Last Updated: March 10, 2020

The nefarious assassin and mercenary-for-hire, Taskmaster, will be making his MCU debut in the highly-anticipated prequel Black Widow, and from the looks of it, he’ll be equipped with skills and techniques that he’s borrowed from other Avengers. Disney and Marvel have dropped multiple trailers for the film, and in them, fans get a good look at Natasha’s previous family before her time with the Avengers. Viewers also see glimpses of the movie’s primary villain, and and some instances of Natasha coming to blows with the masked antagonist.

Taskmaster as a villain made his debut in The Avengers #195, back in May 1980. Tony Masters was born with a rare condition that scientists and psychiatrists named “photogenic reflexes,” which allowed him to duplicate the physical movements of anyone he witnesses. He briefly entertained the idea of using his abilities to fight crime, but decided to pursue a career as a professional criminal instead. He first used his unique skills to open a facility in which he trained average Joes to become professional criminals, but this outing brought him into conflict with the Avengers.

The Black Widow movie seems to be building a mystery around the identity of Taskmaster, as fans haven’t seen him (or her) yet without the mask. However, the classic villain has come to blows with different people in the trailers and TV spots that have been released so far, including both Black Widow and David Harbour’s Red Guardian. These trailers have also provided quick looks at the skills that Taskmaster has cultivated thus far, and it appears as if he’s been studying select heroes very closely.

Hawkeye

The very first Black Widow trailer shows what appears to be a car chase through the streets in which Taskmaster is hunting someone down. He rises from the top of an armored vehicle brandishing a bow and arrow, an obvious callback to the marksman Hawkeye and his impeccable skill with a bow. Clearly Taskmaster has had either access to video footage of Clint Barton, or may have had a run-in with the character at some point in the past.

Captain America

In the January teaser for Black Widow, fans got their first real look at the villain trading blows with Natasha, on what looks like a burning bridge, surrounded by smoldering vehicles. Aside from potentially being the aftermath of the car chase from the first trailer, this clip also provides a look at Taskmaster using his shield. The villain tosses it at Black Widow in a fashion that looks unmistakably reminiscent of Captain America’s shield throw form. Alongside this, the Super Bowl spot shows Taskmaster replicating another of Steve Rogers’ techniques: the classic shield kick flip.

Black Panther

Beyond Hawkeye and Cap, Taskmaster’s mimicry extends to the king of Wakanda. Users on Twitter noticed Taskmaster unsheathing finger-tip claws that are just like the ones used by T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther. There’s also promo art of a Taskmaster Funko pop figurine that displays the character with the same claws.

Black Widow

During Marvel Studios’ final trailer for Black Widow, Taskmaster is seen facing off with Red Guardian, and during the fight, he duplicates some of the fighting moves pulled off by Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Earlier in the trailer, he’s seen studying security footage of that same fight, showing just how easy it is for the villain to pick up skills. This means when he finally goes on-on-one with Nat, it’ll be like fighting her mirror image.

Iron Man

Near the end of Black Widow’s final trailer, something curious happens. Natasha and Taskmaster are engaged in aerial combat, then the villain is seen soaring forward through the air in the exact same form as Iron Man. Granted, Taskmaster’s abilities don’t extend to being able to build his own Iron Man suit, but he sure does seem to be mounting an aerial attack in the same way Tony Stark often did. Considering how public a hero Iron Man was, one assumes Taskmaster could’ve picked this skill up at just about any juncture Tony Stark was active. While the Taskmaster’s identity is still a mystery, one thing is for certain: whoever this is has to have intimate knowledge of not just the original roster of Avengers, but other characters within the wider MCU as well. This only spells more trouble for Natasha and her “family” in Black Widow.

More: Why Marvel’s Black Widow Movie Took So Long To Happen

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