Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has become woven so tightly into the fabric of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it’s easy to forget how shocking his first appearance was.
Fans knew going into Iron Man that there was a surprise in store at the end of the credits, and audiences lost their minds when the beloved actor showed up rocking an eye patch and talking about the Avengers Initiative.
Since then, Jackson has gone on to reprise the role in… deep breath… Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Solider, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and What If…?, while he’s got The Marvels and Secret Invasion on the way.
Incredibly, it’s revealed in new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe via ScreenRant that there were no plans set in stone for Nick Fury after Iron Man, because the studio weren’t sure if anybody would even care all that much.
“[Jeremy] Latcham says they called Jackson and asked if he was still interested, and if so, would he do a cameo for them. ‘We didn’t have a deal with him for future movies,’ Latcham clarifies. ‘It was just this weird idea that maybe people give a sh*t if we stick it on the end’. Jackson agreed, and even if the scene didn’t amount to much at the time, the team at Marvel Studios decided it should remain as secret as possible to try and preserve a surprise for the hardcore comic fans who would get it right away.”
Shortly after the MCU’s first installment hit theaters, Jackson signed a nine-picture contract that he’s had to extend a couple of times more, and he’s unquestionably become the most important and influential supporting character in the franchise’s history.
