'Black Widow' fan theory suggests Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff might be the Taskmaster
Theories have been surfacing online about the identity of Taskmaster, Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) foe in 'Black Widow', almost every day. One of them is that the character is a woman and the focus seems to be on Rachel Weisz's Melina Vostokoff.
Vostokoff, the Russian agent/assassin aka the Iron Maiden has a bit of history in the comics. She was shown to be living in Natasha's shadow and this resulted in a strong hatred towards the Black Widow. This would be a major revelation if the MCU portrays her as the villain.
From what we have seen so far, Vostokoff does seem to be on the good side but this theory can be supplemented by the fact that Weisz, according to Screenrant, says her character is "deeply involved in a kind of scientific experiment." This may have probably led to the theory she was the Taskmaster. At the moment, this might be true considering the Taskmaster's frame is slender and a lot more agile— the two traits that the Black Widows are known for.
Should this theory be false, then it's back to a square one. In the comics, Taskmaster is a formidable fighter who has crossed swords with pretty much every Marvel hero ranging from Captain America to Spider-Man. His ability to mimic skills allows him to adapt himself to every situation, which is why it's kind of surprising that he gets defeated so much.
Taskmaster may not exactly be an A-list villain like Red Skull or Doctor Doom but he does have his own unique history. He made his first appearance in ‘The Avengers’ #195 (May 1980), created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez. While the character is most commonly depicted as a training instructor working for various criminal organizations, he’s been a lot more “inspirational” behind the scenes than in the comics itself.
Guess we'll know more about Marvel's version of the Taskmaster when 'Black Widow' hits theaters on May 1, 2020.