Posts Tagged ‘ Nick Fury ’

Over the course of SDCC, Marvel has been revealing pre-production art of the Avengers – and they fit together…

(Click to make a bit larger)

Black Widow, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Agent Coulson all look pretty damn good here – and honestly, I’m getting a little excited by next year’s movie especially after the post-credits bit on Captain America…

Oh, and if the Skrulls are in the movie as rumored, I’d say the chances of Coulson being one are pretty damn high, no?

I hate retcons.

Not all retcons, mind you, just the retcons that reveal ‘events so shattering that when they come to light, EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE!!’. You know the kind I mean. The kind that Marvel often do.

Like Professor X having a whole other team of X-Men that he left for dead, including Cyclops and Havok’s other brother.

Like Wolverine, Sabretooth, Wolfsbane and pretty much every other vaguely feral mutant not actually being a mutant but being part of another race.

Like Nick Fury forming a team of Avengers way back before the actual Avengers first formed, consisting of these guys:

That’s Sabretooth, Kraven, Namora, Dominic Fortune, Ulysses Bloodstone and Dum Dum Dugan, for those keeping score, and they’re showing up on the cover of the upcoming New Avengers #12. It’s not actually a bad team, and one that makes a certain amount of sense.

And to be fair, it’s not like all Marvel’s retcons are bad; Marvel: The Lost Generation may have been ignored by pretty much everybody, but it was a neat idea that accounted for a period of time in the MU that was now hero-less thanks to Marvel’s ever-shifting timeline that keeps the debut of the Fantastic Four and Spidey as being ‘about ten years ago’ (although that may be twelve years now).

Similarly, the 1950s ‘Avengers’ that debuted in a What If..? story have been neatly incorporated into mainstream continuity as the Agents of Atlas – after adding Namora to the roster.

Finally, First Avenger Ulysses Bloodstone showed up as a member of the Monster Hunters for a short run in the fun-while-it-lasted Marvel Universe. In fact, fellow First Avenger and Agent of Atlas Namora was also added to the roster of the Monster Hunters in an issue of Marvel: The Lost Generation.

So perhaps I don’t hate all retcons after all – I’m hoping that this falls into the latter type of retcon rather than the former – the type that adds a fun layer to the history of the MU, rather than the type that becomes some kind of devastating secret that changes a bunch of stuff.

And now that I think about it, I need to go and write a story about Namora being some kind of unstable nexus point in the MU that allows her to show up in every decent retcon going…

From the stage at SDCC2010 – the cast of the Avengers movie – (L-R) Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), Joss Whedon (Director), Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios).

Do I have my concerns about this? A few.

But right now?

I’m just pretty damn excited about it.

Via

With the concept art for Thor and Captain America hitting the internet the past few days, I figured it was time to flex my not-so-mighty photoshopPixlr skills and mash up a few images…

And you know what? As thrown together as it is, I kind of like it.

I’ve been reading reviews of Iron Man 2 and there seems to be a constant thread in a lot of them – it’s not as good as the first.

Everything fun and terrific about “Iron Man,” a mere two years ago, has vanished with its sequel. In its place, “Iron Man 2” has substituted noise, confusion, multiple villains, irrelevant stunts and misguided story lines. – THR

“Iron Man 2” isn’t as much fun as its predecessor, but by the time the smoke clears, it’ll do…while the first go-round for this lesser-known Marvel hero benefited from its freshness and visual flair, the beats here are more familiar, the pacing more uneven. – Variety

Iron Man 2 thankfully just about pulls it off, but only just. It’s a strangely paced film and suffers at times from incredibly long exposition and poorly contrived story lines that seem to be added to no doubt develop the Avengers storyline rather than the Iron Man 2 story that I wanted to see. – HeyUGuys

Not that all reviews are tinged with disappointment – over at AICN, Harry predictably gushes -

IRON MAN 2 is comic movie crack! I remember how I was after I saw SPIDER-MAN 2. It felt like the world finally fucking got it. I thought we’d always have films increasingly badass from that point – and SPIDER-MAN 3 was not better. And I got a tad sad. When you see a comic book movie that is absolutely the best of what that character can be on screen – it is euphoric. Something to celebrate, to revel in. I’ve been a comic geek my entire life. I remember when Bob Layton really began blowing my mind with IRON MAN. This is that… but on film… with hundreds of talented awesome artists, technicians and craftsmen all supporting that vision.

- while at HitFix, former AICNer Drew McWeeny offers up a more measured appraisal but still loves it:

“Iron Man 2” is, in every possible way, issue two of a comic book. It doesn’t have to spend time setting up the origin of the character, and it doesn’t feel the need to resolve every single story thread introduced in this one film. There’s a sense that everyone’s settling into this series and thinking big. It is just as confident as the first film, and incredibly aggressive in the way it handles story and characterization.

Earlier this morning I tweeted a link to the THR review and one of my tweetpals (there has to be a better way of saying that) tweeted this reply:

Always painful when folks with no comic book background review comic book movies…

And this, I think is the problem at the heart of comic book movies.

