AGENT

Real Name: Rick Mason

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Mercenary; Espionage agent

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Cage (Power Man), Victoria Maria Consuela, Carol Danvers, Nick Fury, Shen Kuei, Javier La Brava, Dennis Nayland, Dakota North, SHIELD, Tinkerer (father), Alexi Vazhin;
formerly Norman Osborn, Michael Rossi, Teng Yun-Suan (former sensei)

Enemies: Arcfire Network, Black Metal, Carrion (William Allen), Contract, Corporation, Dog, Gold (Auric), Horse, Kingpin, Manslaughter, Monkey, Noise, Norman Osborn, Quota, Ghazi Rashid, Michael Rossi, She-Devil, Silver, Stealth, Streetman, Teng Yun-Suan, Troubleshooter, Vitamin, Zapper

Known Relatives: Phineas T. Mason (Tinkerer, father), Deborah Watts Mason (mother, deceased), unidentified son (deceased), unidentified niece and nephew (or possibly another son and daughter; see comments)

Aliases: Various assumed identities in the line of duty

Place of Birth: New York City, New York

Base of Operations: mobile across the planet

Extent of Education: College graduate; extensive martial arts training

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent (1989)

Powers/Abilities: Rick Mason is a skilled agent of espionage.  He is extremely talented in both armed and unarmed combat, and he is especially proficient at thinking on his feet and reacting quickly and efficiently under pressure.  He is experienced in overcoming even superhuman opposition, is an excellent marksman and escape artist, and also has an exceedingly high tolerance to pain.

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

History:
(OHotMU 2006 A-Z#1) - As the Tinkerer's son Rick grew up exposed to the latest technologies and their criminal users.
He started his career as a covert operative by working beside or studiying under men like Nick Fury, Shen Kuei, Dennis Nayland and Alexi Vazhin.

(Agent GN (fb) -BTS) - Approximately ten years ago, Mason underwent martial arts training under the sensei Teng Yun-Suan.

(Agent GN (fb) - BTS /OHotMU 2006 A-Z#1) - He became a highly covert operative only accessible online under the codename "The Agent". As a free-lance agent he specialized in data on non-lethal handling of superhumans. Mason worked in the past for the United States' CIA, the British, the Japanese, the French, and the Israelis as well as international agencies such as S.H.I.E.L.D.  One notable mission was personally bringing down the Arcfire Network.

(Ms. Marvel II#33 (fb) ) - Rick was hired to kill a CIA mole known as "Vitamin" in Berlin. He did it by blowing up his hotel room. Unfortunately for him the mole was under obversation of Michael Rossi and Carol Danvers. They hunted Mason through Berlin, but Mason eventually escaped when he used a device build by his father to turn invisible.

(Agent GN) - Julie Somers, working for an unknown organization in China, hired Mason to investigate a plot to overthrow the government.  He uncovered the involvement of Dog and several other superhuman former agents of the Chinese government (Gold, Horse, Monkey, She-Devil, Silver), all working for an unknown party.  Horse attacked Mason and was killed in the ensuing struggle.

Mason was next hired by Nick Fury to investigate similar events in the country of Costa Brava, in which another group of superhuman warriors, led by Black Metal, had taken over and ousted the US backed rightwing dictator.  

(Alpha Flight I#79 - BTS) - Before meeting the Scorpion at JFK International Airport, the Tinkerer saw his son off to Costa Brava.

(Agent GN) - Mason traveled to Costa Brava, where he rescued Victoria Maria Consuela and convinced her to rally the local resistance behind him.  He managed to take out Black Metal and all of his allies--Noise, Quota, Stealth, and Zapper--although not without being captured and tortured before escaping.

(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#1) - Mason helped install Javier La Brava, the rebel leader, as new leader of Costa Brava after reclaiming the nation's capital San Gabriel.

(Agent GN) - Mason's former sensei, Teng, revealed himself as the mastermind behind the various super-villain coups, funded by the Kingpin.  Teng attacked Mason, but the Agent killed him in combat.

(Cage I#13, 14) - Mason was captured by the criminal organization known as the Corporation.  His father, the Tinkerer, sought to coerce Cage and Dakota North into freeing them but also offered information on Cage's brother and father, who were also "guests" of the Corporation.  As the heroes broke into the facility, Mason broke free of his cell and participated in bringing down the organization.

(Spider-Man: Dead Man's Hand-BTS) - Mason was afflicted with the "zombie plague" spread by one of the incarnations of Carrion--this time with Dr. William Allen as the host.  Mason was taken to a SHIELD facility for intensive care.  The Tinkerer tried to coerce SHIELD to work harder, but he ended up in an "alliance" with Spider-Man in defeating Carrion.  Spider-Man provided information courtesy of the High Evolutionary that enabled them to cure the victims of the plague.

