BIOGRAPHY - Page 4
Taskmaster eventually abandoned the idea of rebuilding his academies and devoted his time to traditional mercenary work. He changed his costume to focus on practical needs, rather than the ostentatious pizzazz of his former look, and traded in his various weapons for an all-purpose 
photonic generator gauntlet, able to simulate different weapons as needed out of hard light. He dropped his Bronx banter for a neutral accent of indiscernible background. Finally, he appropriated an image inducer to change his face on command. By changing up his stance, stride and other biometrics, he could blend in with any crowd.
Taskmaster was an effective assassin, but his skills sometimes brought him more unique jobs. An old acquaintance at a Las Vegas establishment hired him to find out how a high roller kept cleaning out the casino. After watching him for a few hands at the blackjack table, Taskmaster picked up the trick and showed how the man was cheating, before turning him over to security. High off of his success, Taskmaster flirted with a woman named Sandi Brandenburg over at the craps table. He wagered a date with her that he could roll 7s three times in a row. With his masterful sleight-of-hand, he won that date and left Sandi with his card and access to his private jet to visit him in Manhattan that weekend.
Taskmaster’s next job was industrial sabotage for Sunset Bain of Baintronics. She tasked him with infiltrating Stark Enterprises (using his unique skills to mimic Tony Stark for a voice recognition 
system) and scuttle some new semiconductor technology. For two million, Taskmaster completed the job and even outmaneuvered Iron Man on the scene. However, he showed too much curiosity for Sunset’s liking, as he asked her to disclose her ties to the Triads and how the Chinese gangsters had intended to use the Stark tech against her themselves. Instead of paying the second half of his fee, she set Taskmaster up to be shot or apprehended by police officers on her payroll. [Taskmaster (1st series) #1]
Taskmaster escaped the police dragnet, and vowed revenge on Sunset Bain. He used his image inducer, recon and mimicry skills to impersonate the Triad’s second-in-command, Hong. Next, he ordered a Triad attack on Bain’s money laundering operation, setting off a gang war. His enemies 
started comparing notes, but “Tony” was busy preparing for his date with Sandi. After watching a few hours of Iron Chef, he prepared an amazing dinner for her, at least until the Triads tracked him down. Hong shot Sandi in the back before delivering Taskmaster to Sunset Bain. Sunset then used the truce to wipe out her temporary allies, killing all of the Triad and dumping Taskmaster’s body in the river. [Taskmaster (1st series) #2-3]
Taskmaster managed to escape Sunset’s assassination attempt, and went to the hospital to make sure Sandi was still alive. After confirming she was okay, he prepared to storm Baintronics. Taskmaster used every trick at his disposal to fight through Sunset’s security and reach her and 
her bodyguard Isley at the penthouse. Isley was a formidable foe, and Taskmaster pushed the limits of his talent by recreating martial arts moves from video he watched at 2x speed. Isley went down, but Sunset’s hired enforcers arrived before Taskmaster could finish her off. Instead, he swore she should continue looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. [Taskmaster (1st series) #4]
Taskmaster and Sandi’s relationship apparently fizzled out, although they remained close. Sandi became part of the mercenary world and started as Deadpool’s secretary and business partner after the miraculous “Four Winds job” made Wilson extremely famous and sought after. Wade supposedly shot four untouchable crime bosses through the head while falling in mid-air from a skylight. The actual assassin, Black Swan, took umbrage to Deadpool cashing in on his work, and infected Wade with a psychic virus that was slowly deleting his brain. Sandi arranged for Taskmaster and Deadpool to meet up so Tony could share his impressions of the Black Swan as a self-important but terrifying bastard.
Deadpool got a lead on the Black Swan’s whereabouts, but Sandi’s new boyfriend turned out to be abusive and he put her in the hospital. Wade wanted to stay until she healed, but Sandi 
insisted he get the Swan virus dealt with. She made Deadpool promise not to kill her boyfriend Jerry, but she also didn’t want to see Jerry around for a while. Taskmaster remained at Sandi’s bedside, while Deadpool went off to rough up Jerry a bit. Wade then followed the Black Swan’s trail to Europe, but a massive explosion was reported at Black Swan’s castle and it didn’t look like Wilson was coming back. [Deadpool (2nd series) #67-69]
Weeks after Wilson’s apparent death, a heavily scarred man with a healing factor stumbled onto Sandi’s front door. Claiming his name was “Alex Hayden,” this apparent idiot nevertheless had the ambition of becoming the greatest mercenary in the world. Sandi was out of work and her kind-hearted nature made her inclined to take “Alex” as her new partner. Taskmaster intensely objected, thinking this was either Wilson faking amnesia or an incompetent nobody who would get her killed.