It’s pretty much a given that we’re going to go apeshit over them – and by ‘we’ I mean comics fans. If we love a character or a comic, then chances are good that we’re going to go and see the movie. If we love it, we’re going to tell everyone. If we don’t, we’re also going to tell everyone (only probably much louder). We want them to make movies based on comics which appeal to us.

The issue is that just because they appeal to us it doesn’t mean that they’ll appeal to everyone, and if the last couple of weekend box office tallies should tell us anything, its that movies based on comics need to be marketed smartly and, more often than not, need an actor with a decent amount of star power to make a difference on the opening weekend.

I loved Iron Man. Loved it – and it was a massive hit because it had a charismatic lead with marquee value (even if it was faded marquee value), it was directed by a guy with an eye for what works in movies and something to prove, it was perfectly cast (with the possible exception of a touch-too-soft Jim Rhodes, something corrected for the second outing), and it was a well structured and written movie with a clearly defined purpose – tell an origin story. Even so, the final act was a little bit flabby, the throwdown between Iron Man and Obadiah Stane a little bit same-old, same-old – but you could forgive that because the rest of the movie was that damn good.

So the natural expectation is that the second will be better. Downey Jr’s career has been resuscitated to an amazing extent; Jon Favreau has now had his big hit and has less to prove – but when I look at the additional elements added to the movie I can’t help worry whether the burden of expectation and reaching ambition when it comes to establishing the Mighty Marvel Movie Universe will weigh it down.

Iron Man 2 expands Nick Fury and Agent Coulson’s roles, has Rhodey stepping up to take on the War Machine mantle, and adds Black Widow (although apparently Scarlett Johansson’s character is never actually called by this), Whiplash and Justin Hammer to the mix while also alluding to Thor and Captain America, and setting up the Avengers - which is why Tony Stark goes to visit with General Ross at the end of the Incredible Hulk movie from a few years back.

That’s a lot for any movie to do – and that’s before you deal with any development for Tony and Pepper. From the looks of many reviews, it’s too much to some extent. Even Drew McWeeny admits that it may not be to everyone’s taste –

Both Captain America and Thor are overtly referenced in this film, and my guess is that we’re going to see these references work directly into the films that Marvel has in the works for next summer. It’s a fascinating gamble, and I talked to people after the film who were just annoyed by the whole thing, but I think it’s like watching part of a big, crazy mini-series.

The problem is that not everyone reads comics, not everyone understands that a big, crazy mini series can be a crapload of fun. And even comic readers know that for every big crazy mini series that’s a crapload of fun, you also get a Day of Vengeance.

The risk with any second movie in a comic movie franchise seems to be that the movie will try to do too much in the time it has, mistaking more for better. Here, I’d say that risk is compounded as it’s not trying to do too much on it’s own behalf, it’s also tying in threads and laying the ground work for at least four other movies past and present (Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers) – and that’s without any potential spin-offs along the lines of Black Widow

Iron Man 2 will be a huge hit. I’ll go and see it opening weekend. I’ll buy the DVD. I would suspect that due to the goodwill from the first movie, it’s pretty much bulletproof when it comes to reviews unlike, say, The Losers.

I just think that Mighty Marvel Movie Universe may prove more a hindrance than a help to the individual movies comprising it if care isn’t taken.

War Machine.

Black Widow.

Nick Fury.

Justin Hammer.

Suitcase armor.

Almost the silver centurion armor.

What’s not to like?

Well, maybe Mickey Rourke still…

1. FlashForward - co-created by Goyer based on Robert Sawyer’s excellent high-concept novel, FlashForward should have been the best show of the past year. Instead you have meandering storylines with no sense of urgency, poor casting, dull scripts and a show that doesn’t play with the consequences of changing the future half as much as it should do. Take poor Agent Gough – he commits suicide to avert the future he sees where he killed someone by accident, and nobody sees this as a sign that the future can be changed.

2. The Blade movie trilogy – while I enjoyed all three movies when they first came out, they haven’t aged well. In fact when revisiting them I can’t help but notice that they weren’t that good to start off with. Plot holes, poor writing, pedestrian direction.

3. The Blade TV series – well, I liked the pilot, at least. I have to give it that.

4. Ghost Rider – no excuses; if your name’s attached to this, even as executive producer, you’re taking a share of the blame and need a good kicking.

5. Batman Begins/The Dark Knight – both admittedly great movies with some story issues, the second is better than the first. It’s also the second where Goyer contributed to the story and not the screenplay, coincidentally.

6. Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD TV movie – it’s bad. Really bad. When David Hasselhoff’s take on Fury is the only redeeming feature of a movie you know you’re in trouble.

Although in fairness, having Death Warrant and Dark City on the resume does earn some breathing room…

Secret Warriors wants to be a good book. Marvel wants it to be one of those books which, like the Bendis-penned Avengers titles, really ‘matters’ in the shared universe. Jonathan Hickman appears to want it to be a Nick Fury book.

And you know what?

If it was a pure Nick Fury book, I’d be more into it. Even with the ‘everything you know is wrong’ approach of the book – S.H.I.E.L.D. has always been an arm of Hydra! The Contessa is part of the group that controls Hydra! Fury has a network of ‘caterpillars’ waiting to be activated! Fury, Contessa, Strucker and a bunch of others are all part of the Zodiac! – it could be a good book, if that was what it was sold as.

