Nick Fury has left his signature eyepatch behind in Secret Invasion, following Marvel Studios' explanation of how he got his scars in 2019's Captain Marvel. Samuel L. Jackson debuted as Nick Fury in Iron Man's post-credits scene, later revealed to be the Director of SHIELD and the benefactor behind the Avengers in the MCU's Phase 1. While Jackson has since appeared in eleven projects with Marvel Studios, Nick Fury has always been surrounded by mystery, but Secret Invasion explores his character in greater depth. The Phase 5 espionage series features Fury and Ben Mendelsohn's Talos dealing with a Skrull rebellion on Earth, but there's one noticeable change regarding Fury's costume.

In Secret Invasion, a grounded and mature Marvel Studios series for Disney+, Nick Fury operates under-the-radar to navigate a Skrull invasion. Whereas Fury had previously been the enigmatic and intimidating leader of SHIELD and advisor to the Avengers, Jackson gets the chance to portray a very different version of the character in Secret Invasion. This change isn't just concerning his personality, either, as Secret Invasion will see Nick Fury leave behind his trademark eyepatch, instead putting his facial scars on display. 2019's Captain Marvel answered several questions about Fury's scars, but there are many left for Secret Invasion to discuss.

What Happened To Nick Fury's Eye?

nick fury and goose the flerken in captain marvel

Prior to the release of Captain Marvel in the MCU's Phase 3, only glimpses of Nick Fury without his eyepatch were shown, including one close-up shot of his damaged eye in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It had been a long-running question as to why Fury needed to wear an eyepatch and what actually happened to his eye. In Marvel Comics, Fury lost the use of his eye after he was hit by shrapnel while fighting in WWII, but this was changed significantly in the live-action MCU. Captain Marvel, set in the 1990s, explored Nick Fury's backstory in SHIELD and finally revealed how he damaged his eye.

While on a mission to find out information about Dr. Wendy Lawson, a.k.a. Mar-Vell, with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers, Fury comes across an unassuming cat named Goose, who s the pair on their adventure. Surprisingly, however, Goose is later revealed to be an alien creature known as a Flerken, able to extrude tentacles from her mouth and store objects, such as the Tesseract, in a pocket dimension within her stomach. Despite forming a close bond with Fury, he still proceeds to scratch his left eye. This scratch eventually renders Fury's eye unusable, leading to him donning his eyepatch.

Have Nick Fury's Face Scars Changed Since His MCU Debut?

samuel l jackson as nick fury in the avengers

Although Marvel Studios has been fairly good at keeping the design of Nick Fury's scars the same throughout most of his MCU appearances, there have been slight changes in the design over his lengthy tenure. Fury's early appearances in the MCU, including in Iron Man, Thor, and The Avengers, saw his scarring consist of three main strikes across his eye, with a selection of risen vein-like scars surrounding his eyepatch. Fury's eye was also shown to be milky-white in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with heavier scarring beneath the eyepatch. However, this has been adapted slightly for his appearance in Secret Invasion.

The protruding scars surrounding Fury's eyepatch seem to have been omitted, while the three primary strikes remain, resembling the scratches from Goose's claws across his eye. His eye also has a brighter shade of blue in Secret Invasion, rather than the white seen in The Winter Soldier, and the majority of the severe scarring has been removed. While Fury still sports an impressive battle scar in Secret Invasion, it's a far cry from the massive amount of scarring seen during his early MCU appearances. Marvel Studios' reveal of how Fury got his scars was met with criticism, and it seems the studio itself is now putting less emphasis on this physical trait.

Why Nick Fury Doesn't Wear An Eyepatch In Secret Invasion

nick fury without eyepatch in secret invasion

The former Director of SHIELD will spend the majority of Secret Invasion without his signature eyepatch. This carries a deeper meaning for Fury, however, as Samuel L. Jackson recently revealed to Vanity Fair. During a March 2023 article, Jackson suggested that "the patch is part of who the strong Nick Fury was... [but] it's part of his vulnerability now." This is important to in Secret Invasion, as Fury is no longer the Director of SHIELD and has been thrust back to Earth to deal with a threat much bigger than himself.

Jackson also mentions that, since Fury's eye is now on display, "you can look at it and see he's not this perfectly indestructible person," and more to the point, "he doesn't feel like that guy." Secret Invasion is a more character-focused project for Marvel Studios, negating the flash of superhero crossovers to really delve into Fury's character - of which his vulnerability and emotional tendencies are a huge part. The fact that Nick Fury foregoes the eyepatch in Secret Invasion is a symbol of his weakened psychological state, though if the trailer for 2023's The Marvels is to be believed, it won't be long before Fury is back on top.

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