Nick Fury's Absence In Civil War And Endgame Was Frustrating For Samuel L. Jackson
In a post-credits stinger at the tail end of Jon Favreau's 2008 film "Iron Man," the title hero returned home from a gala event to find Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) standing in his living room. He mentions that he would like Iron Man to join in something he calls the Avengers Initiative. Favreau has said in interviews that this moment was little more than a cute wink to fans of Marvel Comics and was by no means a declarative statement about future sequels. Favreau, as history played out, was eventually forced to make good on Nick Fury's promise, and, as of this writing, there have been 32 feature films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Avengers are, to offer a description, a freelance military force with access to untold wealth and weapons. They work for no nations and report to no one, although their leader wears an American flag and calls himself Captain America. Their job doesn't entail fighting ground wars but defending the planet from supernatural and extraterrestrial forces that, in this universe, tend to invade with alarming regularity. Nick Fury must have seen the cataclysms coming, as it was his idea to assemble the Avengers in the first place. The team wouldn't be recruiting members were it not for Nick Fury. Jackson has played Fury in 11 of the MCU films, counting brief cameos, and will soon be a central figure in the TV series "Secret Invasion." His insight into superhero team dynamics has been a vital part of the series from the start.
Some frustrated fans, then, may wonder why he didn't appear in "Captain America: Civil War" or more centrally in "Avengers: Endgame." Wouldn't his input be needed? In a new interview with Empire Magazine, Jackson expressed similar frustration.
The hardest thing about playing Nick Fury
When asked what was difficult about playing Nick Fury, Jackson was a little taken aback. He has become so used to playing the character, that he would rather be involved than not be involved. Jackson, 74, knew that his character was essentially the puppet master of the Avengers universe, and felt his character could have easily put the kibosh on some of the series' more complex stories. Notably, he definitely would have been present when various members of the superhero team split up into factions (over whether or not superheroes should answer to a government agency) and elected to wail on each other in an abandoned airport. That, for the uninitiated, was the central conflict of Anthony and Joe Russo's "Captain America: Civil War."
Jackson said:
"Sometimes it's the absence of Nick Fury that's hard for me. [...] I was trying to figure out where I was during 'Civil War,' when the kids were fighting and I wasn't there to say, 'Everybody go to your room.' Where was I during 'Endgame?' It's harder for me not to be there, than be there."
To be fair to the makers of "Endgame," Nick Fury had been erased from existence for several years before being resurrected by the Hulk. But, once resurrected, it seems that he would step in and ask his superhero crew for a report, help come up with a plan, and aid in the eventual unification of the hundreds of superbeings who charge into that film's action climax. As it stands, Nick Fury only makes a cameo appearance at Iron Man's funeral.
The future of Fury
As mentioned, Fury will be the lead character in "Secret Invasion," and will show the ultra-cool spy-adjacent super agent in action by himself for the first time. Fury, of course, may be finding that he can't continue to be a superhero forever, and may have to retire. For Jackson, that is bittersweet. He may not be able to play Fury as often as he would like moving forward, but he loves the fact that his character may finally be able to live a life outside of the wacky goings-on of a superhero universe. The actor said:
"I love playing him, and I love the fact that they're opening him up to all these other possibilities and this whole life that he has. [...] So hopefully I'm not done, and in this new phase of the MCU I'll still be floating in and out of there somehow, some way."
One might easily be able to picture a cameo from Jackson in whatever the 55th MCU film might be, appearing to give some sage advice, reminiscing about the fun he had with Captain America back in the day, and how often he's saved the Earth from infiltrating extraterrestrials. Also, if we're very lucky, he may share exactly how he was able to break into Iron Man's house so that he could recruit him for the Avengers in such a dramatic fashion. That may be one of the more exciting things about Nick Fury; he certainly has a flair for the dramatic.