Colonel Nicholas "Nick" Joseph Fury is a major protagonist in Marvel Comics, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1, as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he first appeared in a cameo role in the 2008 Iron Man film. Originally a white character, Fury's character in the films is black, with this version later being introduced to comics as the son of the original Fury. The film character was based on his portrayal in the "Ultimate Universe" comics, meant to reintroduce Marvel's characters to a modern audience; Fury's appearance in the Ultimate comics was modeled after actor Samuel L. Jackson, who went on to play the character in the movies.
An officer of the US Army and an espionage agent in the CIA during the Cold War, Nick joined SHIELD, a covert international peacekeeping organization which operates as humanity's first line of defense against Earth's most dangerous enemies. He quickly impressed SHIELD's higher-ups, and was promoted to the position of Director, becoming the leader of SHIELD. He led SHIELD for years, spearheading the Avengers Initiative, Project TAHITI, Project Insight, and other operations. He appears as one of the prominent protagonists in Disney vs. Comics, appearing as one of the patrons and secret backers of the Avengers and the other hero forces.