The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a behemoth force in the entertainment industry, but it was a pretty big risk for those involved in the early stages of Phase One. That includes Samuel L. Jackson, who debuted as Nick Fury in Iron Man’s iconic post-credits scene. And while he’s appeared in a number of TV and film projects, there’s one Marvel movie that Jackson is kinda annoyed Fury didn’t show up in.
Nick Fury’s presence in the MCU has been an interesting one, as he serves as a connective thread for a number of franchises— even if some appearances are mere cameos. But Samuel L. Jackson still has a few projects that he’s upset about not appearing in. That includes The Russo Brothers’ Captain America: Civil War, as she shared during THR’s drama actor roundtable,
A down moment for you is an up moment. But all those things are there and you have an opportunity to do it, and they give you that leeway to feel your way into that. Once they see you and know who you are, that gives everybody an opportunity to come and bring a personality. That was the thing about the Avengers movies, they all had different personalities and they were able to blossom once we got through the initial film. The initial film was to introduce these people to who they are and these are the things they can do. Now, this is how they interact and they’re not all nice. And I fussed at them, I still fuss at them, about Civil War because I’m like, ‘How could the kids fight and Nick Fury not show up?’ Like, ‘What’s going on here? Everybody go to your room.’ But they didn’t need me for that. They did, but they didn’t.
I mean, he’s got a point. Nick Fury is the man who assembled the Avengers, and has a personal relationship with so many of the MCU’s heroes. And as such, Samuel L. Jackson thinks his cycloptic hero should have popped up in Captain America: Civil War, at least to try and quell the internal drama happening within Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Although if he did perhaps we’d never get to that iconic tarmac fight.
But in the end that’s not how things went down. A few characters were noticeably absent from the action of Captain America: Civil War, including Nick Fury, Hulk, and Thor. But it sounds like Samuel L. Jackson would have loved to be in the first installment of Phase Three. In the end he’d only have a major role in Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home. We’ll just have to wait and see how much he factors into Phase Four.
Of course, Captain America: Civil War isn’t the only Marvel movie that Samuel L. Jackson has lamented not being a part of. He wishes that Nick Fury was included in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, so he might be present for that groundbreaking project. But perhaps he’ll show up in Wakanda in a future project.
Fans who have been waiting for more of Nick Fury will get their wish when the Secret Invasion series premieres on Disney+. We should presumably get more information about his time in space, and the cosmic battles waged since Captain Marvel. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
