The post-credits scenes of MCU movies usually bring shocking plot twists, but Spider-Man: Far From Home’s after-credits stinger might take the crown of the most jaw-dropping reveal. It showed us that Nick Fury wasn’t really present for any of the movie – rather, the Skrull character Talos from Captain Marvel had been disguised as him the whole time – and he’s been hanging out on a Skrull command ship instead.
We have no idea how long Fury has really been Talos (maybe Fury wasn’t really there at Tony Stark’s funeral, or in any MCU movie besides Captain Marvel), but either way, his future on this spacecraft in the distant cosmos is exciting. Here are 10 Possibilities For (The Real) Nick Fury’s Future In The MCU.
He’s working with S.W.O.R.D.
Many Marvel fans’ first guess at Nick Fury’s space-bound venture was S.W.O.R.D., the intergalactic arm of S.H.I.E.L.D. (although S.H.I.E.L.D. is dead, so it probably won’t be that in the MCU). There’s a hint that Fury is the real Fury in Age of Ultron, because he cuts his bread the same way he says he does in Captain Marvel.
After that, we didn’t see him for years and he was assumed to be off the grid, but maybe he was in space, building S.W.O.R.D. with the Skrulls. He had just had a conversation with Tony Stark about the inevitable threat of alien life and the idea of a shield of armor around the world, which is essentially what S.W.O.R.D. is, so maybe that’s what he’s been up to all these years.
He took a vacation to catch up with Carol Danvers
Since Nick Fury and Tony Stark had one of the most solid relationships in the MCU, going way back to the franchise’s inception when Fury first recruited Stark to join the Avengers, it’s very unlikely that he would miss Tony’s funeral. (A lot of fan theories about Fury are simply down to determining how long he’s been a Skrull.)
So, perhaps he was the real Fury up until then, saw Carol Danvers at the funeral, and decided to take a vacation to travel into space with Carol and the Skrulls to catch up with her and get some much-needed rest and relaxation.
He could be on and off Earth every now and then
What a lot of MCU fans seem to be thinking with the Nick Fury twist is that he went to space and replaced himself with Talos at one specific moment and he hasn’t been on Earth since then, with Captain Marvel, Age of Ultron, and even The Winter Soldier all suggested as this turning point. But maybe he’s been on and off Earth sporadically.
It might not be as often as every weekend, but he could’ve left Earth in Age of Ultron, come back to deal with Thanos’ threat with Maria Hill in Infinity War (which we saw in the post-credits scene), stuck around for Tony’s funeral following his own un-dusting, and then jetted off back to space afterwards.
He’ll appear in Captain Marvel 2
Nick Fury was a huge part of the first Captain Marvel movie. This wasn’t just a cameo appearance or a supporting role – he joined Carol Danvers on her journey early on and stuck with her until the end.
The next Captain Marvel movie (which doesn’t have a release date, but has been confirmed) won’t be the same if Fury doesn’t return to the iconic double act he developed with Carol in the original, so perhaps the cosmic twist at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home was just there to set him up for a co-starring role in Captain Marvel’s next standalone outing.
He’s been helping to fight the Kree/Skrull War
A lot of fans thought that Marvel released Captain Marvel before Avengers: Endgame to introduce the character before she swooped in to lead Earth’s mightiest heroes to victory against Thanos. However, those fans were confused when she was hardly in Endgame. So, maybe the plan with Captain Marvel was much more long-term.
It introduced the Kree/Skrull War from one side and then turned us onto the other side by humanizing the Skrulls and vilifying the Kree. Now that we’ve seen how closely Nick Fury has been working with the Skrulls since then, perhaps he’s been helping them to fight against the Kree Starforce.
He’ll help Peter Parker lay low while he clears his name
Following the end credits of Spider-Man: Far From Home’s other big plot twist, Peter Parker will have a tough time trying to clear his name. Not only has the InfoWars-style digital Daily Bugle leaked his secret identity; he’s also been framed for Mysterio’s evil plan, and also been accused of murdering him in cold blood.
Some fans have suggested that Matt Murdock will step in as Spidey’s lawyer, but in the immediate fallout, Peter will need a place to hide, and that’s where Fury’s ship might come in handy. It would be a great way to pay off the line: “Bitch, please, you’ve been to space!” Of course, with Marvel losing their Spidey rights, this seems less likely now.
He started a new spy agency with Skrull agents
Nick Fury’s whole character is built around his abilities as a spy. He’s revered in the intelligence community, he has eyes and ears everywhere, and he knows everything about everyone and only lets them know what he wants them to know about himself. After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., he was a spy agency director without a spy agency.
Maybe he contacted the Skrulls while he was off the grid and they started up a new agency with Skrull agents. Aliens that can shapeshift into literally anyone, like a military leader or a politician or a shady business mogul, would make excellent spies.
He’ll be involved in a “Secret Invasion” storyline
Marvel fans were disappointed when Captain Marvel didn’t set up the “Secret Invasion” storyline from the comics. The premise of a Skrull army coming to Earth in the ‘90s suggested to some fans that those Skrulls would assimilate themselves into human culture and slowly take over, Body Snatchers-style, so that Avengers: Endgame would revolve around Earth’s mightiest heroes figuring out who was human and who was a shapeshifting alien.
Of course, none of that happened and Captain Marvel’s Skrulls turned out to be misunderstood refugees fleeing a terrifying military force. The producers of Captain Marvel teased that just because their Skrull characters were good, not all of the MCU’s Skrulls would be good. Maybe the ship that Nick Fury is on is filled with the good Skrulls trying to prevent the bad Skrulls from getting to Earth and “Secret Invasion” will happen after all.
He’ll appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The crux of the big twist at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home is that Nick Fury has been taken from the Earth-dwelling side of the MCU to the cosmic side. And who introduced us to the cosmic side of the MCU? The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Their third solo movie has been delayed by James Gunn’s firing/rehiring, so there’s a good chance that Thor won’t be appearing like some fans were hoping (his fourth solo movie will now be set before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 following the Phase 4 re-shuffle). Perhaps as a replacement, Nick Fury will join the Guardians on their next adventure – it would certainly be a lot of fun!
He’s working with the Fantastic Four
Following the Fox/Disney merger, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four are free to join the MCU, but only the Fantastic Four were confirmed to be jumping aboard the franchise at Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con panel this year. This is probably because Kevin Feige has figured out how to introduce them and he hasn’t figured out how to work in the X-Men yet.
Maybe this plan involves Nick Fury. To explain the Fantastic Four’s absence, they’ll have to have been off-world this whole time, so perhaps Fury has been working with them on that ship. The Skrulls have always been heavily involved in Fantastic Four comics...