Agent (comics)

The Agent
The Agent.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Marvel Graphic Novel: Rick Mason, The Agent (1989)
Created by	James Hudnall John Ridgway
In-story information
Alter ego	Rick Mason
Team affiliations	S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Agent (Rick Mason) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

O-T Fagbenle portrayed Mason in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Widow (2021).

Publication history[]

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The character, created by James Hudnall and John Ridgway, first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #57 (1990).

Fictional character biography[]

The Agent is the son of prolific weapons designer Phineas Mason, better known in supervillain circles as the Tinkerer. The Agent is a highly skilled covert operations specialist and has completed missions for the governments of many nations including United States, Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

His upbringing in New York City^[1] brought him into contact with many criminals due to his father's occupation. Ill at ease with wrong-doers, the Agent sought a path in life other than aiding others in perpetrating crimes. Becoming a mercenary the Agent worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. though was later hired by the British government to prevent the super team China Force from overthrowing their rule of Hong Kong. Returning to S.H.I.E.L.D., he was required by Nick Fury to undertake a similar mission in Costa Brava involving American-backed rebels. The Agent discovered that one of his former teachers, Teng Yun-Suan, was responsible for both of these incidents. Yun-Suan met death at the Agent's hands. As a freelance mercenary who specialized in non-lethal metahuman handlings, he assisted Nick Fury involving metahuman mercenaries.^[2]

The Agent remained on good terms with his father despite the latter making a living in a field he did not approve of. The Corporation used this to their advantage and kidnapped the Agent to force the Tinkerer to work for them.^[3] Mason encounters Luke Cage and Dakota North and the three defeat the Corporation. Unfortunately, Mason was apparently killed later on after which his activities as the anonymous Agent were public knowledge.^[4]

Mason's own son perished during Nitro's explosion in Stamford, Connecticut which heralded the Civil War's beginning.^[5]

Mason was once hired to kill an alleged mole code-named Vitamin but was found by Michael Rossi yet he escaped using the Tinkerer's devices. Mason later teamed up with Carol Danvers, and the two learned about Ghazi Rashid now as a metahuman. After it's revealed that Rossi was Vitamin and Ms. Marvel gets overloaded with power, Mason almost dies from a bomb and only makes it out in time. He tracked Rossi to Brazil who he killed then spoke with Norman Osborn for his father's prison release, threatening death for Ms. Marvel's apparent death.^[6]

In other media[]

• O.T. Fagbenle portrays Rick Mason in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Widow (2021).^[7] This version is an ally from Natasha Romanoff's past with S.H.I.E.L.D. and a romantic interest.^[8] Fagbenle described Mason as "a finder for people who aren't so affiliated with armies".^[9]
• Rick Mason appears in the video game Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), voiced by Todd Williams.^[10] This version was Phin Mason's older scientist brother and Miles Morales's friend. Additionally, Rick worked for Roxxon and helped create the Nuform power source until he and his staff were diagnosed with bone marrow failure. With Phin's help, Rick tried to expose the truth, but was trapped and killed by Roxxon's R&D director Simon Krieger, who subsequently took credit for Rick's work. Rick's death pushed his sister to seek revenge as the Tinkerer, resulting in a violent conflict between the Underground criminal group and Roxxon that Morales works to contain.

References[]

External links[]

• Agent at the Marvel Universe wiki
• Agent at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe