Entertainment

This 'Black Widow' Trailer Introduces Natasha's New Foe, The Taskmaster

by Mary Kate McGrath

A new Marvel universe enigma is about to enter the spotlight. On Monday, the final Black Widow trailer showed more of the villain Taskmaster, including new footage of the franchise's elusive antagonist. Black Widow will follow Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), as she revisits her past with fellow assassin, and sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). O-T Fagbenle, best known for his role in The Handmaid's Tale, will reportedly portray the villain Taskmaster, the mastermind behind "Red Room," a top-secret brainwashing and training program for women spies.

Black Widow is set to pick up after Captain America: Civil War, which forced Natasha to reconcile with her past. "Before I was an Avenger, I made mistakes," she says in the new trailer. "And a lot of enemies." Among those enemies will be the notorious Taskmaster, who has an entire army of Black Widows on his side.

The new villain is shaping up to be one of the most formidable opponents in the Marvel Universe. In the comics, Taskmaster's "photographic" reflexes mimic the fighting style of any opponent he observes, and can predict their movements with high-accuracy during a fight, as per IGN. As a result, he's both a talented martial artist and marksman, and his arsenal of weapons, including a shield, sword, and projectile weapons, make him almost impossible to defeat.

In the new Black Widow trailer, Taskmaster can be seen studying Natasha's past fights, which can't bode well for their inevitable confrontation. Even worse, Taskmaster is best known for teaching other villains to fight, and will be assisted throughout the film by his Red Room trainees. During the trailer, Yelena described the training style of the Red Room, saying of the women: "They're manipulated. Fully conscious but no choices."

Fans on Twitter also noticed that Taskmaster seems to have already learned the fighting styles of Natasha's fellow Avengers. In the new trailer, Taskmaster is seen wielding a shield like Captain America, a Hawkeye-like bow, and even breaking out some Black Panther claws.

Fans will have to wait for Black Widow to premiere on May 1 to learn more about the villainous Taskmaster, as well as Yelena and Natasha's plan to take him down and close the Red Room. Though given the recent delayed release of No Time To Die, it's possible Marvel could change Black Widow's release date, making fans wait even longer for the solo movie they've been waiting a decade for.