How Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury Lost His Eye In The MCU Vs. The Comics

Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury has become one of the most significant and recognizable characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Making his on-screen debut in the MCU's very first post-credits scene at the end of "Iron Man," Fury was introduced as the director of SHIELD and the mastermind behind the Avengers Initiative – the plan to bring together Earth's mightiest heroes in a team that could defend the planet against threats too powerful for any one superhero.

Jackson's Nick Fury, known for donning a large leather coat and an eyepatch, has appeared in 12 MCU movies to date, as well as "Agents of SHIELD" and the Disney+ series "Secret Invasion." As the ultimate spy and a man of mystery, much of Nick Fury's backstory was initially shrouded in secrecy. However, as time has gone on and his story has been developed across the MCU, more has been revealed of how Nick Fury became the SHIELD director MCU fans know and love.

While "Secret Invasion" illuminated much of Fury's past and his personal life, it was "Captain Marvel" that explored his origins in SHIELD. This movie also revealed the answer to one the biggest questions fans had about Fury – how did he lose his eye? However, the MCU's explanation for this distinctive injury differed drastically from the explanation given in Marvel's comics.

When he made his comic book debut, Nick Fury was not the high-flying, superhero-wrangling Director of SHIELD fans know him as today. The character was originally introduced as Sgt. Fury in the comic "Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos," a comic set in World War II. The series saw the debut of the Howling Commandos, who would later appear in the MCU in "Captain America: The First Avenger."

Throughout Fury's WWII appearances, he was seen without his eyepatch. In his first "modern day" appearance, in 1961's "Fantastic Four" #21, he was also missing the patch, but it appeared soon after in 1965's "Strange Tales" #135, which introduced SHIELD to the Marvel Universe. The explanation was given in "Sgt. Fury" #27.

The comic revealed Fury had sustained an eye injury during WWII, while repelling a grenade thrown at the Howling Commandos by a cornered German soldier. Fury saved his men, but the explosion harmed his eye, leaving him in need of an operation to save his sight. Unwilling to be out of action for a year as the operation would require, Fury refused, leaving the doctor to simply do the best he could. This restored Fury's sight for a time, but his eye would eventually deteriorate, leaving him wearing an eyepatch years later.

Nick Fury's WWII origins did not play a part in the MCU, so fans of the movies were likely not expecting to see a similar origin for the eyepatch worn by Samuel L. Jackson's version of Fury. However, there was an expectation that Fury would lose his eye in similarly dramatic and heroic circumstances in the MCU. When "Captain Marvel" finally revealed how Fury lost his eye, fans were taken by surprise, as the movie opted for a more comedic explanation.

"Captain Marvel" saw Nick Fury teaming up with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and the alien Skrulls in a fight against the Kree. Along the way, Fury met Goose – seemingly an innocent house cat, but in reality, a Flerken. Though they resembled cats, Flerkens were a far more dangerous species, capable of eating humans whole and possessing particularly dangerous claws. While Fury was holding Goose, she scratched him in the eye. Despite Fury's later claims that his eye was getting better, Danvers knew the wound wouldn't heal.

At the end of "Captain Marvel," it was revealed that Fury never shared the true story of how he lost his eye, allowing rumors it had been wounded in battle against the Kree to flourish. He also turned down the option of replacing the damaged eye with a false one, instead opting for his now iconic eyepatch.