Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Nick Fury's 'Superpower'

Nick Fury may not be able to fly through the skies, manipulate time and space, crush buildings with the swing of his fist, or behead an intergalactic tyrant with his mystical battle-axe, but he does actually have a superpower... sort of.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who has played S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, revealed the power Fury possesses in a featurette included as part of the digital release of Captain Marvel. 

In the clip, entitled "The Origin of Nick Fury," the Captain Marvel cast and creative team agree that Jackson's Nick Fury is the glue that holds the MCU together. His intelligence, his dedication to protecting the planet and its people, and his status as the architect of the Avengers team has made Fury one of the most important characters in the film franchise — and, as Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige stated, means he has "influenced literally almost everything that has happened." 

After meeting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and realizing her strength, Fury begins laying out the groundwork for the Avengers Initiative — a name he derived from Carol's pilot epithet "Avenger." Throughout the MCU, he scouts the Original Six Avengers — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) — and orchestrates their assembly. According to Jackson, this is Fury's superpower. 

"Being able to introduce the characters, Nick Fury becomes what we, I guess, know as a master manipulator," the actor said. "That's his superpower."

Sure, the legitimate superheroes of the MCU are equipped with capabilities that can burn down bad guys, destroy hordes of enemies, keep themselves and others from getting hurt, and dismantle entire organizations. But taking a full-picture look at the MCU, Nick Fury's leadership and organization skills are unmatched. Without him and his "superpower" of manipulation to bring the heroes we know and love together on a single team, the Marvel movie world just wouldn't be the same. We'll take that over telekinesis and teleportation any day of the week.

Nick Fury will next flex his superpower in Spider-Man: Far From Home, when he recruits Peter Parker (Tom Holland) to become a member of the Avengers.