When Sandi insisted on doing things her way, Taskmaster was strong-armed into training “Agent X” to become the mercenary he wanted to be. Tony didn’t hold back, considering Alex’s healing factor and his utter disdain for the man. Still, the amnesiac moron surprised him more than once. Their occasional partner, Outlaw, acted as Alex’s firearms instructor, and confirmed that Hayden was ambidextrous and a far better shot than Wilson ever was. Also, when Taskmaster finally pushed Agent X too far in a training session, Hayden suddenly displayed moves he had never seen before. Moreover, Taskmaster’s photographic reflexes couldn’t even lock on to those moves to replicate them himself. Alex Hayden remained a mystery. An annoying, flatulent mystery. [Agent X #1]
Tony tried to get rid of Alex by referring him on a contract to steal the Punisher’s guns. Hayden survived (barely) and the ordeal left both Sandi and Alex pissed at Taskmaster. His jealousy and over-protectiveness was driving a wedge between Tony and Sandi, so he stormed out. Agent X was rewarded a land deed from one of his jobs that put him at odds with the Four Winds, so Taskmaster decided to inform the Winds that “Alex Hayden” was Deadpool, the man who killed their former lady. However, the Four Winds’ enforcer, Saguri, was furious enough to order scorched earth, meaning Tony and Sandi would not be spared for their association with Hayden. Realizing he had screwed up, Taskmaster escaped the Four Winds and warned Sandi and Agent X that trouble was coming. [Agent X #2-5]
Agent X, Taskmaster and Outlaw held the line at Hayden’s amusement park against the Four Winds’ thugs and costumed mercenaries, including Crossfire, Eel, Constrictor, Rhino, Batroc’s daughter, Tarantula, Blizzard and many more. They held out until dawn, when Alex managed to persuade (and blackmail) the Four Winds’ leader, Higashi, into accepting this feud was more 
trouble than it was worth. The enforcer Saguri was executed for overstepping her bounds and peace was declared. Alex was excited to have them all stay together as “Agency X,” but Outlaw had to return to Texas and Taskmaster’s jealousy over Sandi and Alex still kept him at arm’s length. However, he did accept that Agent X was not Deadpool with amnesia (or faking amnesia). [Agent X #6-7]
Taskmaster reconnected with Agency X when Sandi arranged a job for them as bodyguards for Higashi during an important gangland soiree. A show of deference to the Four Winds’ boss would show he was in control of the situation, that old grudges were dismissed, and cut off any future reprisal. Unfortunately for Alex and Tony’s man-essence, Higashi also brought Sandi as his date to the event, putting her in harm’s way during an assassination attempt and far too close to Higashi regardless. A thoroughly confusing and unpleasant evening had a surprise ending when Agency X returned to find Deadpool and Black Swan in Sandi’s apartment.
Black Swan had a fantastic tale of how the explosion and his own psychic talents had merged the minds and powers of him, Wilson and his fallen associate Nijo in their final moments. Now, 
Deadpool was a virtual mental fugue, while Black Swan had Nijo’s sense of honor, and Deadpool’s healing factor and penchant for “knock knock” jokes. More importantly for Agent X, “Alex Hayden” was actually the body of Nijo with a composite of elements extracted from all three men to make a new whole. The Black Swan wished to rid himself of the foreign elements and encouraged Alex to join him in regaining his own mind, while restoring Wade Wilson in the process.
Naturally, Black Swan betrayed everyone as soon as the process extracted that pesky “sense of honor” from his mind. He tried to steal the accumulated healing factor from Deadpool and Agent X for himself, while using his mental powers to hold Taskmaster and the others at bay. During the 
melee that followed, Tony had a moment alone with Sandi while dodging fire. He’d spent the last few weeks watching soap operas and rom-coms to find the right words, but his abilities just didn’t work like that. Nevertheless, he spoke from the heart and told her how much she meant to him. Sandi was moved by his confession, and they looked to find a path forward together after Deadpool and Agent X finally beat the Black Swan. [Agent X #13-15]