Anna Daniels
On one hand, WGTC‘s report makes some sense. Nick Fury was originally scheduled to die in Avengers: Endgame, and Brand would make an excellent replacement for the superspy, especially as the MCU becomes increasingly focused on the cosmic side of the Marvel universe.
On the other, We Got This Covered isn’t entirely reliable — while the site sometimes produces some real scoops, it also publishes a lot of duds, and it’s hard to trust an anonymous source. It’s also difficult to imagine that Marvel would willingly part ways with Jackson. Not only is Nick Fury a cornerstone of the MCU, but Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most recognizable actors in the world (most of the time, anyway). By contrast, Abigail Brand is a fairly obscure character, and it’ll be hard for Marvel to find an actress who can match Jackson’s starpower.
There’s also the matter of timing. The Eternals, Shang-Chi, and many of Marvel’s Phase 4 TV series are already well into production (or were before the coronavirus pandemic hit). It’s not clear where Fury fits into any of those projects. In addition, Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s post-credit sequence hinted that Fury was going to have a major role in the MCU going forward, which would be odd if Marvel is planning to phase the character out.
And yet, Jackson isn’t getting any younger — the actor turns 72 this year — and he’s already been in a bunch of Marvel movies. Maybe he’s ready to hang the eyepatch up for good. For now, consider this one a big, fat rumor. Still, if Phase 4 does end up being Fury’s swan song, try not to act too surprised.
Written by: Looper
