Top 10 Best Nick Fury MCU Moments

After the events of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” S.H.I.E.L.D.’s reputation is shattered and it remains uncertain if Fury will be able to restore the agency’s good name. Similarly, the Avengers find themselves in disarray when Ultron plots to destroy the world. With an army at Ultron’s disposal and a floating city ready to drop, the Avengers are prepared to go down fighting. Just when all hope seems lost, however, Fury pulls a Han Solo and provides some much-needed backup in a Helicarrier. This moment is triumphant on multiple levels. It’s a classic last-minute rescue that catches our heroes and the audience off-guard, but it’s also a sign that S.H.I.E.L.D. is back and better than ever.

Nick Fury has acted as something of a father figure to the Avengers. Considering that Tony Stark has his fair share of daddy issues, he needs Fury’s advice perhaps more than anyone. In a heart-to-heart with Iron Man, Fury discusses Howard Stark and his history with the Vanko family. More importantly, he talks about the expectations Howard had for his son. Despite not being the most affectionate or supportive father, Howard always knew Tony had the potential for greatness and would complete his life’s work. Fury leaves with the bombshell that Howard was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as a puzzle that only Tony can solve. Oh, and of course he can’t part ways without delivering a one-liner we were all waiting for.

While “Captain Marvel” is a Carol Danvers origin story, it also delves into the backstory of S.H.IE.L.D.’s future director. This amounts to a buddy picture that’s kind of like “48. Hrs.” with superpowers. Speaking of which, Fury is initially skeptical of Carol after seeing her in action. Carol isn’t exactly eager to place her trust in Fury either. Sitting down at a bar, Carol bombards Fury with a series of personal questions to determine if he’s a Skrull in disguise. We learn some fun facts about Fury, including that he can’t eat toast diagonally. Wait… could that mean the Fury in “Age of Ultron” is a Skrull? In any case, Fury convinces Carol, who proves she’s not a Skrull with a display of her powers.

Fury is mostly MIA throughout “Infinity War,” but he turns up with Maria Hill during a post-credits scene. When Thanos snapped his fingers, Wakanda and Titan weren’t the only places that saw mass casualties. As cars halt and helicopters crash, the snap spreads throughout the rest of the universe like the plague. When Hill disintegrates in front of him, Fury decides to break out the big guns. In the midst of turning to dust and almost dropping the f-bomb, Fury is given just enough time to transmit a distress signal to Carol. Even with this ray of hope, we can’t think of a more brutal cliffhanger. It has the essence of an apocalypse movie, but the rapture is a birthday party compared to this.

Nothing is ever what it seems in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” Even the film itself is a conspiracy thriller disguised as a superhero movie. Likewise, S.H.I.E.L.D. senior official Alexander Pierce is exposed as an undercover Hydra leader. This snake in the grass seemingly manages to kill Nick Fury, who had trusted Pierce as a friend and colleague. It’s Fury who gets the last laugh as he confronts Pierce, alive and well. Pierce still thinks that he has the upper hand, seeing how it takes two high-ranking members to unlock the database and Fury’s retinal scan was deleted. In the most badass way possible, Fury teaches Pierce that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Awakening in a retro hospital room after presumably making the ultimate sacrifice, it appears Steve Rogers might actually get a happy ending. Both Rogers and the audience can tell something is off, however, with an old radio broadcast being a dead giveaway. Coming to the realization that he’s on a 1940s set, Rogers finds himself in the center of modern day Times Square where Nick Fury awaits. It’s Fury who must break the news that Cap’s been sleeping for 70 years. Fury may technically be younger, but it’s Rogers who needs guidance as he steps into a brave new world. Cap isn’t ready to hang up the shield and costume yet, though, as Fury informs him that there are more wars left to fight.

During one of his talks with Cap, Fury briefly touches upon how he ended up with an eyepatch, although he doesn’t go into the nitty-gritty. When it was revealed that “Captain Marvel” would feature a young Fury and the Skrulls, many fans put two and two together. Fury trusted someone who was actually a Skrull and lost his eye in act of betrayal, right? Um… not exactly. Fury places his faith in a cat named Goose, which turns out to be a Flerken. Nevertheless, Fury still treats Goose like an adorable kitty, resulting in a blinding scratch. While we can see why some fans may consider this an anticlimactic explanation, it’s truly a hilarious twist that subverts expectations with an inspired bit of troll humor.

As the founder of the Avengers, Fury is the glue that holds these heroes together. The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. hit a low point when Agent Phil Coulson apparently dies during Loki’s escape. Making lemonade out of lemons, Fury uses Coulson’s “death” as a catalyst to assemble our feuding heroes. Coulson’s blood on Captain America’s cards is a powerful image, but it’s Fury’s words that get under Tony and Steve’s skin. Fury delivers a powerful speech about the idea behind the Avenger Initiative, which almost sounds like Kevin Feige’s pitch meeting for the MCU. Our heroes aren’t ready to let that idea die with Coulson, motivating them to avenge him. He may be missing an eye, but Fury has a gift for putting everything into perspective.

Even when he’s standing around talking, Fury is the coolest guy in the room. In “The Winter Soldier,” however, we get to see Fury in action like never before. Fury is one of those characters we always expect to be in control, which makes it all the more jarring when he’s ambushed and shot down by the Winter Soldier. As Fury lies motionless on a table and Natasha looks over his body, the stakes are raised to new heights. Fortunately, Fury isn’t quite dead yet. He merely faked his death in a plan to take down Hydra. Although it would’ve been an ambitious move to actually kill off Fury, this twist ultimately works to the story’s advantage and guarantees Fury’s reign of awesomeness isn’t over.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

This Packs a Pretty Good Punch
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (2013-)

Barn Talk
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)

Exit the Donut
“Iron Man 2” (2010)

Hijacking Peter’s Vacation
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019)

Interrogating Loki
“The Avengers” (2012)

Upon meeting Captain Marvel, Fury is inspired to create the Protector Initiative, which he promptly renames. Of course, Fury sits on this plan for about 13 years until Tony Stark announces to the world that he’s Iron Man. Sticking around until the credits completely roll has become an MCU tradition and it all started with this legendary stinger. Even if you had no idea who Nick Fury was, seeing Samuel L. Jackson pop up at the end of “Iron Man” was an epic surprise for everyone. Only the diehard Marvel fans truly understood the gravitas of this cameo, though. When Fury mentions the Avenger Initiative, comic book readers knew that they were in store for a cinematic universe that just might work.