Like most Marvel Studios movies, Black Widow is a project shrouded in secrecy. Sure, we have a vague idea of what will happen, but for the most part, it's clear that the film will feature a lot of big surprises. One of the biggest mysteries relates to Rick Mason, an obscure comic book character played by O.T. Fagbenle.
In the Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book (which is now on sale from Titan Books), the actor opens up about the role his character plays in the movie, and it sounds like he's pretty close to Natasha Romanoff.
"Mason is a finder for people who aren't so affiliated with armies, like people who are part of the underworld. He can find anything you need as well," Fagbenle teased. "He's had a relationship doing that work for the Black Widow, and they have a bit of a vibe going on. There's a sense that there's more to their relationship than it being purely work related, so that's always in the mix."
"Mason's story starts when Natasha is trying to escape, and she needs a place to hide out. So we hang out for a little bit. And then later on, when she gets in trouble, she calls me up again. I help her out with a Chinook. If you need a helicopter I'm the guy to ask, and then again every time she's in trouble she calls me. Mason is the guy that you want on your side if you get into a hard corner."
So, he's a bit of a fixer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role not all that different from his comic book counterpart. As you're no doubt well aware, there are a tonne of theories online that Mason is, in fact, Taskmaster. Many even believe that William Hurt's General "Thunderbolt" Ross will recruit him to the Thunderbolts, an idea supported by these comments from Fagbenle.
"What was really interesting for me was getting to spend some time with William Hurt," he noted. "He was so vigorous and he wanted to explore his character. It really gave me a lot of heart, to be honest, to see that he was still fighting for the integrity of the piece. I learned a lot from him."
Now, it's possible this exchange has nothing to do with Taskmaster, but the fact that they'll share the screen is definitely noteworthy, and could be a sign of what's to come in Black Widow next May.