A new day is dawning for Marvel Studios, one that will bring mutants to the forefront. As in the franchise's early days, the MCU will need a figure to serve as a beacon for remarkable people across the universe, guiding them to become something more. Of course, Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, filled that role in Phase 1 and beyond.
SHIELD took it upon itself to make sense of all the unexplainable events on Earth. In Iron Man, Phil Coulson attempted to debrief Tony Stark about how he escaped his imprisonment and helped clean up the mess left behind by the titular hero's fight with Iron Monger. And in Thor, Coulson stumbled upon the hammer that fell from the sky and came face-to-face with the Asgardian Destroyer. Fury pulled all those strings, keeping tabs on individuals he thought would be good fits for the Avengers Initiative.
When Fury's worst fears became reality in The Avengers, he was prepared, calling on Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to fight the battle that he knew humanity couldn't. The result was an overwhelming success, and Fury kept returning to that well in subsequent projects. At a certain point, he didn't even have to provide any motivation; Earth's Mightiest Heroes would just assemble and get the job done.
Those days are long gone, though, and Fury has been less and less present as the years have gone on, potentially because Jackson is getting up there in age. It seems as if it's time for Marvel Studios to start building up his replacement as the beginning of the Mutant Saga closes in. The gig is a thankless one, but there are plenty of worthy candidates who can fill in and do as good a job as the former director of SHIELD.
MCU Characters Who Can Take Over for Nick Fury in the Mutant Saga
Black Widow
When Fury was lost in the Blip, one of his proteges, Natasha Romanoff, stepped up and helped organize peace efforts across the galaxy. Sadly, she lost her life in Avengers: Endgame, once again leaving the MCU's heroes between a rock and a hard place. Natasha wasn't the only member of her family with the leadership gene, though.
Yelena Belova, who became a member of the New Avengers in Thunderbolts*, proved that she has what it takes to be the new Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The titular hero came to her with a problem, and she helped him sort it out. Yelena can offer the same service to mutants in the future, so long as her meeting place remains open.
Spider-Man
Peter Parker learned a lot from his mentors, including Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Fury himself (or, at least, Talos posing as the spy). But now Spider-Man is in his solo era and ready to take heroes under his wing. In Brand New Day, he crossed paths with a powerful telepath named Jean Grey, who picked a fight with the Department of Damage Control. Peter eventually realized that Jean was the victim in a terrible scheme and helped her evade capture.
Allowing Jean to secure the future her sister never got will surely put Peter in the X-Men's good graces. However, his work on the inhibitor chip could mean he'll move two steps back once the DODC realizes what the device is truly capable of. The only way to get ahead of the problem is for him to band the MCU's mutants together and take the fight to those who wish to do them harm.
Ms. Marvel
The last time Kamala Khan appeared on screen was at the end of The Marvels, when she paid Kate Bishop a visit and set the stage for the arrival of the Young Avengers. But that tease has yet to go anywhere, meaning a pivot could be coming sooner rather than later. Kamala's Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel, confirmed she's a mutant, a fact Marvel Studios is unlikely to ignore.
Whether as the leader of the Young Avengers or an X-Man, Kamala can act as a bridge between two heroic worlds, ensuring that Earth's Mightiest Heroes and mutants are on the same page when threats arrive. It's a role she was born for, given her bubbly personality and all-around good attitude.
Wolverine
No one has ever accused Wolverine of being a team player. Deadpool & Wolverine more or less confirmed that, in every universe, Logan prefers to be on his own. But it's impossible to gloss over his ability to rally the troops. People flock to him because he knows how to handle himself in a fight.
Whether Wolverine likes it or not, he's the perfect person to take over for Nick Fury. And adding fuel to the fire is the fact that he travels the world and interacts with all sorts of colorful characters. The only real hiccup in his candidacy is whether Marvel Studios will be ready to move on from Hugh Jackman, another older actor, any time soon.
Professor X
The Fox X-Men franchise had its own version of Nick Fury, Professor Charles Xavier, who searched the globe for mutants to bring to his school. While not every recruitment pitch succeeded, he saved many young men and women from persecution by offering them a safe place to learn and train.
The MCU could take the same approach with its version of Professor X, played by Christopher Abbott. He'll get to work in Jake Schreier's X-Men film, but he doesn't have to stop there. The powers that be at Marvel Studios can have him pop up in other projects and keep adding to his group of remarkable mutants.
