Nick Fury actor Samuel L. Jackson recently revealed which original Avenger was the “most precious” to the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson — who currently stars as Nick Fury in Disney+ limited series Secret Invasion — was asked if he ever thought Marvel would give him the opportunity to show a more vulnerable side.
“I didn’t think it was a never. I just didn’t know where that would be or why that would be,” Jackson explained. “When Natasha [Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)] died, there was a place for it there, because she was the person who was closest to him. For Fury, the most precious person among all the Avengers was her. They had the best relationship.”
With Johansson’s Black Widow no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jackson shared how the franchise has shifted focus to his relationship with two other women: Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman).
“And when that [opportunity to show vulnerability] wasn’t a part of it, now we move into how he feels about Carol Danvers,” explained Jackson. “There’s something interesting about Nick Fury and the relationships he has with women in the MCU, as opposed to the guys. Even his relationship with Sonya is very different.”
Nick Fury Headlines Marvel’s Secret Invasion
Jackson first appeared as Nick Fury in the post-credits scene of the first MCU film — 2008’s Iron Man. The actor initially signed a nine-film contract with Marvel Studios to portray the character. However, he continued to appear as Fury through the next four phases of the MCU, with his most recent in the six-episode Disney+ limited series, Secret Invasion.
Based on the popular 2008 Marvel Comics storyline of the same name, which was written by Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Morales and Laura Martin, Secret Invasion follows Nick Fury as he “learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls.” The synopsis continues, “Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.”
New episodes of Secret Invasion debut on Disney+ every Wednesday until July 26.
