This weekend, fans seated in Hall H during the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con got a very special Black Widow-related treat. In addition to having the main cast of the upcoming movie hit the stage during the presentation, the audience was also gifted the first ever look at footage from the blockbuster... which concluded with the big reveal that the film will feature the live-action debut of the villainous comic book character Taskmaster. Sadly that footage has not been officially released online, but the good news is that fans can now get their own peek at what to expect from the design of Marvel's next big antagonist.
This special early look comes to us courtesy of Andy Park, who has been a key part of the Visual Development team at Marvel Studios for nearly a decade now. He apparently did the concept art work for Cate Shortland's Black Widow movie, and via his Twitter account he has now showcased one of his pieces from the project. You can check out Taskmaster in his full glory in the embed below:
There is still a lot that we don't know about Taskmaster in Black Widow, including the identity of the actor playing the role, but it's hard to imagine any comic book fan being disappointed by this design. The mask isn't quite as skull-like as it is in the comics, but you can definitely see the slight influence of that look. Plus that shield and the hood look fantastic.
Taskmaster is a character who was created by David Michelinie and George Pérez back in 1980 when he fought the Earth's Mightiest Heroes in The Avengers #195. His real name is Tony Masters, and while he isn't really a superpowered individual his abilities are basically on that level. He possesses what are described as photographic reflexes, which means that he has the ability to identically mimic any physical action after watching for just a short amount of time. He is one of the most skilled fighters in all of Marvel Comics, as he can throw the style of any opponent right back in their faces (the one exception to this is Deadpool, as the Merc With The Mouth's brain is too fractured and chaotic to create patterns that can be mimicked).
This special ability was prominently featured in the Black Widow Comic-Con footage, even though his presence in the reel was pretty brief (he only shows up in the end as a big reveal). In the clip fans got to watch Scarlett Johansson's titular heroine go toe-to-toe with the villain, and Taskmaster successfully mirrored her every move.
Exactly how much we will learn about Taskmaster's role in the 24th Marvel Cinematic Universe feature between now and its release is a mystery, as it seems like the studio has told us as much about the cast as we're going to hear. In addition to the aforementioned Scarlett Johansson, the blockbuster is also going to feature David Harbour as Alexei a.k.a. The Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. With Black Widow not set for release until May 2020, we probably won't see a full trailer until late November at the earliest, and even then the footage may skimp on the Taskmaster action (let's not forget how Marvel loves to play things close to the chest).
We'll continue to have updates about Black Widow for you here on CinemaBlend as we get closer and closer to the movie's release, and to see what else is ahead for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, be sure to check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide.
