MCU's Nick Fury Is Basically Gandalf, Marvel Says

Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the franchise's most recognizable figures. He made his debut in 2008's Iron Man in a post-credits scene and has featured in many MCU films over the years after that. Discussing Iron Man for its 15th anniversary, director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige reflected on the history of Fury and how he was originally referred to as a Gandalf-like character.

"You described Nick Fury early on... you described him as Gandalf," Feige said to Favreau.

But how is Fury similar to the wise wizard from The Lord of the Rings? Feige said Fury is similar to Gandalf because he appears whenever he is needed, and usually with some instruction about what to do next.

"He would appear, when needed, with answers," Feige said of Fury. "And I always thought that was a very smart idea for Fury."

Fans of Nick Fury will see more of him in the Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, which releases in June.

Iron Man was the first entry in what is now known to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The full interview with Feige and Favreau is a great watch that includes a number of fascinating stories and anecdotes about the making of the film that started it all. Among other things, it's revealed in the video that Robert Downey Jr. was actually close to playing Dr. Doom before he signed on to instead play Iron Man in a role he would become incredibly famous for.

The latest MCU movie was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which released earlier this month. The next is The Marvels in November, followed by Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts in 2024.