How One Week Changed The Marvel Cinematic Universe Forever
There once came a day like no other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes all popped up around the same time, and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) made the necessary call to gather them together for a good old-fashioned scrap. A thunder god had a family spat to sort out, a billionaire playboy philanthropist traveled through an interspace portal, and a scientist revealed that as chill as they seemed, they were, in fact, always angry. While this is undeniably an essential day in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it all came from Nick Fury having a massively busy single week that stands as the crucial point in the MCU timeline.
As you might recall, Tony Stark's bout with Whiplash in "Iron Man 2," Bruce Banner's Harlem throwdown in "The Incredible Hulk," and an immovable hammer appearing in New Mexico in "Thor" all took place across a mere seven days. As the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time, Fury had to keep tabs on all of it, forever changing the universe he was a part of in the process. After all, if he hadn't had such a busy week, Thanos would have likely succeeded in his quest to murder half the galaxy.
Known as "Fury's Big Week," this incredible slot on the calendar was laid out in a comic book series that detailed the events that led up to "The Avengers." It even became a plot point in an episode of the animated anthology series "What If...?" This episode demonstrates just how essential the week was and shows that had it not come to pass, the world of super soldiers and webslingers would've fallen into ruin.
What If..? proved just how important Fury's week was
In "What If...?" Season 1, Episode 3, "What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" Fury is shown doing his legendary runaround in order to gather these powerful champions together. Unfortunately, in this reality, his attempt is thwarted by a murderous Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who kills off the heroes before they can unite. In the end, Fury appears to be building a different Avengers team, but the episode doesn't show whether he is successful in his endeavor.
While this is an event from an alternative universe, it proves just how much the Avengers were really needed and would continue to be so right up until Thanos' attack on Earth in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." Looking back at this point in the MCU, though, it begs the question of whether Fury can pull off the same trick twice in a world that is now without the likes of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) or Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).
It's been five years, 11 movies, and nine TV shows since "Avengers: Endgame," and a new era of Earth's Mightiest Heroes has yet to be confirmed, let alone united. With that in mind, does Fury really have it in him to pull off a super-sized Hail Mary twice, and would he be able to do it in seven days like he did before? Marvel's premier super-spy might have another wild week on the way to get a new band of Avengers together, but for now, "Fury's Big Week" stands as a historical MCU achievement that is unlikely to ever be matched.