Black Widow won't arrive in theaters until next May, but it goes without saying that most fans are keeping everything crossed that the Marvel Studios movie could hit PVOD platforms or Disney+ before then. How likely that actually is remains to be seen, but as exciting as it will be to catch up with Natasha Romanoff again, the introduction of Taskmaster really stands out as being a big deal.
The character has a fascinating history in the comic books, and if Marvel Studios handles him right, that could play out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over many years to come.
Talking in the Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book (which is now on sale from Titan Books), Scarlett Johansson shared some insight into what fans can expect from the villainous Taskmaster.
"When we first meet Natasha - after the events of Captain America: Civil War - every sense that she had of family or normalcy or structure is just gone and she's bewildered," she explains. "Nothing makes sense to her, and so she's feeling vulnerable and purposeless for the first time maybe ever. When she meets Taskmaster, she's off her game.
Initially, it seems to her that this is perhaps some part of the Sokovia Accords or maybe he has been sent to retrieve her by Secretary Ross," Johansson continues. "As soon as she starts to experience Taskmaster's fighting style, she realizes that actually she's not the target and that Taskmaster has a bigger target."
"She doesn't know if this is someone from her past or a faceless foe."
There's a lot to unpack here, including the reveal that Taskmaster isn't sent after Natasha by General "Thunderbolt" Ross and that she's not actually his target - the Avenger simply gets in his way.
Now, we're left to wonder who Taskmaster is actually tracking down.