Fan CastingTaskmaster

The Taskmaster of Earth-8909 first demonstrated unusual powers during childhood. After watching a cowboy show on television, he found himself able to duplicate the sophisticated rope tricks he had just watched the cowboy perform. Psychiatrists, called in at the mother's request, determined that the boy was a mutant. He employed his talent several times during his youth for professional gain, most notably when he became a star quarterback of his high school football team after watching one pro football game. Upon graduation, he briefly considered a career as a crime fighter, but opted for becoming a criminal, which he perceived to be more lucrative. Taskmaster then began a program of observing the fighting techniques of a large number of superhumanly powered adventurers through archival television news broadcasts. He initially used his fighting skills to execute several successful grand larcenies, but he had not properly anticipated the dangers involved. He decided to use his stolen capital to establish a center for training aspiring criminals to become polished professionals. His goal was to become a supplier for criminal organizations around the world. Designing a costume, he took the name Taskmaster and began to train a large number of thugs at this criminal academy located near the town of Southampton on New York State's Long Island.