(Deadline#2) - The Tinkerer reported the death of his son--apparently at the hands of criminals released by Judge Hart.

(OHotMU 2006 A-Z#1) - After his apparent death, Mason's identity as the Agent became public knowledge.

(Punisher War Journal II#1 - BTS) - Rick's son died in Stamford, Connecticut when the super-villain Nitro exploded. He was in the fifth grade.

   Tinkerer, who still believed his son had died, visited a memorial service in Stamford for his grandson and the other children, who died during the incident with Nitro.

(Ms. Marvel II#33) - Rick received a letter that told him that "Ascension was in play" and that "Ghazi Rashid was alive". It gave him instructions to meet with someone at Michael Rossi's grave. There he met Carol Danvers and at first thought it was some kind of revenge plot for what he did to her years ago in Berlin, but it wasn't as she had received the same letter.

  After a while a limousine arrived and they were surprised when Michael Rossi was inside, who wanted their help to save the world.

(Ms. Marvel II#34) - Rick accompanied Carol when she picked up a spider tracer to lure Spider-Man to her.

(Ms. Marvel II#35) - With the info Carol got from Essential Mason found out everything Norman Osborn ever did including selling Ascension to Ghazi Rashid. Their discussion about the reason behind Osborn's deal with Rashid was interrupted by the news of a mass suicide of Church of Hala members in South Carolina. When Carol returned from South Carolina Mason had found out how Osborn got Ascension to Rashid.

(Ms. Marvel II#36) - On a plane Rossi informed Mason and Danvers about Rashid's recent activities including the murder of several crimelords to take over their syndicates. They flew to Hong Kong where Rashid had to show up to look for the syndicates' money. Mason caught Zhou Chao, vice president of the Victoria Banking Initiative, and brought him to Rossi. Chao's info led them to a party in Hong Kong where Rashid showed up. Rossi and Mason observed Carol approach Rashid and Mason was sure she was going to kill him instead of just observing Rashid.

(Ms. Marvel II#37) - Mason was shocked when he heard Rashid reveal that Rossi had been Vitamin. He saw Carol seemingly die in an explosion when she overloaded. Out for revenge Mason went to Rossi's location, but Rossi was gone and only left behind a bomb. Mason barely got out alive when the bomb blew up.

(Ms. Marvel II#37 - BTS) - Mason made a deal with Norman Osborn. In exchange for his father's freedom Mason wanted to kill Rossi for Osborn.

(Ms. Marvel II#37) - Mason found Rossi in a hotel in Rio de Janeiro and shot him while Rossi talked to Osborn over a laptop. Osborn then informed Mason that his father had been released. Mason then threatened to kill Osborn for Carol Danvers death.

Comments: Created by James D. Hudnall and John Ridgway.

In Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four#3 (September, 2008), the Tinkerer had two grandchildren, a girl and a boy. Presumably they were either Rick Mason's kids, or his niece and nephew.
--Loki

Thanks to Loki for pointing out Rick's additional relatives, including his late son.

Thanks to Grant Rybicki, the Continental Op, for pointing out the Alpha Flight issue.

Profile updated/edited by Kyle Sims

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connections to:

The characters from Agent GN get clarifications in their own entries.

images: (without ads)
Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent, Cover (main image)

Appearances:
Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent (1989) - James D. Hudnall (writer), John Ridgway (artist)
Alpha Flight I#79 (December, 1989) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts & Danny Fingeroth (editors)
Cage I#13-14 (April-May, 1993) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Scott Benefiel (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Chris Cooper (editor)
Spider-Man: Dead Man's Hand (April, 1997) - Roger Stern (writer), Darick Robertson & Dan Lawlis (pencils), Keith Aiken (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Deadline#2 (July, 2002) - Bill Rosemann (writer), Guy Davis (pencils/inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Punisher War Journal II#1 (January, 2007) - Matt Fraction (writer), Ariel Olivetti (artist), Axel Alonso (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#33 (January, 2009) - Brian Reed (writer), Adriano Melo (pencils), Mariah Benes (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#34 (February, 2009) - Brian Reed (writer), Paulo Siqueira & Adriano Melo (pencils), Amilton Santos & Mariah Benes (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#35 (March, 2009) - Brian Reed (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils), Serge LaPointe & Kris Justice (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#36 (April, 2009) - Brian Reed (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils), Serge LaPointe (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Ms. Marvel II#37 (May, 2009) - Brian Reed (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils), Serge LaPointe & Livesay (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)

First Posted: 09/07/2002
Last updated: 06/13/2009

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

All characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters