Black Widow Star Tease Natasha’s Romance With Mysterious Mason

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are still anxiously awaiting the eventual release of Black Widow. The film — intended for release in 2020, but delayed into 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic — introduced O-T Fagbenle in the role of Mason (believed to be based on Rick Mason, a comic book character who also appears in the new Spider-Man: Miles Morales game). In the new Marvel Studios‘ Black Widow: The Official Movie Special Book, Fagbenle offers an introduction to Mason, a character with deep connections to the MCU’s underworld as well as to Black Widow from back in her pre-superhero, secret agent days.

“Mason is a finder for people who aren’t so affiliated with armies, like people who are part of the underworld,” Fagbenle said. “He can find anything you need as well. 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.”

As for Mason’s relationship with Natasha Romanoff, Fagbenle says, “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. Natasha definitely takes advantage of the opportunities for him to provide certain things- she never really pays with cash and she doesn’t have credit either. She’s always like, ‘Yeah, put it on my tab.’ It’s a pretty long tab by now! I’m a giver.”

In Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige, the movie stars Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff. Florence Pugh stars as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff.

Black Widow opens in theaters in North America on May 7, 2021.