Taskmaster to break his own spine upon copying the hero's ability.; A side effect of the primer is severe declarative memory loss. The more implicit memories (i.e. knowledge and abilities) he learns, the more explicit memories (i.e. personal experience) he loses. Because of his explicit memory loss, the Org (Mercedes Merced) has acted as Taskmaster's surrogate memory, his banker, and his handler for his entire criminal career. By viewing a video in fast-forward, Taskmaster can learn to replicate human movement at near-superhuman speed. However, this puts his body under intense strain and can only be used for short periods of time. He also has the ability to manipulate his vocal cords to mimic the voices of others. The Taskmaster is also skilled in meditation techniques that allow him to slow his breathing and heart rate and survive for extended periods of time without air, this also means that to the untrained eye he will appear to be dead. He also claims to have learned forensic methods from CIA Agents and Mossad Operatives. Taskmaster is also capable of utilizing chi, but under exceptional circumstances. Taskmaster was once shown to have aquaphobia (the fear of water), but later overcame his fears. Weaponry As he is able to replicate numerous fighting techniques, Taskmaster carries an extensive arsenal of weapons on his person, most commonly using a sword and a replica of Captain America's shield. He also carries a bow and a quiver of arrows, a billy club, a lasso, nunchaku, throwing darts, and various firearms. Taskmaster once used a stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. device that was able to create various forms of weaponry (such as arrows and shields) using solid energy. Other versions Alternative versions of the Taskmaster have appeared in various Marvel titles in minor roles. What If In a What If? storyline What if... Steve Rogers had refused to give up being Captain America? (vol. 2) #3 (1989), the Taskmaster trained the Super-Patriot and the Buckies to replace Captain America. Avataars: Covenant of the Shield An alternate version of the Taskmaster appears in Avataars: Covenant of the Shield #1 (2000) where the Marvel Universe is re-imagined in a fantasy setting. In this reality, the Taskmaster is an assassin known as the Deathmaster. Marvel Universe Millennial Visions 2001 In the Marvel Universe Millennial Visions 2001 (2002) storyline Thunderbolts: Give a Guy a Break, Hawkeye takes it upon himself to force supervillains to seek redemption.