Post by oldskooljordan on May 11, 2006 15:33:54 GMT -5
Name: Unknown
Alias: Taskmaster
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Side: Neutral (Mercenary)
Appearance: How do I post an image?
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Mutation/Powers:
Taskmaster possesses an ability he refers to as "photographic reflexes," which enables him to watch another person's physical movements and duplicate them without practice, no matter how complex. This ability appears to be an innate talent; Taskmaster is not considered a mutant and is not known to have gained superhuman powers from any other source. His ability is limited only by the fact that he does not have superhuman strength or other superhuman attributes. However, he is a naturally gifted athlete who has trained himself to superb physical condition.
Taskmaster's power to duplicate the abilities of others is purely dependent on sight, and restricted to physical motions. For example, he could copy a virtuoso pianist's performance by watching him play, but would not gain the ability to read sheet music. As a child, he almost drowned when he perfectly duplicated another swimmer's dive, forgetting that he had not yet learned how to swim once he hit the water.
Taskmaster has had his scientists duplicate versions of a variety of weapons used by Marvel characters, which he can use with nearly as great facility as their respective owners. In the past, he carried duplicates of Daredevil's billy club, Hawkeye's trick arrows and bow, and Captain America's shield. He also carried a sword, a lasso, and a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol.
Taskmaster's character was considerably revised in a 2002 UDON-created miniseries. Most visibly, he now wears a costume apparently modeled after tactical body armor, with the addition of a skull mask, replacing his pirate-themed garb. Taskmaster also ceased carrying an arsenal of duplicate weapons. Instead, his armament now consists primarily of a pair of semi-automatic handguns and a katana. He also carries a prototype wrist-mounted device, stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., which can spontaneously create simple shapes out of solid energy, saving him the trouble of weighing himself down with many weapons. He is fond of using the device to create copies of Captain America's shield and Spider-Man's webbing.
In addition, he has revealed new abilities. First, given observation and practice (with the aid of a voice-match recognition device), he can duplicate the voices of others. More importantly, after watching video footage of fights filmed in double-time, he learned how to perform his own actions in double-time. Since he does not have a superhuman physique, he can only use this ability to provide short bursts of superhuman speed lasting a few seconds, or he risks seriously injuring himself.
Known Fighting Styles: Ant-Man II, Batman (DC), Batroc, Black Widow, Boomerang, Bushwacker, Blacklash, Black Knight III, Black Panther, Captain America I, Captain Marvel III, Conquest, Daredevil, Deadpool, Elektra, Falcon, Fatale, Firestar, Hawkeye I, Huntress (DC), Iron Fist I, Justice, Libra (DC), Machete, Oddball, Puma, Punisher, Razorfist, Shockwave, Silverclaw, Spider-man I, Shatterhead, Swordsman I, Tigra, Tumbler, USAgent, Warbird, Whiplash II, Wolverine, and Zaran
History/Background:
Taskmaster is a villain with the ability to replicate the physical movements of anyone he witnesses. He trains others to become lackeys for other villains by utilizing the techniques he has gleaned from his observation of superheroes and participates in mercenary jobs from time to time. In the past, he has usually been on the opposite side of the law, but he was also employed by the federal government to train USAgent at the request of the Red Skull. Taskmaster doesn't serve any ideology. He will work for nearly anyone for the right price.
The man who would become Taskmaster first demonstrated unusual abilities during childhood. After watching a cowboy show on television, he found himself able to duplicate the sophisticated rope tricks he had just watched the cowboy perform.
Psychiatrists, called in at the mother's request, termed the boy's rare ability "photographic reflexes." He employed his talent several times during his youth for professional gain, most notably when he became a star quarterback of his high school football team after watching one pro football game. Upon graduation, he briefly considered a career as a crime fighter, but opted for becoming a criminal, which he perceived to be more lucrative.
Taskmaster then began a program of observing the fighting techniques of a large number of costumed heroes and villains (using archival television news broadcasts). He initially used his fighting skills to execute several successful grand larcenies, but he had not properly anticipated the dangers involved. He decided to use his stolen capital to establish a center for training aspiring criminals to become polished professionals. His goal was to become a supplier for criminal organizations around the world.
Designing a costume, he took the name Taskmaster and began to train a large number of thugs at criminal academies he had located around the United States.
Deciding to further explore the use of a circus as a front for his academy, Taskmaster took over yet another small outfit, and used it for many months to great success. However, while it was playing a small town in Ohio, the Thing and Vance Astrovik (who would later become Justice) assisted a government agent in foiling Taskmaster's activities. While escaping, the Taskmaster was captured by a group of FBI agents and taken into custody, but there is reason to believe that the Red Skull was behind the Taskmaster's capture, since a group of normal men were able to capture him.
