Warning! Spoilers for Heroes Reborn #4 and Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1
Nick Fury has always operated in something of a moral grey area, occasionally having to make calls that many disagree with, but he at least seems to have the people’s best interests at heart. However, Marvel’s Heroes Reborn event takes things a step further, heavily implying that Fury is actually a full-on villain.
Set in a world where the Avengers never came together, Marvel’s Heroes Reborn instead focusses on the Squadron Supreme as Earth's mightiest heroes. However, there are plenty of other differences in Marvel’s fake new reality, as well. The X-Men have been rebranded as the Mutant Force, led by Magneto after Professor X’s death at the hands of Power Princess. Meanwhile, former SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson serves as the President of the United States, and Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1 reveals that Nick Fury was his predecessor. While this may seem like little more than a subtle detail, it actually speaks volumes about Fury’s character.
Perhaps the most significant difference from the mainstream reality is that Mephisto has made himself God in the new Marvel Universe. Indeed, Heroes Reborn #4 shows that President Coulson is working with Mephisto directly, and their conversation implies that Mephisto is the source of this new reality entirely. This means that all the changes that exist in Heroes Reborn are by Mephisto's design. As such, choosing Nick Fury as the previous President of the United States largely implies that Mephisto saw Fury as someone who can further his agenda. In other words, the devil himself views Nick Fury as a villain.
It’s important to note that there are actually two different versions of Nick Fury in Marvel Comics. Nick Fury Jr. takes after Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury from the MCU in both appearance and personality. His father, Nick Fury Sr., is the original, white Nick Fury who employed far more brutal and cutthroat methods. For example, Original Sin by Jason Aaron revealed that Fury Sr. had been illegally killing aliens for decades, and he even sent children to their deaths in Secret Warriors by Brian Michael Bendis and Alexander Maleev. Knowing all that, it’s easy to see why Mephisto chose Fury as the president in his reshaped reality.
Even without Mephisto’s seal of approval, it would be hard to argue that Nick Fury Sr. was ever really a hero. In Marvel’s main reality, Fury was eventually punished for his crimes by the Watchers, cosmic observers who usually remain impartial, so the fact that they chose to get involved proves that Nick Fury is as bad as they come.