Nick Fury

Before the Avengers assembled, someone had to assemble the Avengers.

In this series, Now Playing Podcast follows the live-action history of Nick Fury, Marvel's master spy, super-spy recruiter, and the man who always seems to know more than everyone else in the room. From the 1998 television movie starring David Hasselhoff as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eye-patch-wearing director to Samuel L. Jackson's defining portrayal across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we'll review every live-action appearance of the character and the stories built around him.

Along the way we'll witness the birth of the Avengers Initiative, the rise and fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., alien invasions, secret conspiracies, Skrull infiltrations, and the countless behind-the-scenes maneuvers that helped shape the MCU. Sometimes Fury is a field agent. Sometimes he's a strategist. Sometimes he's manipulating heroes into saving the world without them even realizing it.

Whether operating from a helicarrier, a hidden bunker, a space station, or the shadows themselves, Nick Fury has often been the connective tissue holding Marvel's live-action universe together. Join us as we track every mission, every secret, every contingency plan, and every appearance from one of Marvel's most important and enigmatic characters.

Because when Nick Fury shows up, something big is usually about to happen.