Samuel L. Jackson is mad that Nick Fury wasn’t in Civil War

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
Nick fury in a shield jet

In a recent actor’s roundtable, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that he was annoyed at not being featured in the third Captain America movie.

In a group interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Samuel L. Jackson revealed that he, and his MCU character Nick Fury, should have been put in another movie in the franchise.

The interview involved other notable Hollywood actors, many of whom have starred in their own Marvel projects. There was Oscar Isaac, Micheal Keaton, Brian Cox, Tom Hiddleston, and Quincy Isaiah, and they all convened in Los Angeles for a Drama Actor Emmy Roundtable.

The conversation bounced between the actors as they discussed their subsequent careers, but eventually talk turned to the MCU, and Samuel L. Jackson revealed that he felt beloved character Nick Fury should have been in Captain America: Civil War.

What happens in Captain America: Civil War?

The film involves Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers battling one another over whether superheroes should be controlled by the government, with the other Avengers taking a side. Some big players don’t make an appearance in the film though, such as Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Jackson’s Nick Fury.

civil war, team captain america running through the airport battle
Civil War was action-packed, but apparently not packed enough

Here’s what Jackson had to say on the matter, and on the preceding Avengers movie:

“That was the thing about the Avengers movies, they all had different personalities and they were able to blossom once we got through the initial film. The initial film was to introduce these people to who they are and these are the things they can do. Now, this is how they interact and they’re not all nice. And I fussed at them, I still fuss at them, about Civil War because I’m like, ‘How could the kids fight and Nick Fury not show up?’ Like, ‘What’s going on here? Everybody go to your room.’ But they didn’t need me for that. They did, but they didn’t.”

Why wasn’t Nick Fury in Captain America: Civil War?

The screenwriters of Civil War – Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – once told The LA Times that Fury wasn’t in the film due to his influence over the Avengers. They didn’t want him to take a side, because he had a certain authority over them, and would give whatever side he picked too much advantage. Or he would just stop the fighting, which would make for a less than climactic film.

So essentially, why Jackson wanted to be in the film, was the exact reason he wasn’t.

Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, also seemed subtly mad that he wasn’t in the film, stating, “Loki wasn’t in that one, either.”

loki looks at fury through his glass cage in the avengers
Nick Fury and Loki faced off in the 2012 Avengers

When will Nick Fury be back in the MCU?

Jackson went on to describe how he was looking forward to his character starring in the upcoming MCU Disney+ series, Secret Invasion:

“Well, I can have a whole life as Nick Fury that’s not Nick Fury at work. You know, we get to go home with me and see what happens with me at home or when I’m alone or when I’m not so strong and Nick Fury, or when I take off a back brace because Nick Fury is old.

“Some things that you can do that you can’t normally do [in the films] because the character has to present this duh-dunna-duh kind of front, and that’s what the movies are for. And when you get to do it in long-form, you get to show even superheroes have their down moments.”

Nick Fury may be old and down, but he – and Jackson – are showing no signs of stopping.

Read the full Hollywood Reporter interview HERE

About The Author

Lucy-Jo is a Movies and TV Writer at Dexerto, and has previously written for Screen Rant and Girls on Tops. After earning a Master's Degree in Film and Literature, Lucy-Jo now loves covering films, TV shows, and anime, especially if it's something by Mike Flanagan, or anything drenched in camp. You can contact her at lucyjo.finnighan@dexerto.com