Through Douglas Rockwell, the head of the President's Commission on Superhuman Activities, "Mr. Smith" (actually the Red Skull) arranged for Taskmaster to train John Walker (then known as the Super-Patriot, later known as USAgent) to become the next Captain America in order to disgrace the image of Captain America. In order to conceal the Red Skull's involvement, Douglas Rockwell had the Commission work out a deal to have years taken off Taskmaster's sentence in return for training Walker. After Taskmaster successfully trained Walker, the Red Skull arranged for him to escape from the Commission's detention center so he could continue training lackeys and other agents for the Red Skull himself.
Taskmaster's more skilled, successful, and notable students include such characters as Crossbones and Cutthroat (both henchmen to the Red Skull), USAgent, Hauptmann Deutschland, Diamondback (the one-time girlfriend of Captain America), Spymaster, Spider-Woman I (Jessica Drew) and Agent X. On the other hand, Taskmaster also trains many of his students to serve as low-rent henchmen and cannon fodder. In his early appearances, Taskmaster mentions putting intellect-reducing drugs in the diet of his students. He also routinely sent groups of his more disappointing students to serve as "sparring partners" for the Red Skull, who routinely engaged several of them at a time, killing them all. (Hauptmann Deutschland, having infiltrated the academy, used one such session as an opportunity to kidnap the Red Skull.) He has also employed other supervillains, such as when he hired Anaconda as his academy's calisthenics instructor.
Taskmaster and one of his students spent a brief period of time in the Ultraverse after encountering a superheroine of that universe, known as Siren. Taskmaster has since returned to the 616 Universe.
Taskmaster continued to train numerous villains and thugs until the Avengers began to search out and shut down some of his academies across the United States. Taskmaster began to spend more time working as a mercenary in order to make up for the loss of profit. This led him to join Agency X in missions from time to time, while continuing to teach at his academies around the world.
Sample Post:
What do I do? I'm a mercenary. Why do I do it? 2 big reasons.
Reason the first: Money. Moolah. Coin. Dough. Whatever you wanna call it, I love it. I love the smell, I love the feel, I love the taste...Okay, maybe that last ones goin' a little too far. Anyways, I love it. I'll do anything necesary for it, and that includes breakin' the law.
Reason the second: The thrill. I love the rush almost as much as the pay. And recently I ain't been gettin' that rush. I'm bored, I'm restless. Maybe it's cause I've already done everything fun. Set up a school for criminals. Been there. Break into S.H.I.E.L.D. Done that. Fight in a superhero war....hmmm....That could be fun.
So get out yer wallets and checkbooks, The Taskmaster is up for bidding.
Alias: Taskmaster
Age: Unknown
Gender: Male
Side: Neutral (Mercenary)
Appearance: How do I post an image?
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown
Mutation/Powers:
Taskmaster possesses an ability he refers to as "photographic reflexes," which enables him to watch another person's physical movements and duplicate them without practice, no matter how complex. This ability appears to be an innate talent; Taskmaster is not considered a mutant and is not known to have gained superhuman powers from any other source. His ability is limited only by the fact that he does not have superhuman strength or other superhuman attributes. However, he is a naturally gifted athlete who has trained himself to superb physical condition.
Taskmaster's power to duplicate the abilities of others is purely dependent on sight, and restricted to physical motions. For example, he could copy a virtuoso pianist's performance by watching him play, but would not gain the ability to read sheet music. As a child, he almost drowned when he perfectly duplicated another swimmer's dive, forgetting that he had not yet learned how to swim once he hit the water.
Taskmaster has had his scientists duplicate versions of a variety of weapons used by Marvel characters, which he can use with nearly as great facility as their respective owners. In the past, he carried duplicates of Daredevil's billy club, Hawkeye's trick arrows and bow, and Captain America's shield. He also carried a sword, a lasso, and a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol.
Taskmaster's character was considerably revised in a 2002 UDON-created miniseries. Most visibly, he now wears a costume apparently modeled after tactical body armor, with the addition of a skull mask, replacing his pirate-themed garb. Taskmaster also ceased carrying an arsenal of duplicate weapons. Instead, his armament now consists primarily of a pair of semi-automatic handguns and a katana. He also carries a prototype wrist-mounted device, stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., which can spontaneously create simple shapes out of solid energy, saving him the trouble of weighing himself down with many weapons. He is fond of using the device to create copies of Captain America's shield and Spider-Man's webbing.
In addition, he has revealed new abilities. First, given observation and practice (with the aid of a voice-match recognition device), he can duplicate the voices of others. More importantly, after watching video footage of fights filmed in double-time, he learned how to perform his own actions in double-time. Since he does not have a superhuman physique, he can only use this ability to provide short bursts of superhuman speed lasting a few seconds, or he risks seriously injuring himself.
