Although he may not be as flamboyant as the members of the superhero team he helped form, there’s no arguing that the lynchpin of the first two phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the author of The Avengers Initiative himself, Nick Fury. And while the character hasn’t been as omnipresent in the last or current phase, he’s set to come roaring back as the principal star of the upcoming Secret Invasion. But will it be Fury’s swan song in the MCU?
Reddit user cinemajax recently posted that they’re dreading the character’s final appearance in the MCU whenever that may be. They note that Jackson was and continues to be the perfect choice to play Fury, saying that he “knocked it out of the park every time.” But they also allow that Jackson’s tenure in the franchise seems to be heading to its inevitable close.
Jackson will be 74 years old when Secret Invasion premieres on Disney Plus. And while the actor looks as spry as he did when he first emerged from the shadows in the post-credits scene of 2008’s Iron Man, he’s now well over the mandatory retirement age for the U.S. armed forces, the FBI, and the CIA, in some cases by over a decade. And although he’s played a younger version of himself in 2019’s Captain Marvel with the help of some CGI magic, it’s inevitable that he’s going to get beyond the point of leading field missions in the next few years.
Some users responded that Jackson will probably end up playing the part as long as possible but only return for certain cameos.
But many users argue that once Fury leaves the MCU, the franchise will do what it continues to do — move forward. After all, if the MCU can exist without Tony Stark or Steve Rogers, it will no doubt survive the absence of even Nick Fury.