“I thought they were trying to kill me”: 74-Year-Old Samuel L Jackson Absolutely Dreads One Thing About His Future in MCU

Samuel L Jackson has been an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the actor has sustained his character for more than 15 years. Making his debut as Nick Fury in the post-credits scene in the 2008 film Iron Man, the actor has since appeared in over 10 movies.

Jackson’s tenure as Fury in MCU is far from ending as the actor got the standalone show and the studio has no immediate plan for him to retire. His ever-evolving journey in the studio has always been fascinating as many believed the fact that Fury’s evolution is more subtle than anyone else as the character has enjoyed enough screentime in multiple projects.

Despite his long run in the studio, Samuel L Jackson, 74, has always been afraid of one thing. Being candid in a Rolling Stone interview, the actor said that the thought of being killed off the character haunted him most as he loved being a part of the MCU. Further, the actor never pushed the studio for his standalone project. “My biggest concern with Marvel was trying to keep them from killing me more than anything else,” Jackson told Rolling Stone.

“I kind of liked the gig! When they called me in to tell me what’s going on, I always thought they were trying to kill me. They didn’t let me go to Wakanda, which I was kind of upset about. How could Nick Fury not know about Wakanda? They said, ‘Well, you do know but you can’t go.’ I always wanted to tell the story about who Nick was before he had these superhero friends — when he lived in the shadow world as a spy, and how he connected with these people. Secret Invasion is not a superhero movie. It’s gritty and dark.”

The actor also revealed that initially, he got “a 9-picture deal” from the studio. “I had no idea that it would happen that quickly.” Jackson said he had cherished the character, the work, and the journey and he would be forever grateful.

Jackson has worked with several Marvel stars over the years but his most recent television project has featured a series of prominent actors including Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke. “Amazing! So amazing,” Jackson said of working with Colman. “I walked in the room that morning when we were supposed to shoot our first scene together,” he continued.

“I looked at her, she looked at me, and we both burst out laughing. It was just, “OH MY GOD!?!” It was so great. Emilia Clarke was amazing. Ben [Mendelsohn] has got chops that are out of this world. And, as many Marvel movies as Don [Cheadle] and I have been in, I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation until Secret Invasion. And I’ve known Don forever! We never had a moment onscreen that was meaningful together until this particular thing.”