Samuel L. Jackson didn't think he would live long enough to fulfill his Marvel contract: "I didn't know they were gonna make nine movies in like two and a half years"

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The Nick Fury star thought it would take forever to make nine movies

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in The Marvels
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Samuel L. Jackson says he didn't think he would live long enough to fulfill his nine-movie-long contract with Marvel Studios but was pleasantly shocked to see how fast the films actually got made.

"I knew I had a nine picture deal when Kevin said, he was like, ‘We wanna offer you a nine picture deal’ I was like, 'How long I gotta stay alive to make nine movies?'" said Jackson in an interview with GQ. "It's not the quickest process in the world and people don't do it, so I didn't know they were gonna make nine movies in like two and a half years. Which is kind of crazy. I was like 'Oh shit, I'm using up my contracts!' but it worked out."

In the MCU, Jackson plays Nick Fury, the founder of the Avengers – and is pulled right from the pages of Marvel comics. Although Jackson appeared in a post-credits scene in the 2008 movie Iron Man, he was uncredited, so the star officially made his MCU debut as Nick Fury back in 2010 with Iron Man 2. 

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Jackson’s Fury then appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and finally The Marvels in 2023. He was also the main star of one of the Marvel spin-off Disney Plus shows, Secret Invasion.

Now, nine movies over a 13-year run is pretty impressive. But if you feel like you have seen the star in a little more Marvel movies then you’d be right, as he also made uncredited cameos in Thor and Avengers: Infinity War.

When asked for his favorite Nick Fury moment ever, the star replied, "In Winter Soldier when he's in that car. I mean that's like quintessential Nick Fury. It's like, okay, no panic, he’s cool figuring out, you know, make the next move, make the next move, make the next move. Badass, badass shit."

Although Jackson’s Fury isn't expected to show up in any already announced Marvel project in the near future, we sure hope to see him soon. Who knows, maybe he will pay his old friend Bucky Barnes a visit in Thunderbolts*?

For more, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order, or keep up with upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows. 

Megan Garside
Megan Garside
Junior Social Media Editor, GamesRadar+

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.