Taskmaster (Tony Masters) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in The Avengers #195 (May 1980), created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez. Normally a supervillain but sometimes an antihero and a sleeper agent, Taskmaster went on to feature in numerous Marvel titles, most notably as a mercenary hired as a training instructor by various criminal organizations.