Nick Fury: The Actor, the Story and What Happened to Him

Nick Fury is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., the spy agency that recruits, watches and sometimes argues with the heroes of the saga, and Samuel L. Jackson plays him. He is credited as Nick Fury in the cast lists, and in Iron Man (2008), directed by Jon Favreau, he appears uncredited in the post credit scene that first mentions the Avengers Initiative.

Why is Nick Fury so powerful? The films never give him a superhuman ability. His weight comes from position: he revives the Avengers Initiative in The Avengers (2012), and he decides when a group of strangers becomes a team. That makes him the franchise's clearest example of influence without a costume.

He appears in 11 films, in release order: Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2, Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (covered in the Spider-Man franchise) and The Marvels. In chronological order Captain Marvel (2019) comes second, because it is set in 1995, and Iron Man (2008) comes third, while release order puts Iron Man (2008) first. The full sequence sits in the Marvel movies in order guide, and the rest of the cast is on the Marvel characters index. For what comes next in the saga, see Avengers: Doomsday.

Nick Fury's closest bonds are professional ones, built on recruitment, trust and a lot of secrets kept for good reasons.

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel. Their partnership begins in 1995, when Fury and Vers learn together that she was once a human pilot, and it ends with the pager that brings her back to Earth in 2018. The pager is the reason the Avengers can call on her at all.

Steve Rogers / Captain America. Fury is the first person to explain the present to Rogers, and later hands him the flash drive that starts the Hydra crisis.

Tony Stark. Fury dangles the Avengers Initiative in front of Tony after the credits of Iron Man (2008) and later pulls him into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s orbit as a consultant.

Phil Coulson and Maria Hill. Coulson works beside Fury in Captain Marvel (2019) and The Avengers (2012), and his death is the turning point of the team's first movie. Hill stays at his side through the Mexico investigation in Spider-Man: Far From Home and the street scene in Avengers: Infinity War.

Talos. In Captain Marvel (2019), Talos poses as Fury's boss Keller before Fury works out the truth, and Fury learns the Skrulls are refugees. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, the post credit scene reveals that Fury and Hill are in fact Talos and Soren.

Alexander Pierce. The Hydra leader hidden inside S.H.I.E.L.D., and the man Fury shoots in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier finale.

Is Nick Fury the boss of the Avengers? He assembles them and names the initiative, but the team argues openly with him over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s weapons plans, and the films show them acting on their own judgment. Who is Nick Fury in love with? The plots of his 11 films do not give him a romantic partner. Does Nick Fury have children? None of those plots establishes a child for him either.

These are my picks, and they are opinion: the five Nick Fury scenes that do the most work for the saga.

The Iron Man (2008) post credit visit. In my opinion this is the single most important cameo in the saga. Tony returns home to find Fury waiting, and Fury tells him he is part of a bigger universe and mentions the Avengers Initiative. An entire interconnected series follows from that scene. It is the franchise equivalent of a pilot episode ending on a cliffhanger.

Times Square in Captain America: The First Avenger. Rogers runs into modern Times Square, and Fury tells him he has been frozen for almost 70 years. It is a calm, practical scene, and it shows Fury's usual method: explain the facts, then ask for help.

The ambush in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Fury is attacked by the Winter Soldier, hands over the flash drive and seems to die. It could be argued that this is his best action sequence, and the later reveal that he is alive keeps the pressure on the plot.

The distress signal in Avengers: Infinity War. As the dust spreads, Fury sends a signal rather than fighting it. Perhaps it is a small moment, but it shows that his first instinct is to call for help.

The pager in Captain Marvel (2019). Fury gives Carol a modified pager and names his initiative Avenger after her call sign. It reframes the whole series, because the Avengers idea starts with her. For newcomers, I would suggest starting with this film if you want to understand why Fury trusts Carol, then moving on to The Avengers (2012).