How did Nick Fury become black in the mainstream Marvel comic books

Cafe Society
#1
  1. Yes, I know he’s black in the movies
  2. I know they want to cash-in on that by not confusing people who saw the movies and might pick up the comics, so I get the “Why” of it.
  3. I don’t mean the Ultimate Marvel universe where Nick’s always been black. I mean the main 616 Universe.

Because suddenly (to me, at least) Nick has become black, about 20 apparent years younger (he looked 55 or so, he now looks 30 or so), he’s gained a few inches in height (he’s now taller than Cap) his eye-patch is on the wrong eye, and he’s apparently back in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I assume it’s not an image inducer or something because blackface, even high-tech blackface isn’t really all that ok any more. Plus, there’s the eyeball-transplant.

He couldn’t be Fury’s son, because S.H.I.E.L.D. really shouldn’t work like a monarchy where the King’s long-lost heir appears and suddenly everyone moves down a notch in the hierarchy.

Skrull? If so, he’s not doing a very good job of looking like a 50-ish white guy with a patch on his left eye. You’d think people might notice.

A clone gone “wrong” (not that being black is wrong, but if a clone is an identical copy…fail)? A brain transplant? The “Kurt Busiek” explanation for anything that doesn’t make sense?*

Personally I’m guessing “Brain transplant”.

So Marvel zombies ( :wink: ) what’s the in-book story about how a 50-ish looking, 5’9-ish white guy with a missing left eye became a 30-ish looking 6’3-ish black guy with a missing right eye?

Sock it to me, true believers?

*It was a Space Phantom. Or Immortus. Or both.

#2

That is, indeed, Nick Fury, Jr.

#3

That’s where you’re wrong. That’s Nick Fury, jr, who was introduced just after Avengers came out.

#4

OK, there’s apparently something wrong with Wikia right now, so the links in Miller’s and my posts aren’t working, so here’s jr’s wikipedia page. (You can also find the page we were trying to link to by searching on Wikia.)

#5

Thanks for the info!

Wow, that’s just…sad. Bring the guy from the Ultimate Universe over if you want a black Nick Fury. Have Nick’s mind transferred into a black guy’s body if you want someone who acts just exactly how Nick acts but matches the movie version more closely.

But to have a “son” who, to a casual reader, is identical to dad’s personality (at least in the Bendis X-Book and one of the Avengers titles (not Secret Avengers) that I glanced through) is just…pathetic. And a little racist. Why is a (say) 30-something black guy talking and acting like a white guy who grew up in the 1930s?

And how’d he end up in charge of SHIELD? (Or was he in charge? I thought Maria Hill was the top SHIELDie?)

Or does he have his own personality and Bendis (and Hickman, probably) just got it wrong?

#6

Samuel L Jackson. 'Nuff said.

#7

+1

#8

He was bitten by Blade.

#9

Blade on one half of his neck, Blacula on the other.

#10

I pretty much agree with Fenris’ gripe. But it’s the Marvel universe: continuity isn’t that important to them.

They used to pay more attention. The various Spider-Man titles pretended to a mutual continuity. A story in PPSM would have a note, “This story happens before the story in ASM No. whatever.” But eventually, they just gave that the shucks. The various X-Men titles cannot be reconciled, and they’ve stopped even pretending. They might just as well all be in different universes.

It’s frustrating to the “true believer.” But it is very liberating to the writers! They don’t have to maintain an encyclopedic knowledge of every plot twist that ever happened. (Doctor Strange had a brother? Who became a Vampire? Oh, drat!)

I did love the bit in a S.H.I.E.L.D. comic where Fury and Hawkeye are arguing about whether “James Bond” is just a role that is filled by several different men. That’s comedy!

#11

He’s not in charge of SHIELD, Maria Hill (and occasionally Daisy Johnson) is. He’s the field leader of SHIELD’s “Secret Avengers” branch, which is a pretty good gig for a guy who was only hired a few month ago in Marvel time, but A) he’s being fast-tracked for Big Things in the agency and B) most SHIELD agents are shown to be pretty marginal in the ambition and balls departments lately, compared to the glory days.

Nick Jr. is routinely addressed as “Agent,” not “Colonel” or “Director.”

#12

Nothing to add to this thread but BUDDA BUDDA BUDDA

loved me some Nick Fury and Sgt. Rock back in the day

#13

I remember when I read the old Ultimate Spider-man, and it was so clear they wanted Samuel L. Jackson to play Fury in the movies. It must have been a decade later by the time they got their wish. Frankly, I was thrilled.

#14

Would YOU turn down Samuel L. Jackson???

#15

Not if I valued my continued existence.:wink:

#16

Chuck Norris watches Samuel L. Jackson movies and takes notes.