But no, it was sold as a book about Fury’s team of ‘caterpillars’ and now, nine months in, we still don’t have much of an idea who these characters are and why they’re willing to throw their lives away following Fury. The exception to this are Daisy, who seems to fill the role previously held by Maria Hill – ie, be shouted at, have short hair and serve as exposition – and Phobos, who provides a convenient tie to Osborn’s Dark Avengers team through his father.

The other guys? I really have no idea – I can’t even remember their names, truth be told.

The fact is, no matter how much back matter and diagrams Hickman throws in the back, this is not a particularly good book. Sure it’s ‘integral’ to the Marvel Universe but it’s dull and more than a little smug. Back matter and what I’m sure is a well-plotted arc doesn’t make up for the fact that the comic itself does a poor job of (a) selling its characters and (b) explaining the plot in the pages of the comic itself.

The murky coloring of the art doesn’t help either.

I had high hopes for the book but frankly, it’s a stinker.

Nice covers, though.

It’s up for now, anyway…

Edit The original source was pulled; replaced with this one for now.

EDIT again Having received an email from Deputy General Counsel at Marvel, I’ve now pulled the footage entirely. I’m sure that it’s available somewhere but, unfortunately, you’ll have to go googling for it.

Ah well, roll on the official trailer.

Marvel has signed Samuel L Jackson to appear as Nick Fury in nine – NINE movies.

So…Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America (maybe back in WWII?), Avengers and any future spin offs including possibly a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie.

Not mentioned in the THR article is this blog’s vote that clearly influenced Marvel’s decision.

Sorry, Avery Brooks!

The results are in!

I asked you who you wanted as Nick Fury when news broke about Samuel L Jackson’s contract negotiations, and here’s what you said (with 92 votes cast):

The majority of you wanted to keep Sam Jackson in the role – but someone that I should have put on the list that I didn’t think of was Captain Sisko-cum-Hawk Avery Brooks:

He’s a big guy, has gravitas and can do bad-ass when he needs to. You know, if Jackson doesn’t end up appearing, I could probably live with Brooks in the role.

EDITED for a late addition to the poll suggested by Scott King

It looks like Samuel L Jackson is enlisting the press in his efforts to get a little more money to play Nick Fury in the Avengers, or at least that’s how it seems to my cynical eyes; from the LA Times…

“There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so , ‘We’re not making that deal.’”

I called Marvel Comics and they gave me a statement that suggested that they still want to see Jackson wearing the eyepatch. “Marvel does not comment on active negotiations,” was the boilerplate response, but there was that emphasis on the word “active” in the voice of the spokesman who phoned me back.

That sounds to me like Marvel are trying to work a budget for the Avengers movie which, if it includes Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, maybe Ed Norton, Tim Roth, William Hurt and whoever is cast as Thor or Cap or anyone else, could be astronomical. The smart thing to do would to negotiate lower salaries and more points on the back end – or just recast the part.

After all, Jackson appeared as Fury in only one scene; treat Fury as a codename instead of a real name and you’re done. Or you could just recut any Samuel L Jackson roles from the past ten years where he’s played exactly the same character and build the role around those sound clips.

But if you do recast there are two three obvious options.

One:
And two:

Oh yeah.

And three: late addition:

Vote in the poll on the right!

I’m not talking about Iron Man (which you should totally order from my store) – although that is pretty awesome.

I may be heading to Best Buy on the way home….

I’d buy that magazine, I really would!

Last week Melissa did a post on what was good as opposed what’s awesome.

It’s worth pointing out that often the amount of awesome in anyone thing is inversely proportionate to the amount of good. Case in point:

Awesome

Awesome

Good

Awesome

See how this works?

I finally saw Iron Man and – wow – I know that most people reading this will have already seen the movie and those that haven’t will probably have read some reviews or other. Even so there’s a spoilery image at the bottom of this post that you may want to avoid…

So…Iron Man is out and if rumor is to be believed it might be worth sticking around past the credits for a scene I blogged about ages ago.

Meanwhile in the regular Marvel U, good ol’ Nick Fury is in his classic non-ultimate iteration… except for his appearance in next week’s Mighty Avengers #13…
Oh Bendis, you card.

You just put that in so everyone would have a laugh at how clever it is, didn’t you? So you’d be able to say, maybe Nick Fury could be black like Ultimate Nick…

I mean, it worked with Mach I over in Thunderbolts, right? And the X-Men have all those image transducers, right?

So why not?

Well for my part because I kind of like original Nick’s look. I like Fury in the Ultiverse (or wherever he ended up), but he’s a very separate and different character than the Nick Fury that served in WWII in the Marvel U and has been around for 40+ years of publishing.

Plus, like Daisy says…worst disguise ever.

What do you think? Do you want Nick to go down the Samuel L Jackson route or do you prefer the classic look?

You know what I want?I want King Faraday in a black turtle neck riding the Danger Trail to Lex Luthor’s underground hideout and taking on an army of Lexbots without breaking a sweat