No two ways about it, there’s a lot to look forward to in ‘Captain Marvel’. But one of the more interesting elements of the film for longtime Marvel movie fans is the film’s 1995 setting. Not only is this a largely unexplored time in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also offers us a chance to see familiar characters before they became the figures that we’re familiar with. And see them we shall, with several familiar faces making “return” appearances. And the most notable of these, arguably, is Nick Fury.
Despite being as much a part of the MCU’s foundation as any of the original Avengers, Samuel L. Jackson’s superspy hasn’t had a major role in a Marvel film since 2014’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘. That changes in ‘Captain Marvel’, which is set to feature a twenty-five-years-younger version of the character in a major role. But don’t expect Fury to have the same sort of relationship with Carol Danvers that he’ll later have with the Avengers. Rather, this is going to be a different dynamic, one that, in fact, will inform those later interactions. As executive producer Jonathan Schwartz explained to ComicBook.com:
“I think it benefits in its uniqueness by having Carol be the first superhero he’s ever encountered or really heard of in his life. She sort of gets to be the window to him for this entire, bigger universe. So, he’s a little, a little less of the, “I know everything there is to know,” Nick Fury that we see in the later movies, and a little bit more, perhaps, open to new ideas.”
This less omniscient, and reportedly less cynical characterization of Fury will also be reflected in his other relationships, most notably with Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson, who likewise makes his return to the big screen (despite being a fixture on ‘Agents of SHIELD’) for the first time since his apparent death in ‘The Avengers’.
Are there any MCU characters you’d like to see at an earlier time in their lives? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more on ‘Captain Marvel’ and other upcoming Marvel projects as it becomes available!
‘Captain Marvel’ will soar into theaters on March 8, 2019.
