Episode 5 of Secret Invasion featured a surprise guest appearance that directly connects to the Black Widow movie. Secret Invasion follows Nick Fury and his allies attempting to stop the shape-shifting Skrulls from hijacking Earth. The series continues the Skrull plotline set up in the Captain Marvel film. While big-name superheroes like Hulk and Captain Marvel haven’t appeared in the show, the series does feature plenty of cameos of several minor characters from the MCU. Secret Invasion episode 5 provided a brief appearance by Rick Mason from Black Widow.
How Does Secret Invasion Connect to Black Widow?
Black Widow was the hero’s first solo film after being something of a side character for most of the MCU’s lifespan. The film had Black Widow teaming up with her foster family to save other Widow assassins like herself. Rick Mason served as an ally to Black Widow, supplying her with much-needed transportation and gear and helping her get off the grid. English actor O-T Fagbenle played Mason in Black Widow.
Fagbenle returns as Mason in the fifth episode of Secret Invasion, acting as an old friend to Nick Fury. He helps Fury with a private jet ride to get the Harvest and provides some supplies. The Harvest, as revealed in the fifth episode, contains the DNA of the Avengers and other heroes. The Skrull insurgents want the Harvest to imbue themselves with superpowers and take over the world.
Besides Mason, the episode had another surprising connection to Black Widow. One of the supplies Fury gained from his cache in Finland was a Widow’s Veil. A Widow’s Veil is a mask that perfectly replicates another person’s face and voice. That’s how Widow assassins like Natasha Romanoff can impersonate others and get close to targets.
Fury uses the Veil to disguise himself in the airport. The Veil has advanced so much that it has become a cloak that can replicate an entire person’s face and body. It functions similarly to how the Skrulls can shape-shift into people.
Who Is Rick Mason?
Rick Mason was a soldier who became an international smuggler with ties to the black market. He is the person to go to if you want specialized spy equipment or jets, and he can get you off the grid.
Mason is based on the comic character of the same name who goes by the codename The Agent. He’s a special covert agent who goes on several top-secret missions and has teamed up with other heroes, most notably with Carol Danvers when she was still Ms. Marvel. Like in the Secret Invasion series, Rick Mason has worked with Nick Fury on several occasions in the comics.
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Secret Invasion Would Have Been More Successful as a Movie
The Secret Invasion finale will air its finale on July 26.
