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"Years for you, seconds for me."
- Taskmaster to Iron Fist in "Why I Hate Gym".


[[File:|250px|Taskmaster]]
Biographical information
Real name

Tony Masters

Alternative name(s)

Taskmaster
Coach Yaeger[1]
Loser
Tasky

Physical description
Species

Human

Gender

Male

Personal information
Affiliation

S.H.I.E.L.D. (formerly)
Kraven the Hunter
Crime Master (formerly)
Thunderbolts (formerly)

Powers

Maximum Human Con

Equipment

Laser Sword, Shield, Dual Blaster Pistols, Bow and Arrows,

Profession

Super-Villains

Position

Leader and Founder Member of the Thunderbolts

Production details
First appearance

Why I Hate the Gym

Last appearance

Contest of Champions: Part 1 (cameo)

Voiced by

Clancy Brown

GALLERY

Taskmaster (real name Tony Masters) is a super-villain. He has the uncanny ability to copy the abilities of his opponents by memorizing them at a fast rate.[1] He is a Minor Antagonist in Seasons 1 and 2, and the Main Antagonist of the first half of Season 3: Web-Warriors.

Physical appearance[]

Coach yaeger

Posing as Coach Yaeger.

Taskmaster has a muscular build, yet doesn't show his actual appearance and hides it behind a skeleton mask with yellow eyes. He wears several prosthetic masks behind to cover his secret identity. He wears a black suit, with white gloves, boots and a white cape with a hood. He wears several belts on him to carry his equipment.[1]

As "Coach Yaeger," he wears a mask with brown hair and wears usual gym clothes, which consists of a sweatshirt, short black pants, black shoes, and a white sweat headband and armband.[1]

Personality[]

Taskmaster is a tactical genius at studying people and can solve mathematical problems in seconds, even predicting the next move of the enemy. He is strict towards others and intimidates them. He also appears to be very sarcastic. He is a master at copying others abilities and his focus is unmatchable, making him a formidable opponent in combat.[1]

History[]

Early life[]

At some point, Taskmaster joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and took training from them and acquired equipment. He then was betrayed by Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. From that point, he decided to someday take revenge on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.[1]

Season 1[]

Taskmaster was hired by Otto Octavius to capture Spider-Man. He infiltrated Midtown High School under the guise as "Coach Yaeger" since he had purposely injured the original coach. Taskmaster used deductive reasoning to come to the idea that Spider-Man was one of the boys who passed his fitness exam, telling some of them to report back to school the next day. Taskmaster then subdued Phil Coulson to use Coulson's access to activate the school's S.H.I.E.L.D. security system. While trying to see if Harry Osborn and Flash Thompson will turn into Spider-Man, he captures Harry yet Flash escapes, making Taskmaster assume the latter over the former as the web-slinger. Taskmaster then fights Spider-Man and White Tiger, he beating the two young superheroes through the stealing of their abilities. When the two lured him into a dark room and swapped abilities, he was finally defeated. After realizing that Spider-Man and Flash were actually two different people, he escaped and left his fake "Yaeger" mask behind. He then reported back to Octavius about the school being a "dead end."[1]

Season 2[]

At some point, Taskmaster set up a training camp for his Acolytes, an elite force that he personally trained. He then met Deadpool and managed to steal Deadpool's stolen list that contained the secret identities of superheroes. When Spider-Man and Deadpool go after "Agent MacGuffin" for having stolen encrypted information about the secret identities of every superhero, they travel to Taskmaster's training camp and are attacked by his Acolytes, but his Acolytes are defeated and a missile is destroyed. At his training compound, Taskmaster encounters Spider-Man and then Deadpool. Unable to copy Deadpool's moves, Taskmaster's attacks are to no avail due to Deadpool's unpredictable fighting style. Spider-Man then manages to web up Taskmaster as it turns out that Taskmaster actually stole the S.H.I.E.L.D. list from Deadpool who planned to sell it for money and made up the "Agent MacGuffin" scenario.[2]

Season 3[]

Taskmaster appears to take the role as the main antagonist of the first half of Season 3, as he is gathering other super-powered teenagers for his own purposes.

