Editing Taskmaster (character) (section)

{{Short description|Marvel Comics fictional character}}
{{other uses|Taskmaster (disambiguation){{!}}Taskmaster}}
{{Infobox comics character
| character_name = Taskmaster
| image          = [[File:Cover of Avengers-196.jpg|250px]]
| caption        = Taskmaster on the cover of ''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]'' #196 (June 1980).<br>Art by [[George Pérez]].
| real_name      = Anthony "Tony" Masters
| publisher      = [[Marvel Comics]]
| debut          = ''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]'' #195 (May 1980)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Misiroglu |first1=Gina Renée |last2=Eury |first2=Michael |title=The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood |date=2006 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=9780780809772 |url=https://archive.org/details/supervillainbook0000gina/page/358/mode/2up |language=en}}</ref>
| creators       = {{plainlist|
* [[David Michelinie]]
* [[George Pérez]]
}}
| alliances      = {{plainlist|
* [[Advanced Idea Mechanics|A.I.M.]]
* [[Agency X]]
* [[Assassins Guild]]
* [[Cabal (comics)|Cabal]]
* [[Superhuman Restraint Unit|Cape-Killers]]
* [[Frightful Four]]
* [[Avengers: The Initiative|Initiative]]
* [[Secret Avengers]]
* [[Shadow Initiative]]
* [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]]
* [[Thunderbolts (comics)|Thunderbolts]]
}}
| aliases = {{plainlist|
* Tasky
* Contingency T
}}
| species = Human mutate
| powers         =
* Master assassin and tactician
* Master [[martial artist]] and hand-to-hand combatant
* Expert swordsman, marksman and archer
* [[Eidetic memory|Photographic]] reflexes
}}
'''Taskmaster''' ('''Anthony''' "'''Tony'''" '''Masters''') is a fictional character appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[Marvel Comics]]. Created by writer [[David Michelinie]] and artist [[George Pérez]], the character made his debut in ''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]'' #195 (May 1980).<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=370}}</ref> Possessing photographic reflexes that allow him to mimic any fighting style at the cost of his long and short-term memory, he has served as an adversary of  [[Marvel Universe]] [[superheroes]] such as [[Captain America]], [[Scott Lang|Ant-Man]], and [[Spider-Man]]. He is usually depicted as a [[mercenary]] hired by criminal organizations to act as a training instructor.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rovin |first=Jeff |title=[[The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains]] |date=1987 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=0-8160-1356-X |location=New York |pages=336–337 |authorlink=Jeff Rovin}}[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofsu0000rovi_h5r9/page/336/mode/2up]</ref> He is the biological father of [[Finesse (character)|Finesse]].

The character has been adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including several animated television series and video games. A female version of Taskmaster named '''[[Antonia Dreykov]]''' appears in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] films ''[[Black Widow (2021 film)|Black Widow]]'' (2021) and ''[[Thunderbolts*]]'' (2025), portrayed by [[Olga Kurylenko]].