Samuel L. Jackson just had his Nick Fury origin story retconned thanks to a few lines of dialogue in Secret Invasion.
Ever since audiences met Fury at the end of Iron Man, he’s been at the top of the espionage food chain. But how exactly did he get there?
Not even his time in Captain Marvel, where he was still lower on the SHIELD totem pole, explained his rise to success.
When the recent Disney+ show arrived, the once legendary operative had become a shell of his old self.
Retconning Nick Fury's Origin Story
The third episode of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Secret Invasion saw the MCU slyly retcon Nick Fury’s origin in a substantial way.
This new information came from a scene between Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic character and Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos.
When Fury claims to have "been cleaning up [Talos’] poop for the last thirty-something years,” Talos quickly gets defensive.
The Skrull goes on to claim that Fury "didn't start ascending the ranks until [him] and 19 of [his] people signed on as [Fury's] invisible spy network:"
"When I came here in 1995, you were just a bench warming nobody in a dumpy field office in SHIELD... You didn't start ascending the ranks until me and 19 of my people signed on as your invisible spy network. You know, we fed you more dirt and intel than you could've uncovered on your own in a lifetime, so please."
While fans haven't known many details regarding Fury's rise to the top, audiences had no idea it was directly because of Skrull help.
Talos went on to bluntly declare how "every time [Fury was] promoted inside SHIELD," the Skrulls "did that:"
"I mean, every time you were promoted inside SHIELD, we did that. Every terror attack you prevented, we did that. Every enemy you sabotaged and ally you leveraged with dirt no one else in the world had access to, we did that. You're a smart and capable guy, Fury. Nobody questions that. But you gotta admit, your life got a hell of a lot more charmed once I came into it."
Fury's friend ended on a pointed note, telling him that the "least [he] could do is not rewrite history:"
"And do you know something? I don't even need to hear a bloody thank you from you. It was my pleasure, mate. Least you can do is not rewrite history when the guy who helped write it with you the first time is sitting right next to you."
Did Nick Fury Cheat?
It’s interesting to think how, back in the days of Iron Man, there were Skrulls skulking about, and audiences were none the wiser.
Just knowing how Fury utilized the Skrulls brings to mind a lot of questions and should make many fans curious to know how some of those stories played out. Some might even think that Fury cheated to get to where he is—a spot not truly befitting for him if his Skrull allies are the ones who did all the work.
Talos’ bitterness seems completely justified, given the information revealed by Secret Invasion’s retcon. Fury can be quite pompous and arrogant, which is why it looks like he’s been taking all the credit for work he simply delegated.
With how much the former director of SHIELD used the Skrulls for his own ends, it probably makes it sting all the more for those aliens not to have the home that was originally promised to them.
At least Captain Marvel didn’t aim to use them when she made her promise—it was Fury who attached those strings to the bargain.
Secret Invasion is now streaming on Disney+.
