Following the release of Marvel’s Black Widow movie, O.T. Fagbenle’s Rick Mason is still an MCU mystery. Given his absence from most of the trailers and marketing, there was a great deal of speculation regarding what role he would have in Black Widow’s first (and only) solo adventure in the MCU. Based on the secrecy surrounding his character, many theorized that Mason would stand revealed as Black Widow’s Taskmaster and the movie’s real villain.
Mason didn’t turn out to be an antagonist, but he did emerge as an enigma in the movie. At various points in the movie, Fagbenle’s character proved to be a resourceful ally to Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson). Natasha, despite not being in a position to seek aid from S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, or the government, was somehow able to get whatever she needed from Mason. Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be a limit to his resourcefulness. Mason’s ability to get his hands on seemingly unobtainable supplies understandably raised a lot of questions about his backstory. However, these questions were never directly answered.
That being said, Rick Mason could continue to have a presence in the MCU. Black Widow’s story has ended, but he could always appear in projects tied to other Marvel characters, such as Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), and Sam Wilson’s Captain America (Anthony Mackie). After all, Natasha doesn’t have to be the only hero to benefit from Mason’s connections. As for how he has become such a valuable asset, some clues can be gleaned from the comic book character and what’s known about his relationship with Natasha.
Between 1982 and 1993, Marvel Comics published over 70 “Marvel Graphic Novels”. Some of these super-sized standalone comics put the spotlight on established heroes like Killraven and Captain Mar-Vell, while others introduced brand-new characters into the Marvel Universe. Some of these, like the New Mutants, went on to become major comic book heroes, while others fell through the cracks and never really took off. Fitting into the latter category is Rick Mason, who starred in the 1990 graphic novel, Rick Mason: The Agent.
In the story, he was introduced as the son of Phineas Mason aka The Tinkerer, who has a reputation as one of Spider-Man’s first enemies. Unlike his villainous father, Rick was depicted as a hero who works as a freelance intelligence agent. Not affiliated with any particular agency, Rick was willing to sell his services to “the highest bidder” and was known to people in the Marvel Universe as “The Agent”. His storyline in Rick Mason: The Agent put him in the employ of Nick Fury, who needed him to take down a drug ring run by super-powered villains. Apparently, Mason has a talent for subduing characters with powers, even though he doesn’t have any of his own.
Following the release of the graphic novel, Marvel used Rick Mason as a guest character in a little more than a handful of comics. Over the years, the Agent has enjoyed brief team-ups with both Carol Danvers and Luke Cage but has no known history with Black Widow.
The MCU adaptation of Rick Mason has been consistently described as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who Black Widow worked with during her days in the organization. Assuming this is true, that helps explain how Mason has the resources that he does. It was through Mason that Black Widow gained access to a Quinjet, which are highly advanced jets designed by S.H.I.E.L.D. engineers. They’re also operated by members of the Avengers. If Mason was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent before its fall in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he could have knowledge of hidden S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouses, complete with all sorts of high-tech equipment, including Quinjets. Also, working under S.H.I.E.L.D. (and in the field of espionage in general) may have enabled Mason to develop a long list of contacts associated with various countries and organizations. His military career could have contributed to his long list of connections as well. Fagbenle has confirmed in the past that Mason is “ex-military”. Having friends in high places and S.H.I.E.L.D. intel on secret supply caches scattered all over the world would certainly make Mason a good ally to have for people like Black Widow.
If Mason is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other intelligence organization in the MCU, he doesn’t confirm it in Black Widow. Looking at how his character is portrayed and what Fagbenle has said about him, it’s more likely that Mason is a freelance operative with no official ties to any agency or government. As noted above, the comic book version of Rick Mason had no loyalties to S.H.I.E.L.D., the CIA, or anyone else, but he wasn’t opposed to doing a job for them if offered a sufficient sum. That makes sense of why he was called “The Agent”, a name that didn’t include affiliation to a specific government. Because of this approach to his work, Mason had full control over his operations in the Marvel Universe. Being someone who answered to no one, he chose for himself whether he did a mission or not.
This is the core element of who Mason is in the comics, so it seems sensible that this aspect of his character is the reason why Marvel picked him for this Phase 4 movie in Black Widow. Plus, it’s worth noting that Fagbenle has described Mason in a way that matches how he was characterized in the Rick Mason: The Agent graphic novel from 1990. According to Fagbenle, Mason is “ready to work for the highest bidder”. His personality in the movie helps create a similar impression. In other words, the MCU’s Mason doesn’t have a boss either. What that ultimately means for his character is that his MCU future is wide open. Any Marvel character in a Phase 4 movie or Disney+ show with deep pockets could potentially pay for Mason’s services. The next time he appears, he could be in the employ of someone with great wealth, such as Moon Knight. Alternatively, he may be willing to provide assistance to other former associates in the same way that he did to Natasha in Black Widow. For instance, there’s a chance he could receive a call from Clint Barton in Hawkeye.
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