Recasting Nick Fury For The MCU’s Post-Avengers 6 Reboot

If Marvel chooses to reboot the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars, the franchise could need a new actor to play the iconic role of Nick Fury. With the MCU’s Multiverse Saga building toward an epic conclusion in Avengers: Secret Wars, there has been rampant speculation about whether Marvel will opt to begin the franchise anew in Phase 7. Doing so would capitalize on the potential of the Multiverse while also rejuvenating the franchise and cleaning up the ever-complicating canon of the MCU. However, the MCU’s movie timeline is packed with iconic characters, and resetting it is unlikely to be an easy task.

Nick Fury has long been one of the most important characters in the MCU. His role in connecting the early stories within the franchise cannot be understated, making him a particularly crucial figure in the Marvel Universe. What’s more, Samuel L. Jackson’s performance in the role has defined the character for a generation, meaning that recasting Nick Fury for an MCU reboot would be a particularly delicate task. However, there are a handful of actors who would be perfect to play Fury in the future movies of the MCU should the franchise reboot. Here are 10 actors who could play Nick Fury in a new MCU continuity.

10 Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Acting Talents Would Be Good For Dramatic Storylines

Akinnuoye-Agbaje Is A Celebrated Actor Who Could Elevate The Tone Of Fury In The MCU

Though the MCU finally began to explore Nick Fury’s backstory, Secret Invasion’s ending left many unanswered questions about the character and his past. Exploring Nick Fury as a character in more depth could require an actor with experience in more dramatic roles, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje perfectly fits the bill. Akinnuoye-Agbaje could work as a younger iteration of Fury, and the rebooted MCU could explore his past working as a spy or establishing himself within SHIELD. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s list of credits proves that he’s more than up to the task of joining the franchise as a hero, and he could potentially make a great Nick Fury.

9 Josh Duhamel Could Bring Leading-Man Qualities To Nick Fury’s MCU Story

Duhamel’s Charisma Lends Itself Well To Solo Fury Stories

Based solely on Nick Fury’s MCU past, Josh Duhamel may seem an unorthodox choice to replace Samuel L. Jackson in the role. However, this is the exact reason that the casting could work: Duhamel’s iteration of the character would avoid comparisons to Jackson’s. Moreover, Duhamel resembles Marvel Comics’ Nick Fury Sr., father of the Jackson-looking Fury Jr., who, by virtue of the multiverse, appears to be about the same age as his father. Duhamel’s qualities as a leading man combined with his previous action and comedy credits make him a suitable candidate, and he’s different enough from Jackson to make his casting a potentially intriguing new direction for Fury.

8 Michael C. Hall Would Make Fury An Intense Supporting Character For The MCU

Hall’s Intensity Could Make Fury The MCU’s Greatest Spy

Another potential candidate to play Nick Fury in the rebooted MCU is Michael C. Hall, best known for his eponymous role on Dexter. Hall’s ability to communicate intensity and duplicity is well-established, which could be perfect for an MCU adaptation of Marvel’s classic Nick Fury. Hall could perfectly portray Fury in an MCU TV show chronicling the character’s spy years, as he works especially well in nuanced roles and tense storylines.

7 Mark Wahlberg’s Action & Comedy Credits Are Perfect For The MCU’s Next Fury

Wahlberg’s Acting Style Would Gel With The Tone Of The MCU

With a view to introducing an iteration of Marvel’s classic Nick Fury, Mark Wahlberg could prove a fitting choice. Not only would he be another big name to attach to the MCU, but his success in action and comedy movies perfectly qualifies him for a role in the franchise. Wahlberg has repeatedly proven himself a versatile actor, and he’s more than capable of playing the commanding but occasionally comedic role of Nick Fury within the MCU.

6 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Has Previous Experience In Similar Roles

Comic Book Credits & Recast Roles Uniquely Qualify Abdul-Mateen

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is perhaps the most qualified candidate to replace Samuel L. Jackson in an MCU reboot. The younger actor could easily put a new spin on the character, but he also has heaps of specifically relevant experience. His role as Black Manta as part of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s cast proves he’s capable of bringing comic book characters to life, and his role of Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections shows he’s able to pick up iconic roles and make them his own. For these reasons, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II could make an excellent Fury in a rebooted MCU despite already being cast as Marvel’s Wonder Man.

5 Michael Jai White’s Physical Presence Could Make For A New Fury

White’s Imposing Stature Could Make Fury More Heroic

Michael Jai White’s martial arts prowess could enable the MCU to take Nick Fury in a new direction if he was cast to play the character in a franchise reboot. White’s action experience speaks for itself, and his imposing build and physical talents would allow for Marvel to make Fury a more active hero within the MCU. Instead of having White’s Fury act solely as the director of SHIELD, he could instead join the heroes of the MCU in physically combating threats should White be cast in the rebooted role.

4 Scott Adkins’ Martial Arts Experience Could Make Fury An MCU Action Hero

Classic Spy-Based Fury Stories Would Suit Adkins’ Talents

Scott Adkins is another actor with a background in action movies and martial arts who would allow Marvel to embrace a new approach to Nick Fury. Adkins’s own experience in action and martial arts movies would also make for a more action-heavy adaptation of the character and could potentially follow Marvel’s classic Nick Fury during his years as an active SHIELD agent. Adkins certainly looks the part of classic Fury, and his physical acting abilities would make him a solid choice to play a role in a new MCU continuity.

3 Jamie Foxx Is Both Cool And Comedic

Foxx Could Best Recapture Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury Style

When it comes to recreating the magic of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, few actors could do so better than Jamie Foxx. Foxx possesses a similar air of collected cool as Jackson, with the ability to be both effortlessly impressive and undeniably charismatic simultaneously. Foxx’s ability to deliver comedy with an edge of sarcasm or satire is something that could be used to deliver a new Fury with the same general feel as Jackson’s, albeit with the opportunity for a fresh start within a rebooted MCU.

2 Jeffrey Dean Morgan Could Be The Perfect Classic Nick Fury

Morgan’s Gruff & Confident Demeanor Would Make For An Excellent Director Of SHIELD

Adapting Marvel’s classic Nick Fury might be the best way to avoid comparisons to Jackson’s iconic performance in the role, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan would undeniably be the best actor to achieve that. His authoritative demeanor and hard-edged comedic talent would be a perfect fit for classic Fury in the MCU, being able to bring the character to life in a way that’s faithful to the comics while maintaining the franchise’s established tone. Morgan would be the perfect candidate for the role should Marvel opt to adapt the original iteration of Fury in a rebooted continuity.

1 Will Smith Is Best Suited To Reinvent The MCU’s Nick Fury

Smith’s Acting Range Makes Him The Best Successor To Jackson’s Fury

When choosing a successor for a role made famous by Samuel L. Jackson, no actor seems as qualified as Will Smith. Smith’s acting range is widely acknowledged, and his status as a Hollywood icon rivals that of Jackson. As an actor, his talent for drama, comedy, and action would all serve him well as the MCU’s new Fury, and previous comic book roles also show that he’s more than capable of assuming a place within Marvel’s flagship franchise. Should Marvel want to replace Jackson in an MCU reboot, Will Smith could prove to be the perfect choice for the new Nick Fury.

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