Taskmaster could be Hydra's new Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the villain's debut in Avengers: Infinity War. Despite this setting and Black Widow's ultimate fate, the Phase 4 film will still play a role in setting up the future. This will be done with the introduction of characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Red Guardian (David Harbour), but possibly Taskmaster as well.
The mysterious Taskmaster is the main villain Black Widow. Taskmaster is an incredibly skilled fighter who has the ability to copy any physical ability seen. Trailers for Black Widow show the character watching Natasha's fights to learn her moves, but Taskmaster also copies Black Panther, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and Spider-Man in the movie. Marvel Studios has managed to keep the identity of who is under Taskmaster's armor a secret, leading to popular theories about Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff or O.T. Fagbenle's Mason. Regardless of who Taskmaster really is, the deadly killer has ties to the Red Room and is obedient to its Russian leaders.
Although the MCU has a tendency to kill off its villains after one appearance, there is hope that Taskmaster will be part of the shared universe for years to come. Black Widow could reveal the origin of Taskmaster and set up the character's MCU future. It is possible this could include a connection to Hydra and making Taskmaster the organization's latest loyal killer, the Winter Soldier.
Russia's Ties To Hydra & The Winter Soldier Program
Hydra's origins might be tied to and the Nazis, but the organization's reach spreads far and wide in the MCU. The Soviet Union was among the most important countries in continuing Hydra's work after World War II and before the infiltration of SHIELD began. The Soviet Union played an instrumental role in the formation of the Winter Soldier Program. Arnim Zola worked with the Soviet Union to transform Bucky Barnes into the original Winter Soldier. Hydra and the Soviet Union then used the Winter Soldier to eliminate enemies around the world for decades before expanding their plans for the super-soldier program.
Hydra founded the main base for the Winter Soldier Program in Siberia, Russia sometime before 1991. This is where Bucky Barnes was held in cryostasis between his missions and Captain America: Civil War showed him waking up there before going to kill Howard and Maria Stark on December 16. After Bucky killed Tony Stark's parents and took Howard Stark's super-soldier serum, Hydra gave the serum to its top soldiers and made multiple other Winter Soldiers. When they tried to rebel against Hydra, they were put in cryostasis for decades once the Soviet Union was dissolved and the base abandoned. It wasn't until 2016 that Baron Zemo traveled to the Siberian base and killed the additional Winter Soldiers.
Theory: Taskmaster Is Hydra's New Winter Soldier
Hydra hasn't played a major role in the MCU since Captain America: The Winter Soldier dismantled SHIELD after Hydra's infiltration. However, the organization's catchphrase is "Cut off one head and two more shall take its place," so it might not be long before Hydra returns. Black Widow could be a great place to do so and reveal that the resurging organization has a new lethal killing machine in Taskmaster. Even if Taskmaster doesn't take on the Winter Soldier name, the villain could still be an agent of Hydra - or even its possible MCU replacement in Leviathan.
Whoever is underneath Taskmaster's armor, the individual is already in a similar place in the MCU as the Winter Soldier used to be. Taskmaster is not the leader of a criminal organization but rather the muscle behind it. Black Widow trailers have shown the Red Room's leader Dreykov sending Taskmaster on a mission to defeat Natasha now that she is back in Russia. This has sparked some speculation that Taskmaster could be programmed to obey Dreykov's orders just as how Hydra programmed Bucky to follow their commands as the Winter Soldier. Black Widow could reveal that Dreykov and the Red Room are tied to what is left of Hydra (and possibly evolves into Leviathan), giving him access to their methods for brainwashing.
Taskmaster could become even more like a Winter Soldier if Black Widow reveals that the character is a super-soldier too. That is not part of Taskmaster's power set in the comics, but it would fit with Phase 4. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier thoroughly explored the secrets of the super-soldier program and confirmed that there are other secret super-soldiers in the MCU with Isaiah Bradley. Black Widow will add to this list with the introduction of Red Guardian. If Russia already has a version of super-soldier serum, Taskmaster could be injected with these powers too. In that scenario, Taskmaster could be an obedient killing machine to Hydra and Russia with an even greater skill set in combat than past Winter Soldiers.
Taskmaster's MCU Future Explained
Being Hydra's new Winter Soldier could add new wrinkles to Taskmaster's MCU future in Phase 4 and beyond. Hydra having some control over Taskmaster's actions could make the character sympathetic to a point in Black Widow, especially if the person is someone Natasha knows from her past. This would create obvious parallels between Natasha and Taskmaster's dynamic and that of Captain America and Bucky. Even though Black Widow will likely be the only time Taskmaster and Natasha are on screen together, it would leave the character in an intriguing position where he or she can remain a villain or become more of a hero.
Taskmaster is one of the MCU characters on many fan lists for a potential Thunderbolts roster either way. This could include working with the original Winter Soldier if Bucky becomes the leader of the Thunderbolts. Taskmaster's place on the team might also bring the character into with Baron Zemo. Since Zemo thought he eliminated the remnants of the Winter Soldier program (except for Bucky), learning that Taskmaster potentially has ties to it and Hydra could be fascinating. Zemo might have to accept that he didn't complete his mission or devise a plan to eliminate Taskmaster as well, but that is easier said than done. Once Black Widow is released, it will become clear whether this Taskmaster theory pans out or not.
