It looks like Sam Jackson’s claim that Marvel might not want him back as Nick Fury was exactly what we thought it was: a negotiating tactic. Today Marvel announced that not only is Sam the Man signed to play Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.E.I.L.D., he’ll play the character in nine of Marvel’s upcoming films as part of an unprecedented, nine picture deal.

According to HR those nine movies will be: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and then The Avengers team-up movie which brings all of those superheroes together and which is itself, expected to spawn a series of sequels. Samuel L. Jackson will wear his Nick Fury eyepatch in every single one of them.

This was all kicked off by a single, momentary cameo at the end of Iron Man where Jackson showed up as the legendary secret agent character Fury and hinted at some broader plan for the superhero universe. Now that plan is something Marvel is delivering. If they pull this off, and if it’s any good, it’ll be a massive achievement. This is more than launching a single franchise or setting up a series of sequels, this is launching multiple franchises all at once, and tying them together into a single world. It’s never been done, and it’s up to Samuel L. Jackson to hold it all together.