The trailer for Black Widow has been warmly received so far, with the only flies in the ointment being some criticism of Marvel Studios engaging in fat-shaming with David Harbour’s Red Guardian and disappointment with the bland Taskmaster costume. What we see in the trailer is a drab navy colored suit of armor, which looks like a paintball mask hiding the face – a far cry from the hood, armor, white cape and a creepy-as-hell skull mask we know from the comics. As such, this was quite the letdown for people who were hoping for something a bit more accurate.
But now it seems that what we see in the trailer may not be the full story. At CCXP this past weekend, Marvel Studios showed off a bit more Black Widow footage and among other things, it revealed that Red Guardian sees Captain America as his “geopolitical adversary,” that he and Melina have posed as a married couple on missions and that he’s just been released from prison. But we also get to see some new footage of Black Widow and Taskmaster throwing down, which someone who’s watched the footage describes as “with mask and now the hood.” That at least sounds a little more comic-accurate, right?
Still, Taskmaster’s identity remains a mystery. As of yet, no actor has been announced as playing the role, leading many to assume that it’ll be someone who we’ve already seen in disguise. My bet is that it’s secretly Rachel Weisz’s Melina, as the old ‘trusted mentor is secretly working against our heroes all along’ routine is always good for some drama. There’s also word that Marvel Studios may have cast O.T. Fagbenle for the role, as his part in Black Widow is yet to be revealed.
We’ll find out for certain when the film hits theaters on May 1st, 2020, though I bet we’ll get some hints as to what’s going on behind Taskmaster’s mask way before then.