The Evolution of Nick Fury

For the last decade, Samuel L. Jackson has commanded the big-screen portrayal of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury. Since we first met him in the post-credits scene of IRON MAN, Fury has been an enigmatic character in the MCU, but fans are finally about to get a glimpse into his origin in CAPTAIN MARVEL.

“We’re meeting Nick Fury at a very interesting time in his life,” producer Jonathan Schwartz said. “It’s kind of the mid-90s; the Cold War is over; the War on Terror hasn’t begun yet; it’s a little bit of a slow period for worldwide espionage; and I think Fury is kind of wondering what his place is in a world where he feels maybe a little obsolete. And then, aliens come down from outer space.”

In CAPTAIN MARVEL, half-human, half-Kree Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) gets captured by the shapeshifting Skrulls and brought to earth, where she meets Fury. He’s 30 years younger than we’ve seen him — sans eye patch — and not so jaded about the world.

“He hasn’t grown into his cynicism quite yet,” Jackson said, though Fury is skeptical of Danvers at first, questioning if she is what she appears to be. “Like most sane human beings with a job like that, you figure the next enemy is some other country or somewhere else. All of the sudden, he discovers something that we speculate about and now he knows it’s true that there are other beings in the universe, not just us,” Jackson said. “The next problem will be convincing everybody else that’s true.”

Over time, Fury and Danvers become compatriots, and “the two of them together kind of have to stop the Skrull plot on earth and at the same time get to the root of Carol’s past,” Schwartz said.

Though the film is focused on Danvers and how she becomes one of the most powerful heroes in the MCU, part of the storyline is dedicated to Fury and will answer some looming questions from other Marvel films, like why he paged Captain Marvel at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.

“I think what we’ll understand over the course of these movies is why Fury makes the decisions that he does,” Schwartz said. “He’s always a mysterious guy; he always has his own reasons.”

Despite his so-far secretive nature, Fury is a fan favorite, and Jackson has become synonymous with the role. “You take a job, and you hope you can inhabit a character in a specific way that creates excitement for the people who are sitting there watching it and that there’s something about that character that’s memorable, that they can take away,” Jackson said. “I tried to find a way to make him that citizen of the world, not just the United States, and I think it resonates with a lot of people.”

We can’t wait to meet young Nick Fury in CAPTAIN MARVEL when the film opens March 8. Keep checking back on the AMC Scene for updates.