Almost nobody is more synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe than Samuel L. Jackson, who's played the role of Nick Fury since 2008's Iron Man. By 2023, he'll have 13 appearances in the long-standing series with his roles in Secret Invasion and The Marvels, although his future after those two entries is still unknown.
The last fans saw of Fury was when Talos impersonated him during Spider-Man: Far From Home before the movie's post-credits scene showed the real Fury in some kind of Skrull research facility. He's set to return to Earth in Secret Invasion as he and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos try to locate rogue Skrulls that have infiltrated Fury's home planet - part of that story coming without his classic eye patch as well.
His role in The Marvels is less clear as he reunites with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, and after that, there are no signs pointing to where the former director of SHIELD will go after next year. Ahead of his first live-action project in four years, however, Jackson teased what fans should expect to see from the longtime Marvel character.
Samuel L. Jackson on His MCU Future
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson teased what the future holds for Nick Fury in the MCU.
Speaking about his time on Secret Invasion, Jackson hinted that there will be both an "evolution of his story" along with a "devolution of his story" as he learns more about Fury than he ever has in the past. Specifically, the actor looks forward to tackling "something other than the badass-ery of who Nick Fury is" in his next pair of MCU entries after the Infinity Saga:
"There are things that even I really didn’t know about Nick Fury that I just found out, that the minds behind what happened during the Blip are fantastic. That’s part of what we’re uncovering when we do this series now. The place that Nick Fury is in, the evolution of his story, or the devolution of his story, as maybe we wind it down or maybe we crank it up. It’s kind of hard to tell. But, giving me an opportunity to explore something other than the badass-ery of who Nick Fury is. I’ve had a good time doing that, and I’m looking forward to people sharing that aspect of who he is when this series does happen."
The full video can be seen below:
.@SamuelLJackson knows something we don't... Here's what the actor had to say about the future of his #MCU character Nick Fury. 👀
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 16, 2022
Listen here for more from our #Awardist podcast: https://t.co/zQJmNf3LEh pic.twitter.com/fs5BXfvrZI
What Will Sam Jackson Tackle in Upcoming MCU Projects?
After such an extended tenure within the MCU, Samuel L. Jackson will play the headlining role for the first time with his work in Secret Invasion. That alone will provide an opportunity to expand on Fury's backstory, particularly with Jackson noting how it will explore more than the character being simply a badass.
While he may not get that kind of in-depth storytelling in The Marvels, with the movie focusing on its three leading women, seeing it on Disney+ ahead of this movie will help fans understand him more as he returns to the big screen.
With all that being said, there is still plenty of mystery surrounding Jackson's hero, who has a longer history than anybody else in franchise history both as an actor and as a character within the MCU. Once he gets closer to returning to the small screen, more of those details will become clearer, especially with his Disney+ show being such a mysterious new outing already.
Samuel L. Jackson will make his way back to the MCU in both next year's Secret Invasion and The Marvels.