"Web-Warriors" story arc, Taskmaster strives to recruit fledgling young superheroes for his sinister purposes which brings him regularly into conflict with Spider-Man.

In the episode Agent Venom, Taskmaster enlists Beetle into helping him get the last piece of the Venom symbiote where they end up fighting Spider-Man and Agent Venom. Beetle is defeated by Spider-Man and Agent Venom, but Taskmaster escapes. Taskmaster is later seen having hacked into the S.H.I.E.L.D. computer showing the different young heroes.

In the episode Cloak and Dagger, Taskmaster is shown to have Cloak and Dagger on his side. Taskmaster lied to Cloak and Dagger that no one can be trusted.

In the episode The Next Iron Spider, Taskmaster attempts to steal the Iron Spider Armor with Amadeus Cho still inside it, but Spider-Man assists him and saves innocents. Taskmaster uses a nanobot to hack the armor which causes Amadeus Cho to fight Spider-Man uncontrollably. Amadeus Cho manages to fix it, but Taskmaster gets away and the nanobot nearly causes the Iron Spider armor to explode (Spider-Man managed to remove the nanobot and Amadeus Cho resolves the virus).

In the episode The Vulture, Taskmaster steals signals Doctor Octopus's files. He later calls Vulture to the rooftop he's on by using his first name and offers to help Vulture learn his true identity.

In the episode The Savage Spider-Man, Taskmaster teams up with Kraven the Hunter to capture Zabu so that he can get Ka-Zar on his side. After Spider-Man is hit with a dart with a special poison that transforms him into the Man-Spider, Taskmaster, and Kraven the Hunter escape with Zabu's cage. After Spider-Man is restored to normal, he, Ka-Zar, and Wolverine pursue Taskmaster and Kraven the Hunter to Manhattan. While Spider-Man fights Kraven the Hunter, Ka-Zar fights Taskmaster until Wolverine catches up and tackles Taskmaster into the river. Taskmaster manages to get away.

In the episode, New Warriors, Cloak and Dagger and Vulture end up being members of Taskmaster's own team called the Thunderbolts. Taskmaster and his team attack the Tri-Carrier and is revealed to be working with Green Goblin. He tricks Agent Venom and Amadeus Cho into freeing Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Beetle, and Scorpion. When Vulture sees Doctor Octopus, Taskmaster tells him to wait and that he will get his chance for payback. When Cloak teleports Green Goblin to the armory, Taskmaster is told by Green Goblin that he has some technology stored there. When Doctor Octopus, Beetle, and Scorpion take off in a Quinjet, Taskmaster allows Vulture to cause the Wuinjet to crash onto the Tri-Carrier. After Cloak is saved by Spider-Man from the Tri-Carrier's engines after Taskmaster refuses to he and Dagger learn that Taskmaster cannot be trusted, they leave the Thunderbolts and join the New Warriors while Vulture remains a member of Taskmaster's team. Spider-Man and his New Warriors defeat Taskmaster, Doctor Octopus, Beetle, and Scorpion while Vulture and Green Goblin (who just obtained the Siege Perilous) escape from the Tri-Carrier.

Taskmaster later makes a non-voiced cameo appearance in "Contest of Champions" (Pt. 1) as one of the Grandmaster's many collected villains for the contest against Spider-Man and the Collector.

Relationships[]

Friends and Allies[]

Enemies[]

Powers & Abilities[]

