Black Widow star O-T Fagbenle revealed that he almost played the film's central villain, Taskmaster. Taskmaster, as a character, was drastically changed from Marvel Comics upon their arrival to the MCU. In the books, the super-powered villain with the power to mimic anyone they square off against is a former SHEILD agent, Anthony Masters, while in the Scarlett Johansson-led Marvel Studios blockbuster, they were gender-swapped to be the daughter of General Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko).
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, while promoting his appearance in The Handmaid's Tale Season 6, Rick Mason actor O-T Fagbenle admitted that he originally auditioned to play an entirely different version of Taskmaster in Black Widow. According to the MCU star, he was sought after to play the movie's primary villain, Taskmaster (who just came back in Thunderbolts*), rather than Rick Mason, before the character was changed into the original to the MCU version seen in the film.
"I first auditioned for Taskmaster," he divulged, adding that this take on the character had an "African accent" and "was this kind of maniacal-like character," as opposed to Olga Kurylenko's Russian assassin version of the character:
"Basically, I first auditioned for Taskmaster, and it was this, it was a really incredible speech, actually. It was an audition I was very proud of. I've still got it in the back someplace. And, he was this — I made him with an African accent, and he was this kind of maniacal-like character."
He said that it ultimately came down to him or someone else for the part; however, as Black Widow changed in development, "that version of Taskmaster went away:" and he was offered the chance to play Rick Mason:
"And somewhere along the journey of writing and things above my pay grade — So, I basically got [told] that [the role] was down to like, 'Is it me or is it someone else.' That kind of thing for that version of Taskmaster. And in the various iterations of the movie, that version of Taskmaster went away, and then they just came to me and was like, 'Hey, there is this character called Mason, do you want to play Mason?'... So I was like, 'Hell yeah,' I'd love to play Mason!' And so, the Taskmaster that I was going to be didn't exist in that iteration of 'Black Widow.'"
When asked about whether he would be interested in bringing his version of Taskmaster to the MCU in the future, perhaps in a potential 'What If?' scenario, Fagbenle hopes there will be "another opportunity...to pull that maniac out of the bag:"
"Oh man, I tell you... The character I created for that was something I've not done before, or something people have not seen me do before. I was being really hyped. But anyway, there'll be another opportunity for me to pull that maniac out of the bag and put it on screen."
As for the character Fagbenle did play, Rick Mason, it is unclear where his rogue SHIELD agent will pop up next. Mason was last heard from in 2023's Secret Invasion, where he cameoed in a scene with Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury.
"When they give me the call [I'm ready to go]," the MCU star remarked, looking ahead at his character's potential Marvel Studios future:
"Listen, this what I said to Eric [Pearson], I said, 'Why are you leaving me out of 'Thunderbolts,' man? I did come back. I did some 'Secret Invasion,' Mason appeared there. And so, yeah, I mean, like a true superhero, when they give me the call [I'm ready to go]."
Black Widow is streaming on Disney+, marking Scarlett Johansson's final appearance as the dangerous Red Room assassin turned renowned superhero Natasha Romanoff. The film follows Johansson's Marvel character in the wake of Captain America: Civil War, as she confronts some ghosts from her past with the help of her super-powered found family.
Johansson led the movie, starring alongside O-T Fagbenle, Florence Pugh, David Harbor, and Rachel Weisz, and was directed by Berlin Syndrome filmmaker Cate Shortland.
The full interview, mostly focused on his role in The Handmaid's Tale, can be seen below (beware of show spoilers!):
Will O-T Fagbenle's Taskmaster Ever Be Seen in the MCU?
Hearing again that Black Widow star O-T Fagbenle was once eyed to play Taskmaster in the movie will almost surely get fans pondering the idea, wondering how the movie would have been different had the Rick Mason actor portrayed the Marvel Comics villain.
If Marvel Studios wanted to explore that possibility, there has been no better time in the MCU than now to revisit the idea.
The Taskmaster fans ultimately got in Black Widow, which is now dead in the super-powered series (after taking a bullet to the head in Thunderbolts*), leaving a void should the studio want to take a more comic-accurate stab at the character.
It would be messy to introduce another Taskmaster in the prime MCU timeline so quickly after the first iteration's death, but Marvel Studios has some strings it could pull. The MCU is currently in the midst of its Multiverse Saga, which will conclude with 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars (read more about Avengers: Secret Wars here).
In the Secret Wars story, different versions of Earth's Mightiest Heroes take on villains from across the Multiverse, including Variants of characters fans have already seen. This could include a new take on Black Widow's big bad. While it is not the starring treatment that some may have wanted for the actor's idea of the character, it might be the best fans get, barring a complete franchise reboot.