Known Fighting Styles: Ant-Man II, Batman (DC), Batroc, Black Widow, Boomerang, Bushwacker, Blacklash, Black Knight III, Black Panther, Captain America I, Captain Marvel III, Conquest, Daredevil, Deadpool, Elektra, Falcon, Fatale, Firestar, Hawkeye I, Huntress (DC), Iron Fist I, Justice, Libra (DC), Machete, Oddball, Puma, Punisher, Razorfist, Shockwave, Silverclaw, Spider-man I, Shatterhead, Swordsman I, Tigra, Tumbler, USAgent, Warbird, Whiplash II, Wolverine, and Zaran
History/Background:
Taskmaster is a villain with the ability to replicate the physical movements of anyone he witnesses. He trains others to become lackeys for other villains by utilizing the techniques he has gleaned from his observation of superheroes and participates in mercenary jobs from time to time. In the past, he has usually been on the opposite side of the law, but he was also employed by the federal government to train USAgent at the request of the Red Skull. Taskmaster doesn't serve any ideology. He will work for nearly anyone for the right price.
The man who would become Taskmaster first demonstrated unusual abilities during childhood. After watching a cowboy show on television, he found himself able to duplicate the sophisticated rope tricks he had just watched the cowboy perform.
Psychiatrists, called in at the mother's request, termed the boy's rare ability "photographic reflexes." He employed his talent several times during his youth for professional gain, most notably when he became a star quarterback of his high school football team after watching one pro football game. Upon graduation, he briefly considered a career as a crime fighter, but opted for becoming a criminal, which he perceived to be more lucrative.
Taskmaster then began a program of observing the fighting techniques of a large number of costumed heroes and villains (using archival television news broadcasts). He initially used his fighting skills to execute several successful grand larcenies, but he had not properly anticipated the dangers involved. He decided to use his stolen capital to establish a center for training aspiring criminals to become polished professionals. His goal was to become a supplier for criminal organizations around the world.
Designing a costume, he took the name Taskmaster and began to train a large number of thugs at criminal academies he had located around the United States.
Deciding to further explore the use of a circus as a front for his academy, Taskmaster took over yet another small outfit, and used it for many months to great success. However, while it was playing a small town in Ohio, the Thing and Vance Astrovik (who would later become Justice) assisted a government agent in foiling Taskmaster's activities. While escaping, the Taskmaster was captured by a group of FBI agents and taken into custody, but there is reason to believe that the Red Skull was behind the Taskmaster's capture, since a group of normal men were able to capture him.
Through Douglas Rockwell, the head of the President's Commission on Superhuman Activities, "Mr. Smith" (actually the Red Skull) arranged for Taskmaster to train John Walker (then known as the Super-Patriot, later known as USAgent) to become the next Captain America in order to disgrace the image of Captain America. In order to conceal the Red Skull's involvement, Douglas Rockwell had the Commission work out a deal to have years taken off Taskmaster's sentence in return for training Walker. After Taskmaster successfully trained Walker, the Red Skull arranged for him to escape from the Commission's detention center so he could continue training lackeys and other agents for the Red Skull himself.
Taskmaster's more skilled, successful, and notable students include such characters as Crossbones and Cutthroat (both henchmen to the Red Skull), USAgent, Hauptmann Deutschland, Diamondback (the one-time girlfriend of Captain America), Spymaster, Spider-Woman I (Jessica Drew) and Agent X. On the other hand, Taskmaster also trains many of his students to serve as low-rent henchmen and cannon fodder. In his early appearances, Taskmaster mentions putting intellect-reducing drugs in the diet of his students. He also routinely sent groups of his more disappointing students to serve as "sparring partners" for the Red Skull, who routinely engaged several of them at a time, killing them all. (Hauptmann Deutschland, having infiltrated the academy, used one such session as an opportunity to kidnap the Red Skull.) He has also employed other supervillains, such as when he hired Anaconda as his academy's calisthenics instructor.
Taskmaster and one of his students spent a brief period of time in the Ultraverse after encountering a superheroine of that universe, known as Siren. Taskmaster has since returned to the 616 Universe.
Taskmaster continued to train numerous villains and thugs until the Avengers began to search out and shut down some of his academies across the United States. Taskmaster began to spend more time working as a mercenary in order to make up for the loss of profit. This led him to join Agency X in missions from time to time, while continuing to teach at his academies around the world.
Sample Post:
What do I do? I'm a mercenary. Why do I do it? 2 big reasons.
Reason the first: Money. Moolah. Coin. Dough. Whatever you wanna call it, I love it. I love the smell, I love the feel, I love the taste...Okay, maybe that last ones goin' a little too far. Anyways, I love it. I'll do anything necesary for it, and that includes breakin' the law.
Reason the second: The thrill. I love the rush almost as much as the pay. And recently I ain't been gettin' that rush. I'm bored, I'm restless. Maybe it's cause I've already done everything fun. Set up a school for criminals. Been there. Break into S.H.I.E.L.D. Done that. Fight in a superhero war....hmmm....That could be fun.
So get out yer wallets and checkbooks, The Taskmaster is up for bidding.
