Even Samuel L. Jackson almost didn’t recognize young Nick Fury in Captain Marvel

In the upcoming Captain Marvel, we get to see Samuel L. Jackson bring a young Nick Fury to life. And the differences made the character nearly unrecognizable.

As part of an exclusive first look at Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson, Entertainment Weekly has been highlighting different aspects of the film. This includes talking to the movie’s stars, including Samuel L. Jackson.

During the interview with Jackson, whose own character Nick Fury will have his origins explored, he talked about what it was like to revisit Fury before he lost one eye and really learned about all these powerful beings. It turns out that even the actor himself barely recognized a younger version of the usually hardcore “espionage expert” we have all learned to love (and it had nothing to do with the man having both of his eyes).

According to Samuel L. Jackson, when he was reading the script, there would be moments that he would question why his character would say something. Then he would remember that this was a younger, less experienced version of Nick Fury.

Jackson specifically said, “I’ll read something, and I’ll read it as present Nick Fury, and I’ll go, ‘He would never do this.’” Of course, while an older Fury wouldn’t say or do certain things, this isn’t the present day version of the character.

When we meet Nick Fury in Captain Marvel, he will be a lot different from the character we have gotten to know over the last 10 years. As Samuel L. Jackson pointed out, his character “hadn’t become jaded or a slave to the cynicism that we normally see.” This is early enough in his career that he still has a sort of respect for the people he works for, and he also still has people he will listen to.

In fact, this is such a different Nick Fury that we will actually see him with a sense of humor and perhaps even a sense of innocence to the world around him. And while that will change once he meets someone like Captain Marvel, with her abilities and powers, it is definitely something to appreciate while we can.

Of course, Nick Fury is not the only younger character we will all get to see. In fact, it seems we will get to see Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson’s rookie agent as he meets Fury for the first time. And that is certainly exciting when we think of the past these two have already showcased thanks to the Avengers.

While Samuel L. Jackson might not have recognized himself at times, it is clear that Nick Fury is a character he has come to not only love in his own way, but feel connected to. And knowing that there were moments that even he didn’t recognize himself makes Captain Marvel even more exciting, as we will get to see an entirely new side to the usually hard as nails Nick Fury.