I'm sorry but he is just a normal guy with an extraordinary ability. He is simply a very skilled normal human and NOT a mutant. I've read every comic that he appears in and there is simply no evidence of him being a mutie.

A prime Example of Mutations right now is the Spotted Leapord. Its losing its spots becuase its slowly mutating. Several Spotted Leapords are being born Unspotted.

Little trivia.

This is an interview with the co-creator of Taskmaster from Taskmastersite.com.
DAVID MICHELINIE
Future Comics Online

DAVID MICHELINIE
Future Comics Online

Q6: I thought you explained the Taskmaster's origin pretty well in Avengers (Vol 1) # 196 and showed that he was not a mutant or had powers. Does it make you happy or mad that other writers have said or suggested that he is a mutant?
A6: It makes me sad that some comics creators can’t seem to accept anything a little different. Many of them seem to have a need to pigeonhole stuff, to put labels on things and call that “explanation”. Either that, or they want to bask in the reflected glory of the X-books by calling characters they write “mutants”. Apparently, anyone who can do anything that most people can’t in the Marvel Universe is automatically a mutant. By that definition, I guess people who are double-jointed, or have perfect pitch, are ready to join the X-Men.

Q9: Do you consider the ability "Photographic Reflexes" a power or skill?
A9: Neither. I consider it an ABILITY, like the aforementioned perfect pitch. It’s just something he’s able to do, and he’s smart enough to exploit it and build it into a career with minimum risk and maximum profit. At least, that was the original idea.

i really like this thread. taskmaster is one of my alltime favorite characters. but to say he's just a really skilled (talented?) normal humas is way off base. he can claim whatever he wants, but i'm guessing he's just never been tested for the xgene.

he's bested some of the greatest marvel heroes (and to those who say he's been caught, i'd say, he's still on the loose currently...). if he's a normal human, why hasn't he been cloned? i mean, if he's peak human, how is it that he can continually make a mess of a bunch of superpowered heroes?

i know it's a bad argument, but i really do think he's a mutant. plus, if i'm not mistaken, there are a number of cases in the comics where mutants have been born activated, and didn't have to wait till puberty. also, taskmaster's origin (related by him, which could be fabricated, i guess) is that he was tested by psychologists as a kid, but it didn't specify the age of the kid, right?

I'd say he is a mutant. Just because it's never been explored in his history (IE "I've read all his stuff and there has never been mention of it"), does not mean that he is not a mutant.

~Can his "Skill" or "Power" be taught to another?

No, so it's not an aquired skill ala Batman (non-mutant).

~Is his skill/power due to extra-terrestrial origin?

No, he's not an alien who's physiology grants his power (ala Superman).

~Is his skill/gift due to a mythical/supernatural origin?

No, he has no tie to a "godly" race or any "supernatural" entity (ala Thor or Dr Strange)

~Is his gift due to a man-made technology?

Nope, no suit enhancing his performance (ala Iron Man).

~What about radiation/chemical enhancers?

No Hulk/Spiderman/Fantastic Four powers here.

~So what's left?

Born with it- makes you a meta-human, aka MUTANT in the Marvel universe.

Out of curiousity, does anyone recall what he was listed as for the marvel RPG of the 80's? They had different categories ...such as altered human (spiderman), mutant, etc.

Mutations don't always have to be reality warping ... they can be minor .....

I guess the fact that the writer quoted above stated that he isn't a mutant isn't good enough for you guys. I hope that Taskmaster fights the X-men sometime soon, just so that they can state once and for all that he is not a mutant. Chuckie can scan him, they can test him for the x-gene, whatever. It's amazing that people that are different have to labeled as mutants. It almost sounds racist.

Well, there you have it. I mean, honestly, who's gonna argue with the Pope?

This same kind of issue was brought up in a wonderful issue of the New Defenders (unsure of the #, but it had a great Art Adams cover on it).

Beast, Iceman and Cloud go to this college where Hank is giving a speech. There they meet Adrian, who is a mutant. He has an extra finger on each hand and IIRC can see in the infrared spectrum. His powers also have somehow caused him to loose some of his muscle control, I believe.

Nothing earth-shattering, but a mutation none-the-less.

ok so can we agree hes a mutant whose not a mutant.....
the writer never intended for him to be a mutant....but if we try to pidgeonhole the charecter he falls into the "genetic mutation" category....a genetic evolution...an abnormality.
why ask the question anyway....unless youre playin a scenario
that you can only have mutants...then let your ruling stand. have fun with it.

WytchKnight, I've met a person here in California who had Photographic Reflexes, at least thats what it was called. It could be constituted as Photographic Memory but he was a Martial Arts competition, and he was watching the fighters, or rather watching the people doing the demonstrations and he was mimicing them almost exactly, having no prior training in Martial Arts itself. He was quite reknowned...although for the life of me I can't remember his name.

but you may be correct, Photographic Memory may be more of what he had and just had the agility...but perhaps Photographic Reflexes is what it's called and that goes along with Photographic Memory.

Either way. He's not a Mutant.
Cat

All I can say is, as long as he's in his new costume, he's dead to me.

Basil Elks, yeah I'm not keen on his new costume either, but he's still Taskmaster and Taskmaster will always ROCK... but personally I have a friend that's sculpting a old-school Taskmaster for me and it looks like the bombdiggity so far and that's going on an V Taskmaster yeah boy!

Cat

so, wait....

then, in the marvel universe, what are you if you're born with a third arm? a mutant or just a guy with a retardation?

You could just but him in the same group as Bullseye. He's not a mutant, but can kill you with a deck of playing cards. At least thats the way I've always looked at Taskmaster.