Once Avengers: Endgame is out of the way, the MCU will be moving forward with some very exciting new projects. One of the most anticipated and longest overdue has got to be Black Widow, in which Scarlett Johansson’s iconic super-spy will finally get the limelight all to herself.
We’ve been hearing conflicting reports from Marvel Studios as to what the film will actually be about, with rumors that it would be set around the turn of the Millennium wide of the mark. With the pic looking to shoot in June though, we should know more very soon. But as of right now, we can at least confirm, thanks to our trusted source, that the main villain will be the Taskmaster (based on the Ultimate version), and that Marvel Studios want Moonlight star André Holland for the part.
For those unfamiliar with the Taskmaster, he’s probably one of the more high profile Marvel villains never to have made it to the big screen. His gimmick is that he has perfect muscle memory, meaning that all he needs to do to learn a fighting style is to watch someone using it. As such, the character is an expert swordsman, martial artist, marksman and athlete.
Over his time in the Marvel Universe, he’s observed and absorbed powers from all kinds of heroes, including Hawkeye’s skills with a bow, the Punisher’s firearms abilities and Daredevil’s athletic skill. Interestingly, the only hero he’s unable to mimic is Deadpool, as he’s so inherently unpredictable. It’s easy to imagine how Taskmaster would function as an adversary to the highly trained and skilled Black Widow, potentially matching her martial arts and weapons skills throughout the film and forcing her to adapt in new and imaginative ways.
It’d be great to see Holland take the part, too. The actor is on the ascendant of late, having turned heads in Moonlight, Selma and in the show Castle Rock. I’m sure we’ll be learning more about Black Widow very soon, but in the meantime, tell us, do you want to see Taskmaster as the villain? Sound off down below.
