Lesson plan
Taskmaster (character)
Taskmaster is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, he first appeared in The Avengers #195 (cover-dated May 1980) as an adversary of the Avengers before becoming a recurring figure across the broader Marvel Universe. His real name is Anthony Masters, and he operates primarily as a mercenary and trainer of criminal henchmen, selling his services to supervillain organizations and criminal enterprises. The character's defining trait is an ability he calls photographic reflexes, which allows him to duplicate any physical movement he observes with immediate and precise accuracy. He has used this to build a fighting repertoire drawn from dozens of superheroes and martial artists, making him a credible opponent for figures including Captain America, Spider-Man, and Daredevil. The ability carries a permanent cost: each new technique absorbed displaces existing memories, steadily eroding his personal history. A later retcon established that his powers derived from a modified Nazi Super-Soldier Serum he injected himself with while working covertly for S.H.I.E.L.D., an arrangement he had no memory of. Rather than operating as a conventional villain, Masters built his career around training others, establishing criminal academies across the United States that produced henchmen for hire.…
Article summary
Taskmaster is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, he first appeared in The Avengers #195 (cover-dated May 1980) as an adversary of the Avengers before becoming a recurring figure across the broader Marvel Universe. His real name is Anthony Masters, and he operates primarily as a mercenary and trainer of criminal henchmen, selling his services to supervillain organizations and criminal enterprises. The character's defining trait is an ability he calls photographic reflexes, which allows him to duplicate any physical movement he observes with immediate and precise accuracy. He has used this to build a fighting repertoire drawn from dozens of superheroes and martial artists, making him a credible opponent for figures including Captain America, Spider-Man, and Daredevil. The ability carries a permanent cost: each new technique absorbed displaces existing memories, steadily eroding his personal history. A later retcon established that his powers derived from a modified Nazi Super-Soldier Serum he injected himself with while working covertly for S.H.I.E.L.D., an arrangement he had no memory of. Rather than operating as a conventional villain, Masters built his career around training others, establishing criminal academies across the United States that produced henchmen for hire.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.