.]]

* PhotographicMemory: So much so that there's been some debate on whether it makes him super-human, mutant, or just "gifted". Supposedly, learning new moves overwrites other memories. However, while the "Learning moves erases my memories" bit ''sounds'' believable, it's false. The human brain can store a virtually unlimited amount of information. Even Taskmaster's amnesia is portrayed unrealistically. In real life, there is a condition where people lack the ability to form new memories, or at least, long term memories. Because of this ''they have no concept of time''. A man who obtained the amnesia in, say, 1980, ''would always think it's 1980''. Yet, when Taskmaster's amnesia is shown, its effects are nowhere near as extensive as this.

Has nothing to do with the British comedy show [[Series/{{Taskmaster}} Taskmaster]], or the similarly-named Videogame ''VideoGame/TaskMaker''

Has nothing to do with the British comedy show [[Series/{{Taskmaster}} Task Master]]

%%* BadassNormal

%%* DittoFighter

%%* DrillSergeantNasty

%%* ProfessionalKiller

* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4''

Taskmaster is a Creator/MarvelComics character. He first appeared in ''"[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]''" vol. 1 #195 (May, 1980), created by David Michelinie and George Pérez. He serves as a [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor sometimes hero, sometimes villain]] of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. His trademark is the ability to [[PowerCopying copy the movements, and, therefore, skills of those he watches]], which he calls "photographic reflexes". What's interesting about him as compared to other power mimics is that he doesn't copy the powers of those individuals he sees, only their mundane skills. One example of this is when he's [[Comicbook/TheAvengers working for the 50 State Initiative]] and copies the movement skills of Comicbook/SpiderMan for use in training the Scarlet Spiders.

* ''Comicbook/CivilWar''
* ''Comicbook/DarkReign''
* ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}''

* ''Videogame/SpiderManPS4''

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: His ability to mimic the fighting style of anyone he encounters often leads to this, and he's been known to talk down to his opponents about how over matched they are while they fight. It gets him in trouble in ''All-New Wolverine'' while fighting Comicbook/{{X 23}}, as while he can certainly adapt to her ''moves'', he's so busy admonishing her on how hopeless it is for her that he completely forgets (or just plain didn't realize) that her claws aren't all in the same place as [[Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} Logan's]]...

* SuperStrength: Seems to exhibit a low level of this (despite ostensibly only being "peak human"), being able to generate enough force through a shield throw to temporarily short out ComicBook/IronMan's armour, knock giant characters off their feet despite being a dozen or so times smaller, casually punch a grown man several times his body-length through the air and hold his own against the superhumanly powerful Asgardians.

* EvilMentor: He's does it for a living, running schools for mercenaries to train them as either {{Elite Mook}}s or full-fledged super-villains, although some of his students (like U.S. Agent and the original Spider-Woman) eventually qualified as heroes. He occasionally turns into a TreacherousAdvisor, especially when working for the Red Skull (in one case sending the worst students to be "sparring partners" for his boss, which was a death sentence) but can be more efficient by-the-book on his own sometimes hiring other super-villains to form formal academies, like the time Anaconda worked for him as a calisthenics instructor.

* SuperSenses: Is capable of perceiving and reacting to the world around him at faster-than-human levels, allowing him to function consciously while using his double speed ability and to perceive bullets in flight and catch them with his hands or otherwise deflect them.

* DownerEnding: His miniseries ends with Mercedes successfully getting him to remember her... only for him to sacrifice those memories again to [[HeroicSacrifice save her from the villain of the story.]] The worst part is she implies this isn't even the first time this has happened and that he's remembered and forgotten her ''dozens of times.''

* EpicFail: '''ANYTIME''' when Taskmaster fights Deadpool, mainly due to the former's [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining inability to fully remember non-survival actions]] and the latter's ConfusionFu.
** Seems to be changing as of Deadpool vs. Punisher #4. By making use of Frank Castle's no-nonsense combat style, Tasky was decisively beating the hell out of Wade before Frank managed to save him, and he even put up a solid fight against both at once.

%%* TheFaceless

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor / PunchClockVillain: In short, Taskmaster seems to go with whichever side will make him the most reliable, most hassle-free money.

%%* IKnowMortalKombat

* ProfessionalKiller
* PunchClockVillain: So much that he can even be a PunchClockHero sometimes.

* VitriolicBestBuds: With SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}}.

[[quoteright:294:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taskmaster_v2-01_2727.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:294:''"Personally, I think we've done enough of the [[ColdBloodedTorture beating and torture]] and I'm ready to move straight to the [[OffWithHisHead beheading]]."'']]

** While fighting the [[ComicBook/{{X23}} new Wolverine]], he assumes that she has the same powers as her father. She uses this to her advantage when he makes him block a kick with his hand, only to pop her foot claws out while he's holding her foot.

* WildCard: Taskmaster will work for HYDRA one moment and ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} the next - his only loyalty is to the one paying him.
** Seemed to be changing when [[spoiler: despite MODOK's expectations, Taskmaster genuinely joined SHIELD's side, and seems to have liked Mockingbird.]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Since his debut, But particularly when written by GailSimone.

* IKnowMortalKombat