Samuel L. Jackson Is Nick Fury Because Marvel Stole His Face
Marvel drew Nick Fury as Samuel L Jackson in the Ultimates comic six years before he appeared in Iron Man.
Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury is undoubtedly one of the most crucial components of the MCU. Not only was Fury the director of SHIELD, but he also brought the Avengers together, starting with a surprise cameo appearance way back in 2008’s Iron Man. And it all happened because Bryan Hitch decided to model his version of Fury after Jackson’s likeness in the 2002 comic The Ultimates #2.
While most movie fans are familiar with Samuel L Jackson‘s portrayal of Nick Fury, comic fans before 2002 likely remember a very different version of Fury. The character was introduced in 1963 as a white World War II veteran with two eyes (not for long) and a cigar usually in his mouth. By stealing Jackson’s face, Marvel was able to make an already well-loved character even more iconic.
Samuel L Jackson, a self-confessed comic-book fan (although maybe not to the level of his Mr. Glass character), was a fan of Nick Fury but was pretty surprised when he noticed his face in the comic book store. At the time, Jackson said, “It was kind of weird,” adding, “I just happened to be in a comic store, and I picked up the comic because I saw my face.” When Jackson approached Marvel about the similarities, he got a response in the vein of, “Yeah, we are planning on making movies, and we do hope you’ll be a part of them.” (via Hero Complex)
The comic book didn’t even try to hide the fact that Samuel L Jackson was the inspiration for the new version of Nick Fury, as one panel saw the characters talking about who would play Fury in a movie, to which Fury replied, “Why, Mister Samuel L Jackson, of course.” Clearly, Jackson took the homage well, as we now have multiple movies where he perfectly brings Fury to life. And the MCU is all the better for it.
While Samuel L Jackson has been featured as Nick Fury prominently in films like The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Solider, and Captain Marvel, he’s about to get his due as the front-and-center star of a Disney+ show. The Secret Invasion series will follow Fury as he tries to diplomatically quell a Skrull rebellion that has infiltrated the upper echelon of the MCU. The series will also star Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Cobie Smulders, Christopher McDonald, Carmen Ejogo, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Killian Scott, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle.
Disney will hopefully continue to bring Samuel L Jackson back to play Nick Fury. His character often serves as the glue to the franchise, and it definitely wouldn’t be the same without him pulling strings from somewhere behind the scenes. We should really get to see a new side of Fury when Secret Invasion comes to Disney+ on June 21.
Along with Secret Invasion, we’ll also get to see Samuel L Jackson return as Nick Fury in the upcoming MCU film The Marvels. The Marvels follows Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau as they start mysteriously switching places every time they use their powers. The Marvels also stars Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon and will be hitting theaters on November 10.
