Secret Invasion Ep 5: Who Is Fury's Pilot? What To Know If You Missed Black Widow

Contains spoilers for "Secret Invasion" Season 1, Episode 5 — "Harvest"

"Secret Invasion" has introduced new characters and dramatically changed the way we look at several old ones, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ show's fifth episode features what just might be the most surprising character appearance yet. When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) needs to travel to Finland to rendezvous with Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), his pilot turns out to be a surprisingly familiar face: Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle of "Handmaid's Tale" fame), whom we last saw in "Black Widow." 

A supporting character in Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson) 2021 solo movie, Rick is a slightly shady but dependable contractor with a military history and a penchant for smuggling valuable items — up to and including a Quinjet. Natasha has saved his life once, and he provides valuable assistance during her mission to shut down the Red Room. Though Rick hints that he'd like something more, the pair remain firm friends throughout the film. 

The events of "Black Widow" take place in the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War," but the movie came out after "Avengers: Endgame," in which Natasha died. As such, it may have been easy to write Rick off as a one-movie wonder ... but just like fellow "Black Widow" characters Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Alexei "Red Guardian" Shostakov (David Harbour), it seems that the MCU still has plans for him. 

Rick's return in "Secret Invasion" is a relatively quick cameo, but the easygoing way he introduces himself to Nick Fury and delivers some semi-snarky advice to catch some shuteye during the flight makes clear that this isn't just some random guy. With O-T Fagbenle's charisma easily shining through despite his short screen time, this might very well not be the last time we see his character. 

In fact, there has been talk that Rick might return in future MCU projects since at least 2022. In an exclusive interview with Looper's sister site, /Film, O-T Fagbenle teased that "Black Widow" might not be the end of the road for his character. "I mean, you know what, with Marvel, I'm never sure how much they can say about stuff, but I'll just say that it wasn't a one-and-done conversation," the actor said.

Rick's profession as a stealthy black market operator who's accustomed to moving people and gear around might indeed come in handy in the current MCU, which features more superheroes than ever but has a lot of them operating on the down-low, without billionaires or government forces to back them up. Perhaps we'll be seeing the character a lot more going forward ... and even if we don't, it's fun to know that Rick Mason is still very much out and about.