Marvel's history is littered with some of the biggest names in Hollywood thanks to the MCU, one of those being Samuel L. Jackson. Currently boasting the longest career of any MCU actor, Jackson has played SHIELD director Nick Fury since 2008's Iron Man. Now, the legendary actor is prepping for his next confirmed MCU appearance in Secret Invasion, and he's also confirmed for 2023's The Marvels.
There is no question that Jackson is one of Marvel's heaviest hitters, and playing Nick Fury continues to bring him joy thanks to new interactions and thrilling new stories to tell. This comes on top of his iconic role as Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, who became a fan-favorite character even before his time starring in comic book movies.
Even with so many iconic movie franchises under his belt, one series that Jackson hasn't tackled at this point is the world of DC, which is expanding to new heights in its own right with the DCEU and more. However, when asked about that prospect recently, the longtime megastar wasn't exactly optimistic about the idea of taking a role with Marvel's biggest competitor.
Samuel L. Jackson Unsure About DC Role
During a live on-stage talk with Josh Horowitz, via The Happy Sad Confused podcast, MCU star Samuel L. Jackson expressed skepticism about taking on a role in a DC film.
When asked about his loyalty to Marvel in regards to moving to DC, Jackson wasn't sure that there was a DC script out there that would make him say something like "Yeah, this is dope!" He admitted this even while saying that he's been a comic book fan for a long time, particularly with DC:
Horowitz: “Would you ever do a DC film? Would you ever play for the other team? Are you too loyal to Marvel to consider if they call?”
Jackson: “Well, I mean, we’re all– actors are mercenaries. It’s kinda what we do, we act who we act for but… But I don't know that I’m going to read a DC script that’s gonna make me go, ‘Yeah, this is dope!’ ’cause you expect things to happen, because… I mean, I’m a comic book fan, so I’ve been reading comic books forever."
Jackson wasn't even a huge Marvel fan until seeing that the company used his likeness to help reboot Nick Fury, having grown up with DC most of his life. However, in terms of what DC has done on the big screen, he bluntly said that those movies didn't have their formula in place the way Marvel Studios does:
Jackson: "And truth be told, I don’t even read Marvel comic books… I kinda look at ’em, and when I discovered myself as Nick Fury, I just happened to see myself and [say], ‘What am I doing on this cover?’ And that was it, I put the book back… I read DC Comics my whole life, you know. We all came through Superman, Batman, Silver Surfer… Aquaman, I was a swimmer… I was all about DC. But I don’t know what the thing is about them cinematically…”
Horowitz: “They’re a little all over the place. Some work better than others. It’s just, Marvel has that real formula down.”
Jackson: “Sometimes.”
Horowitz: “Most of the time.”
Jackson: “Yeah, most of the time. We’ll go most of the time.”
Jackson Sticking With Marvel Over DC
Particularly since Warner Bros. kicked off the DC Extended Universe in 2013, fan reception to DC films has seen plenty of ups and downs. Although there are hits like 2022's The Batman and 2017's Wonder Woman, fans have also seen the comic company go through extreme difficulties with films such as 2016's Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Samuel L. Jackson admitted that being an actor ultimately means potentially taking on roles with different comic book franchises like Marvel and DC. He wouldn't even be the first, as fans have seen Ryan Reynolds play both Deadpool and Green Lantern; James Gunn is taking on the same challenge as a director with The Suicide Squad and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
In the end, Jackson simply doesn't see where he would fit into a DC movie unless the studio gets closer to mastering its methods of storytelling the way Marvel has. Whether DC Comics brings his likeness to one of its characters the way Marvel did with Fury is a mystery, but it doesn't seem likely right now that fans will see the man behind Fury moving to a DC role.
Jackson's next appearances as Nick Fury will come in 2023's The Marvels along with his own Disney+ series Secret Invasion. He's also rumored to reprise the role in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
