1 MCU Actor Reveals They Were Almost Cast As Black Widow’s Taskmaster

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One actor from the Black Widow movie crew is discussing how they were almost considered for the role of Taskmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe often alters characters significantly when moving them from comics to films, it’s interesting to note that one character who was modified in this way was Taskmaster. While the Black Widow film features a female version of the character, who turned out to be General Dreykov’s daughter, it seems that Marvel Studios had different ideas for Taskmaster during the early stages of the movie’s development.

In a recent conversation with The Direct, O-T Fagbenle (the actor who portrayed Rick Mason in Black Widow) revealed that at first, he tried out for the part of Taskmaster. He also hinted at prior plans for a unique take on the Marvel villain’s character. When asked if he’d still be interested in playing this version of Taskmaster in the MCU, Fagbenle expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity.

Essentially, I aced a tryout for Taskmaster, which was quite impressive, I must say. The performance is something I’m particularly fond of and I believe it’s tucked away somewhere. Moreover, the character I created had an African accent and was portrayed as a somewhat maniacal individual.

During my writing process and matters beyond my level of authority were discussed – Essentially, they mentioned that the role could have been mine or someone else for the specific version of Taskmaster. However, this character disappeared from later iterations of the movie. Later on, I was approached with the offer: “How about playing a character called Mason?” To which I excitedly replied, “Absolutely! I’d love to play Mason!” So, the Taskmaster role that I would have portrayed didn’t materialize in the ‘Black Widow’ movie version.

Wow, let me share something with you… The character I developed for that project was unlike anything I’ve created before or shown off in my previous work. I was genuinely excited about it. By the way, there’s another chance coming up for me to unleash that unique creation on the screen.

Here’s what I told Eric: “Why am I being excluded from ‘Thunderbolts’, buddy? I returned! I was part of ‘Secret Invasion’, and Mason showed up there. So, in essence, when they need me, I’m like a genuine superhero, standing by to answer the call.

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2025-05-08 16:55