Marvel Officially Retires One of Its Most Iconic Heroes

One of Marvel's oldest, most iconic heroes is walking into the sunset of retirement. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Nick Fury has been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe ever since his debut in 1963's Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. However, he's undergone a radical makeover in the last decade-plus, becoming the "Man on the Wall" and The Unseen, replacing Uatu the Watcher. This year marks Nick Fury's 60th anniversary, and he officially passes the Nick Fury torch to his son, who has the physical presence of Samuel L. Jackson's character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Fury #1, on sale now.

Fury #1 comes from the creative team of Al Ewing, Scot Eaton, Cam Smith, Tom Reilly, Adam Kubert, Ramon Rosanas, Jordie Bellaire, and VC's Joe Caramagna. The story jumps from the present and the past, with the present-day story following Nick Fury Jr. on the hunt for S.C.O.R.P.I.O., and the past featuring Nick Fury Sr.'s first encounter with a person using the SCORPIO moniker. It all ties to the emergence of Zodiac keys, which Nick Fury Jr. and S.C.O.R.P.I.O. are after. 

Of course, Nick Fury Sr. orchestrated the entire mission to set up Nick Fury Jr.'s new status quo, which is essentially replacing him. Nick Fury Sr. is worn down from 60+ years of being an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., the "Man on the Wall," and The Unseen. On his moon base, Nick Fury Sr. takes the Zodiac key and opens "The Door of All Worlds," also called the "Junction to Everywhere," in order to take a much-needed vacation to the multiverse. This leaves Nick Fury Jr. the only Fury remaining in the main Marvel universe.

Is Nick Fury Reforming SHIELD?

There are a lot of plot threads to follow regarding Nick Fury and his role in the Marvel Universe. Along with alluding to getting "the band back together" in Fury #1, the finale of Marvel's recent Secret Invasion miniseries also teases Fury recruiting for a secret mission.

Before Secret Invasion #5 wraps up, Nick Fury gives Tony Stark a call regarding his team of heroic Skrulls. Tony cuts him off to say that the Skrulls aren't going to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or any other organization he's cooking up. While that's not what Nick had in mind, he does wonder if the Skrulls would like a job as official heroes saving the world, alluding to a heroic Secret Invasion on the horizon. Plus, when you add that Fury #1 said, "For more on the future of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., be sure not to miss Fantastic Four #7."

The final page of Fantastic Four #7 sees Maria Hill doing some recruiting of her own, asking Nick Fury if he's up for some "freelancing." We then see a folder with the words "Top Secret" on it, along with a new abbreviation for S.H.I.E.L.D. – Super Human Intelligence: Extra-Legal Division.

With the Disney+ Secret Invasion series dropping in June, it would appear Marvel Comics has some big plans for Nick Fury in the future.