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Is there any franchise more perfect for internet speculation than the Marvel Cinematic Universe? We’ve just begun Phase Three of Marvel’s plan to dominate all of pop culture, and every new addition to the MCU has brought with it a host of new fan theories. However, there’s one movie and show spanning universe we need to talk about today — Nick Fury’s second job.
Nick Fury, the high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. director and head of the Avengers initiative, is portrayed in several movies by Samuel L. Jackson. However, according to one fan theory, Jackson’s casting is more than just the MCU adding an iconic badass to its roster. It’s possible that in the MCU, Nick Fury has an alter ego and a successful film career — as Samuel L. Jackson.
WHAT’S THE THEORY?
According to one Reddit theory, Samuel L. Jackson — yes, the beloved movie star — is a persona that Nick Fury uses to operate in high-profile missions. Basically, Fury would be the fictional version of Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Fury’s movie star status would allow him to travel around the world for missions, get into some of the most exclusive venues, and generally be even more awesome than we already thought he was. If there’s one person more awesome than Nick Fury, it’s Samuel L. Jackson.
WHY IT’S NOT THAT CRAZY
Marvel movies and TV shows are typically packed with nods to their source material and actors. In order for Need-a_username’s theory to hold water, we have to assume that the allusions to Samuel L. Jackson’s filmography are more than just winking references to the real-life actor. They’re actually clues connecting Fury to his movie star alter ego.
Jackson’s other roles are actually referenced a few times in both the MCU and in Marvel’s television series. Most recently, after the shootout at Pop’s barbershop in Episode Two of Marvel’s Luke Cage, Tone (Warner Miller) tells Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) about what he did, saying, “Nah brah, I lit that shit up like the Fourth of July. It was some Django, candy land shit, for real. Lights, camera, action, baby. Somebody call Quentin!” The exchange is a clear reference to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, establishing that Tarantino films exist in Luke Cage’s universe. And what name is constantly connected to Tarantino? Samuel L. Jackson.
A second reference to Jackson’s filmography happens in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In Cap’s second movie, Nick Fury’s grave is decorated with the fake Biblical quote Jackson’s character Jules says in Pulp Fiction, reading “Ezekiel 25:17. The path of the righteous man … “ According to this theory, these references aren’t nods to the real-life actor but clues about his alter ego. It makes sense in a way. Movie stars are granted more freedoms than regular citizens, and Fury’s extensive training as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative would surely leave him more than equipped to be an award-winning actor. It also answers another question about Fury — why is Nick Fury so similar to his real-life counterpart and so many other Jackson characters? It’s because they’re all the same person in the MCU universe.
WHY IT’S QUESTIONABLE
The more likely explanation for those winking references is that Marvel likes to reward its loyal nerds. Part of the fun of watching Marvel movies is figuring out each installment’s smart tongue-in-cheek nods to other franchises. They typically don’t mean anything other than it’s fun to see Stan Lee in everything and that the Russo brothers really like the song “Daybreak.” However, the greatest thing about this theory is that there’s not really any way to disprove it.
We all know that Fury is a busy guy, but we have no idea what his day-to-day life looks like. Maybe after his week of intergalactic hell, he went off and filmed The Hateful Eight. Maybe being pampered in a trailer is the closest thing to a vacation the overworked Fury will tolerate. There are so many secrets in the MCU that we will never be able to fully understand. There’s no reason why Nick Fury’s mysterious, highly successful film career shouldn’t be one of them.
