Warning: contains spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31!
A recent Spider-Man adventure pointed out exactly what 2021's Black Widow got wrong with the villain Taskmaster - and it's not the problem most pointed out by fans. Moviegoers anticipating the big-screen debut of the antagonist were left underwhelmed when Taskmaster did not act like the Anthony Masters from Marvel Comics history. Apparently, writers at Marvel agree - and thus in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31, written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Christopher Allen and colors by Guru-eFX, Taskmaster shows a quality missing entirely from Black Widow.
Miles Morales has just recently survived his own Clone Saga (thankfully with fewer casualties than the one experienced by Peter Parker in the 90s), and the character begins a new story arc in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31. He has a brand-new costume entirely distinct from Peter Parker's old suit, and has even found enough time at night to go on a date with Starling (a romance that sadly can never occur in the MCU). The date is unfortunately interrupted by an arrow that nearly misses both heroes; looking for the shooter, Miles demands they show their face. "Okay..." calls Taskmaster from atop a scaffold. "But it ain't pretty."
As Miles and Starling avoid Taskmaster's attacks, the duo quickly realize that the assassin can mimic either of their moves with absolute precision (which is Taskmaster's signature and very deadly power: perfect muscle memory at the expense of forming other long-term memories). Taskmaster taunts them both mercilessly; despite both Starling and Miles' agility, neither can catch him. This is what was missing from Black Widow: Taskmaster's ability to speak.
Taunting one's opponent is a cornerstone of a villain's strategy in a standard superhero fight sequence - but Taskmaster lost this ability in his transition from page to screen. The character Anthony Masters was more or less entirely replaced by a new version in Black Widow named Antonia Dreykov; the daughter of General Dreykov, she was seriously wounded in an attack meant to kill her father. The muscle-memory powers come from a computer chip implanted in her brain. Perhaps as a result of this, she does not speak a single line of dialogue in the film (until the villain is defeated and the Taskmaster programming appears to be removed or deactivated).
Taskmaster is viewed by MCU fans as a missed opportunity. The character was changed substantially, connecting the villain to Black Widow at the expense of the villain standing on their own as a memorable antagonist. Leave it to Spider-Man to point out how talking during a fight would've added some sorely-needed character for Taskmaster.
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