If you are still wary of spoilers, the following article will discuss the twist involving Taskmaster. Only continue reading at your own risk.
There has been much debate online regarding the Taskmaster twist in Black Widow. For a long time, we’ve kind of expected it to be O-T Fagbenle to reveal he is behind the skull-inspired mask. Well, the film certainty surprised us when it turned out to be Olga Kurylenko‘s character of Antonia, the daughter of the film’s main antagonist. After being used as a human bomb in Natasha’s darker years, she ended up surviving and getting outfitted with a chip that lets her copy everyone’s abilities.
It was certainly a surprise and a far removal of the original character known as Tony Masters in the comics. So, some wondered if the character may have changed throughout the filming process, as there were some rumors of a male antagonist getting cast. In an interview with Buzzfeed, Fangbenle revealed that he indeed originally was auditioning for a different role.
You know what? The audition process was funny, because my character was very different. The character I auditioned for was very, very different. I had a different accent and everything. Then the character changed and Cate liked me, so I thought I’d have to audition again. But she was like, “Nah, just come” and I was like, Alright, sure, okay.” The funny thing is there was a time I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. At the time, I was writing and directing my own TV show called Maxxx on Hulu. It looked like there was going be a clash and I’d have to decide which one I’d be able to do. Luckily, they managed to make it happen, so I got to do both.
It sounds like he originally got cast for the role of Taskmaster. We don’t know why any changes happened, but it seems like they shifted towards the current incarnation at some point in production. In the end, he did get a Marvel comics-inspired role as the character Rick Mason, who is better known as the Agent. Perhaps the original casting was a misdirect to avoid the twist finding its way online.
He primarily has a support role throughout the film supplying Natasha with whatever she needs. It’s an oddly underused character that still adds some fun scenes to the film. Of course, he might be building up to a bigger role moving forward in the MCU. We also don’t know if Taskmaster will make a return. They may pass the torch to a brand new character.
Source: Buzzfeed, That Hashtag Show
