Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool #3!Only one supervillain is equipped to the train the daughter of Deadpool. In the past, readers have caught glimpses of Eleanor “Ellie” Camacho’s future as a hero, even becoming skilled enough to discover a way to neutralize her father’s healing factor. Her resurfacing with a spotlight in Deadpool’s new era inches her closer to becoming the hero Ellie’s been teased to be.

Deadpool #3 – written by Cody Ziglar, with art by Roge Antonio – pushes Ellie one step closer to officially becoming a Marvel hero; first, though, she must train not just with her father, but with the infamous mercenary Taskmaster.

In the issue, Taskmaster meets Deadpool’s daughter and learns about her healing factor. He then decides it’s time to put Ellie through his personal boot camp. Taskmaster immediately recognizes the potential that Ellie has to offer, and there’s no better choice to prime her for the future.

Taskmaster is Going to Train Deadpool’s Daughter

Deadpool #3 – Written By Cody Ziglar; Art By Roge Antonio, GURU-EFX, & VC’s Joe Sabino

Before joining forces with Deadpool, Taskmaster made his Marvel debut in The Avengers #195, back in 1980. His photographic memory that helps him perfectly copy anyone’s movements, skills, and fighting style has helped earn him longevity as a recurring character over the past few decades. Most recently, he’s become a hired gun working with Deadpool. As Taskmaster put it in Deadpool #2, he’d like to take on some low-stakes jobs first while adjusting to “this whole small business owner thing.”

One thing that Taskmaster did not expect in his overtime rate was getting shot down by Crossbones, who’s been hired by Deadpool’s new rival, Death Grip, to assassinate him. Again, luckily, Ellie arrived in the nick of time. Upon meeting her, Taskmaster notices that Ellie’s visual learning skill may be a superpower in itself, as building a GPS teleporter after watching a “New Toobe” video (hence how she found them) is a tall task for any normal child. This opens the door for Taskmaster to start training Ellie, which may be part of an I.O.U. Deadpool asked of him earlier.

Training Ellie Gives Taskmaster a New Purpose

Underrated Villain, Perfect Mentor

Inserting Taskmaster in the role of a mentor gives him a newfound purpose in the Marvel Universe, something that could give him even more longevity in a time when he needs it. Truthfully, it’s no secret that Taskmaster’s stock has declined in recent memory. His presence remains prevalent in comics, but he’s been reduced to a C-lister. His impact as a villain is non-exitstent nowadays, but becoming a teacher would be the perfect transition. In fact, being a teacher is such a perfect fit for Taskmaster, it’s surprising to think it hasn’t happened sooner.

As someone who can perfectly replicate someone else’s skills just by watching them, Taskmaster is the perfect candidate to train someone. Not only can he pass off his natural ability and skills to someone else, but he can copy someone else’s skills and pass those down in the same breath. Plus, from a creative perspective, his mentorship of Deadpool’s daughter offers something new for Taskmaster to do, other than being another hero’s stepping stone. Training Deadpool’s daughter could be the first step to a brighter future for Taskmaster.