House of Cards: Who Exactly Is the Mysterious Mark Usher?

House of Cards has long-revolved around Frank and Claire Underwood, but there's a new character added to the mix in season five: Mark Usher. He first appears in "Chapter 55," aka episode three of the new season. We've been immersed in this twisted world for a long time, so if Usher's appearance had you wondering if we'd met the character before, the answer is no — but he plays a big role in season five.

He is a newly appointed campaign adviser to Will Conway. According to Usher, Heather Conway pushed her husband to hire him, but we don't know exactly why she chose him. While Usher does appear to be helping Will, he also clearly has some dark ties in Washington. No biggie; so does everyone on this show. But as the season continues, Usher's relationship with Will sours.

If Usher looks familiar, it's probably because you've seen actor Campbell Scott before. He most recently played the recurring role Boris Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz on Royal Pains. You might also be recognizing him from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, in which he played Peter Parker's father. He was also in 2007's Music and Lyrics — obviously a very important, career-defining role.

There you have it!