Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday might be a little bit further away from releasing than we originally thought, but that doesn't make it any less anticipated. The upcoming juggernaut of a film is set to act as the beginning of the end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga, setting the stage for the grand finale in its own sequel Avengers: Secret Wars. The franchise has been here before when Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame brought an end to the record-breaking Infinity Saga. There is no reason to think that the MCU won't find similar levels of success here.
Although nothing will come close to the groundbreaking buzz that those films generated, the studio is going all out to recreate as much of that buzz as possible, as Avengers: Doomsday boasts a star-studded cast, featuring legends from not just the MCU but previous Marvel franchises like the X-Men movies. That allows for crossovers we've never before and a whole lot more epic multiversal moments.
That said, there was one major name absent from that cast list that was released just a few short months ago, and a new report claims that Marvel fans needn't be worried as they will appear in the film as one its many surprises.
Samuel L. Jackson will be back as Nick Fury in Avengers: Doomsday, according to reports
According to industry insider Alex Perez, Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury in Avengers: Doomsday. Perez took to social media to simply say that they are "Hearing Fury's back for" the upcoming MCU movie, immediately resulting in excitement from fans who were hoping to see the legend back on our screens in the near-future. This comes as another insider, James Mack, reported that he heard Jackson recently filmed a scene for Doomsday alongside Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan - both of whom are confirmed to appear in the movie.
Jackson is one of Hollywood's biggest legends, but he's also the longest-standing actor to play the same character in the MCU, appearing in the franchise as early as its first installment - Iron Man in 2008. Although that movie's star, Robert Downey Jr., will also return in Avengers: Doomsday, he will be playing the movie's villain (Doctor Doom) and not the character he originally played in the franchise (Iron Man). Therefore, Jackson's Nick Fury is currently the longest-standing actor/character in the franchise.
He most recently appeared in two of the Multiverse Saga's most infamous titles - both of which came in 2023. The Disney Plus series Secret Invasion gave him the starring role that everyone had been waiting to see him have, but it was also the worst-received MCU project of all time, earning criticism for its controversial decisions, poor pacing, questionable CGI, and eyebrow-raising creative choices. His subsequent appearance in film The Marvels may have came in a better movie, but that outing ended up becoming Marvel Studios' first ever box office flop.
With that in mind, it will be great to see Jackson's hero back where he belongs - amidst the Avengers spouting one-liners and potentially even barking orders. Recent projects haven't made the most of him and his role has clearly been reduced over the years, but there is no denying that Nick Fury is part of the very fabric of the MCU - it wouldn't feel right to have an Avengers movie without him.
He won't be the only original Marvel star appearing in the film if the reports turn out to be true, for his fellow Phase One cast members Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Sebastian Stan are among the many stars confirmed to appear (alongside the returning RDJ). The question is: Will the reports turn out to be true and, if they are, what kind of role will the former SHIELD director have to play? The even bigger question: Is it December 2026 yet?
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