Most of the original Avengers have had their futures discussed or confirmed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there’s one that Marvel has unfortunately been ignoring. The MCU first brought the Avengers together at the end of Phase 1, with the original Avengers team comprising Tony Stark’s Iron Man, Steve Rogers’ Captain America, Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, and Bruce Banner’s Hulk. It could be argued that the Avengers was rounded out with a formidable seventh member, but this character has recently been neglected by the MCU.
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While only half of the original Avengers team’s members are still kicking in the MCU, all of them have had their future discussed. The secret seventh member, however, has been ignored by Marvel Studios after some recent appearances in disappointing projects, but this iconic Marvel hero deserves a lot more attention and redemption in the MCU’s future, especially with someone as legendary as Samuel L. Jackson in the role. It would be great to see Nick Fury have a role in the future of the MCU, but Marvel’s silence has made us nervous.
All the Original Avengers Have MCU Futures Except Nick Fury
It’s shocking that Nick Fury has not be involved in Marvel Studios’ conversations about the future of the MCU. Fury, the former Director of SHIELD, has been a huge cog in the MCU machine since the very beginning, as he first approached Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the post-credits scene of Iron Man in 2008. It was Fury who pushed the MCU’s early heroes to band together as the Avengers, with the team being his brainchild after his experience with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) in 1995, so he could be considered the team’s seventh member.
Marvel’s omission of Fury is especially unusual as all the other Avengers have had their futures discussed. We’ll see Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in Avengers: Doomsday, while Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) has been speculated to be getting Hawkeye season 2. Doctor Doom’s MCU debut must connect to Tony Stark somehow, and variants of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) have been rumored to appear, while the legacy of the Black Widow will also continue, as Scarlett Johansson is still working with Marvel on a secret project. Nick Fury’s future, conversely, is unfortunately uncertain.
Why is Nick Fury Being Ignored By Marvel Studios?
Nick Fury has been one of the most prominent characters in the MCU ever since the start of the franchise, so it’s unbelievable that Marvel is comfortable just forgetting him. Of course, Fury’s recent excursions in the MCU haven’t been the most successful projects in the franchise, as Secret Invasion quickly became one of Marvel’s lowest-rated projects in 2023, and The Marvels followed suit by performing poorly at the box office. Even so, these projects were victims of Marvel’s pre-creative changes following 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, meaning future stories involving Nick Fury would likely be better.
The development of Daredevil: Born Again pushed Marvel Studios to change how their TV shows are made, but this was well after Secret Invasion had already hit Disney+. The overwhelmingly bad reception to Secret Invasion may have caused Marvel to sideline Fury, even though his appearance in The Marvels—which received good reviews despite a lack of a strong box office turnout—was more celebrated. Given his importance in the MCU’s history, and despite his recent lackluster appearances, we are desperate to see Samuel L. Jackson return as Nick Fury.
What Role Could Nick Fury Have in the MCU’s Future?
While it’s pretty unlikely we’ll ever get a follow-up to Nick Fury’s first solo adventure in the MCU, Secret Invasion, there are many places the former Director of SHIELD could return. The most convincing options would be in the Russo brothers’ upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. So far, 27 actors are confirmed to be reprising their former roles in Doomsday, including Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, but Jackson is not one of them. There has been speculation that many more characters could join this first batch, and we would love for Nick Fury to be among them.
It would perhaps make sense that Nick Fury could be in liaison with the MCU’s upcoming X-Men team, could be involved in Marvel’s troubled Blade reboot, and could even help acclimatise Earth 828’s Fantastic Four in the MCU’s main continuity. Nick Fury is part of some of Marvel Comics’ biggest events that haven’t yet been adapted to the MCU, including Siege, Dark Reign, Original Sin, and more, eventually becoming “the Unseen,” taking over Uatu the Watcher’s role of watching Earth and alternate universes. This would be a shocking and transformative future for Nick Fury in the MCU, but the possibilities with the character are endless, so we hope Marvel stops ignoring him.
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