The iconic Avengers and Black Widow villain, Taskmaster, shines in an epic cosplay that pays tribute to Anthony “Tony” Masters’ comic-accurate costume—one that is too bold for Marvel to ever feature in a live-action adaptation. This Taskmaster costume also raises the important question of whether Marvel’s tendency to scrap original character designs in favor of more modern ones is always the best decision, or rather a cowardly one.

Taskmaster, known for his photographic reflexe powers and his role in training henchmen for terrorist organizations and criminal empires, was created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez. He made a brief first appearance in The Avengers #195 (May 1980) before his full debut in Avengers #196 (June 1980).

Taskmaster’s costume is remarkably intense, featuring a cartoonish skull mask and a bright orange, white, and bluish-black cloak-adorned outfit. Since Marvel has refused to give fans a live adaptation featuring this original costume, cosplayer Brittany Noel has bravely stepped up to provide a comic-accurate portrayal.

Avengers’ Villain Taskmaster Gets Comic and Contest of Champions-Accurate Cosplay

Noel’s original post on X (formerly known as Twitter) attributes her inspiration to the 2014 fighting video game Contest of Champions, developed and published by Kabam. Taskmaster’s costume in the game is heavily inspired by the character’s original design, making Noel’s cosplay a tribute to both media. Both versions of the costume—the comics and the video game—feature elements that would require Marvel to be much braver to adapt into live-action. Whether fans love or hate the original costume, there’s no denying it brings a wave of nostalgia.

Marvel’s reluctance to adapt the original costumes of various characters, including Captain America villain Baron Zemo, raises the question of whether this is a savvy marketing move or if it risks stripping away too much of the characters’ long-standing identities. Perhaps Marvel is delivering precisely what fans desire: modernized costumes that align with today’s cinematic superhero standards. However, one can’t help but ponder if this juggernaut company has become entrenched in a pattern of “playing it safe.” With recent Marvel movies performing less favorably in sales than their predecessors, perhaps it’s time for some innovation that draws inspiration from the past.

Black Widow Confirmed Marvel Has No Interest In Staying True to the Comics for Taskmaster

The Taskmaster featured in the MCU’s Black Widow movie is a far departure from the original design highlighted in Noel’s cosplay. Marvel’s costume design traded the vibrant costume hues for muted colors and shiny metallics, and also replaced the oversized skull mask with something resembling a Power Ranger helmet. With this stark design departure from the original, it’s clear that Marvel has no interest in bringing Taskmaster’s original form to life, which may be a relief to some but a disappointment to others. Fans longing for a live-action adaptation of this Avenger villain’s costume must content themselves with Noel’s amazing Taskmaster cosplay.

Source: Brittany Noel