Samuel L. Jackson Really Wanted To Be In Black Panther

Nick Fury in the MCU

It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a serious hot streak. Every single movie in Phase Three has been both a critical and box office success, and its showing no signs of slowing down ahead of Avengers 4. One of the biggest hits from the current slate of films is Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, which made an insane amount of money, while also being a significant moment in pop culture. _Black Panther'_s cast was full of fantastic black actors, but there was a Marvel favorite noticeably missing: Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. Jackson has already expressed his disappointment with not being apart of Black Panther, and he's recently spoke out again, saying:

When they were making it, I kept saying, 'So, when do I go to Wakanda?' And they were like [shaking their heads no]. I was like, 'Nick Fury, can't I just walk down the street in Wakanda so they know that I know it's there?' Because I know it's there! Nick Fury knows every black thing that's on the planet, so he's gotta know about Wakanda. I wish I had been there. But I'm really, really pleased with the success of that film and how it worked out. Eventually, I may end up in Wakanda.

You've got to admit, he's got a point. Considering how cued into superheroic entities and powers Nick Fury is, it would stand to reason for the S.H.I.E.L.D. director to have intel on Wakanda and its Vibranium. Alas, there was 0 spotting of the cycloptic hero in Black Panther, to the dismay of both Samuel L. Jackson and the fans.

Samuel L. Jackson's new comments come from his recent appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show. When speaking with the acclaimed actor, Ellen mentioned how surprised she was that he didn't appear in Black Panther. Jackson concurred, while also expressing how excited he was that the blockbuster was such a massive success. Black Panther broke records, made history, and brought a previously lesser known character into the lime light. Since Jackson has been involved in the MCU since back in Iron Man, it makes sense that he'd want to be apart of such a big movie. Unfortunately, Nick Fury never popped up-- not even in a post-credits scene.

Nick Fury has been MIA throughout all of Phase Three, and was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There has been little mention of the character either, which is something fans haven't necessarily liked. He finally popped up again briefly in Avengers: Infinity War, and will have a significant role in the 90s set Captain Marvel movie.

You can catch Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.