Black Widow: O-T Fagbenle On Joining MCU, Keeping Secrets

Black Widow was finally released this year and features a whole new cast of characters who are featured alongside Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. In addition to Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, the movie also includes the first appearance of O. T. Fagbenle as Rick Mason who helps Nat while she’s on the run after the events of Captain America: Civil War. During a recent chat with ComicBook.com, Fagbenle was asked about his knowledge of the MCU and the actor admitted he had some catching up to do.

“Oh no, listen, the embarrassed- No, I didn’t know anything. I’m an idiot. I’m late to the party. I had some catching up to do when I joined the Marvel Universe, I was behind, you see. So when I did, I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, she’s dead.’ So no, I wasn’t early. I was late, but I was so glad to catch up,” Fagbenle admitted.

ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis brought up the time Fagbenle was onstage at Comic-Con and wondered if the actor was “just looking at everybody like, ‘Whoa, you’re Tony, you’re Steve like what’s going on?’”

“You know what? It wasn’t even just on the stage,” Fagbenle shared. “Before you go on stage at Comic-Con, there’s a holding area, right. They’re just, it’s really basic. It’s not flashy. It’s not fancy celebrity. It’s just like it’s a basic holding area. And then yeah, there’s some entrees and stuff like that. And so it feels normal. I look around, and you’re like, that’s, you know, I mean, it was really overwhelming.”

Recently, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was taking part in a Black Widow watch party on Twitter and was asked if Fagbenle will be returning to Marvel. “We love O-T Fagbenle and we certainly hope so,” Feige tweeted. During another recent interview with Fandango All Access, Fagbenle did tease a potential return.

“Mason is ex-military, he’s got an experience. He probably works [for] the highest bidder and is probably a bit disaffected and feels maybe a bit cynical about the world powers and the way they all work, and that’s why he’s ready to work for the highest bidder,” Fagbenle explained. “I think the only difference is with Natasha it’s not just about money, he’s not just a mercenary in this instance. He’s got a connection, he has a soft spot. They have a history together, and I think that’s sort of the interesting thing that plays out in the subtext between them.”

Marvel’s Black Widow is now playing in theaters and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access.

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