After a long absence on the big screen, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally back in the room with Black Widow, the film dedicated to the Black Widow, chronologically placed between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. A film that has also arrived on Disney +, via VIP access, which allows us to see the late Natasha Romanoff in action, who finds herself facing her past by clashing with the infamous Red Room and her most fearsome fighter, Taskmaster . As we told you in our preview, in fact, in Black Widow the lethal Avenger will have to clash with this dangerous opponent, capable of replicating the moves of any antagonist simply by observing him. A skill that prompted us to identify all the Avengers moves used by Taskmaster.
A decidedly unique gift, that of Taskmaster, which is borrowed from his paper counterpart, Tony Masters, a mercenary who, thanks to the intake of a variant of the super-soldier serum, acquires photogenic reflections, which allow him to learn and replicate movements and fighting styles of different fighters, simply by observing them. In Black Widow, Taskmaster is rewritten in its genesis to be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its distinctive trait remains unchanged, becoming one of the most successful aspects of the film.
WARNING: the following contains spoilers about Black Widow
Captain America
Taskmaster's first display of photogenic reflections is revealed during a battle on a bridge against Natasha Romanoff, when we see him initially replicating Captain America's moves. Apparently, it is Steve Rogers who is his favorite point of reference, to the point that Taskmaster often shows himself with a shield as his main weapon, a skill that does not surprise readers of Marvel comics, mindful that this very ability and affinity with the Captain America's moves led to Taskmaster being hired to teach John Walker the Steve Rogers fighting style. Cap's style involves using the Shield mainly as a defensive tool, while Taskmaster does not mind turning it into an offensive weapon, as Natasha soon discovers. In Black Widow, we see Taskmaster mastering Captain America's fighting techniques perfectly, including the famous Shield kick recovery, also used by Sam Wilson in the final episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, and the backflip kick with which Cap has knocked out more than one opponent.
Black Widow
There is no greater challenge than facing yourself, as Natasha discovers during her first encounter with Taskmaster. It is in this confrontation that the ex-Avengers discovers the power of Taskmaster, when after attempting to knock him down with his traditional landing move with a double acrobatic grab, first seen in Iron Man 2, he is seen countering his characteristic taken and indeed she is surprised with a perfect replica that lands her. Impressive for viewers to witness a sequence of mirror-like moves pitting Natasha and Taskmaster against each other, one of Black Widow's most emotional moments.
Hawkeye
During the chase scene in Budapest, Natasha and Yelena are stopped by Taskmaster with an explosive arrow thrown under their car. A move that demonstrates how the assassin has mastered the fighting techniques of Clint 'HAwkeye' Barton, the Avengers archer who first appeared in Thor.
Black Panther
Not only Avengers, but other superheroes also helped form Taskmaster. In fact, in the clash with the Red Guardian, Taskmaster opens the dance with the typical gesture of T’Challa, seen for the first time in Captain America: Civil War. From the character played by the unforgettable Chadwick Boseman, Taskmaster learned quick and acrobatic moves that he immediately uses to counter the former Soviet super soldier, before moving on to the style of another character loved by fans of the MCU: Winter Soldier.
Winter Soldier
During the fight with Alexei Shostakov, Taskmaster proves that he has carefully studied the fight between Captain America and Bucky Barnes seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The use of the knife shown by the mercenary, in fact, is reminiscent of the one with which the Winter Soldier faced Cap in their first fight, to the point that Taskmaster also replicates the spectacular change of hand used by Bucky at that juncture.
Iron Man
While not a great fighter, Iron Man also seems to have taught Taskmaster something. In one of the final scenes, during a free fall flight, the mercenary manages to move among flying debris during a spectacular aerial chase with the Black Widow using Tony Stark's flight technique, with excellent command of movement and a landing. in speed which, although slowed down by the use of his sword, is reminiscent of those with which Tin Head distinguished himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