  • Maximum Human Conditioning: Through special dieting plans, rigorous training, meditation techniques, and exercise regimes, he had developed that strength, speed, metabolism, stamina, longevity, reflexes, & agility that are at the near the limits of superhuman capabilities.
    • Nigh-Superhuman Strength: He has the strength to physically combat and overpower beings like Spider-Man & Nick Fury, both who are metahumans.
    • Nigh-Superhuman Speed: He has shown the speed to quickly react and dodge attacks from being who is faster than himself. He also runs much quicker than Olympic level athletes.
    • Nigh-Superhuman Acrobatics: He has shown extremely remarkable acrobatic prowess that is seemingly superhuman.
    • Nigh-Superhuman Endurance: He is also more resilient to physical & mental trauma than normal people. He takes hits from Spider-Man's superhuman strength and is always still standing. His stamina as also at the peak of human potential.
    • Nigh-Superhuman Metabolism: His naturally-enhanced metabolism allows him to heal much better than normal people & much more rapidly than normal humans. It makes him much more resilient to pain, age, and fatigue than normal humans.
  • Genius-Level Intellect: Due to his superhuman mental faculties, he has the intellect that possibly rivals the likes of Amadeus Cho. He is also a highly skilled tactician, strategist, and manipulator.
    • Photographic Memory: He has the uncanny power to instantly replicate various fighting styles, just by observation. He also cannot forget anything he hears or sees for the rest of his life.
    • Accelerated Combat Perception: He can foresee his opponent's next move before they do, thus allowing him to quickly come up with a counter attack before they even attack. He does this by analyzing their fighting styles and reading their muscles. However, for beings like Deadpool, he cannot predict their attacks, due to their unpredictability.
  • Martial Arts Grandmaster: Through observation of high-speed combat skills & various martial artist in action. He has become a martial arts grandmaster and is an unmatchable opponent. Despite him being a near-superhuman being, he is far more capable of combat than the likes of various super-soldiers or superhumans. Taskmaster, through combat or watching them, can copy the fighting styles of people, he copied the abilities of the following people: Iron Fist, Spider-Man, and White Tiger. He is always watching Kung-Fu movies in fast forward, so as to learn new fighting styles and combine various fighting styles to perform advanced combat techniques.

Equipments[]

Taskmaster's sword

Taskmaster wielding his sword.

  • Military Protocols: Through his S.H.I.E.L.D. training, he is extremely skilled in various military protocols & even leads his own militia with ease. He even led the Thunderbolts, who were very disciplined.
  • Marksmanship: He is also an expert marksman & makes use of conventional weaponry with an accelerated perception of his targets.
  • Resources: Taskmaster has access to an arsenal of resources, finances, gadgetry, and advanced technologies.
  • High-tech Suit: He wears a special suit, which is possibly bulletproof and highly durable, light, and flexible.
    • Onboard Computer: His suit has an onboard computer, which he uses to hack into various security systems.
    • Boot Jets: Taskmaster is seen to be using boot jets to escape from tight situations.
    • Enhanced Durability: The suit has armor plating, which protects him from most physical attacks and possibly ballistic attacks.
    • Gadgetry: He has seen wielding an arsenal of advanced gadgetry to suit his needs in combat.
      • Sword: Taskmaster uses a sword which allows him to make close combat with any opponent[1]
      • S.H.I.E.L.D. Gun: Taskmaster uses a plasma pulse gun from S.H.I.E.L.D. which serves him as his firepower against his enemies. It was destroyed by Spider-Man by clogging the gun's power until it overloaded which exploded at his face.[1]
      • Laser Sword: Taskmaster has a laser sword as his weapon of choice.
      • Shield: Taskmaster has a new shield.
      • Dual Blaster Pistols: Taskmaster uses two blasters that fire orange lasers.
      • Laser Dagger: Taskmaster can use a dagger able to cut Spider-Man's webs.

Appearances[]

Episode
 Season   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Total
Season 1 c 2
Season 2 1
Season 3 c c 8
Season 4 0
Overall 11
Infinite Comics
 Year   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total
2015 c c 3
2016 0
Overall 3

c - cameo

Background in other media[]

  • This is Taskmaster's fifth other media appearance and first animated appearance before his future second appearance is Avengers Assemble.
    • Due to Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spider-Man TV series being in the same universe, this the first shared animated universe series appearance of Taskmaster.
  • In the comics, Taskmaster has often partnered up with Deadpool.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Why I Hate the Gym". Man of Action & Joe Fallon(writer), Jeff Allen & Gary Hartle (director). Ultimate Spider-Man. Disney XD. 29 April, 2012. No.6, season one.
  2. 216

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