Nick Fury- Changing Of The Guard - Niel Jacoby

1 - 1994. Classic Nick Fury, the one David Hasselhoff played in that TV movie, has grown old. He's sitting in his office in SHIELD HQ, tired after a long day of work. The trophies of his old adventures are on his walls and desk, gathering dust. There's a G-man standing in front of the desk. We can't see his face, but his body language is comfortable. He's not cowed by the legend of Nick Fury.

G-Man: I'm glad you're taking this well. The guys back at State warned me about old soldiers, said they don't respond well to being asked-

Nick: To turn in the gun and badge? Yeah. I've had to decommission a few antiques myself.

2 - The G-Man is waving off Nick's comment about turning in the gun and badge as he(the G-Man) starts boxing up Nick's old war trophies. We see his face, and it's a young Phil Coulson. We see Fury in profile. He's not sad, or angry, just tired.

Coulson: You can keep the gun and badge, we've got more guns than we know what to do with, and you'll need the badge to use the SHIELD gym. Keep in shape during your retirement. Hit the sauna, play some squash, canasta, whatever you old folks do.

Nick: Canasta?

3 - The New Nick Fury leans on the doorframe as Coulson keeps boxing up Nick's memorabilia. New Nick is the Sam Jackson Fury we know from the movies, though not yet bald. Think Pulp Fiction, but after a visit to the barber. New Nick is crossing his arms, just as comfortable as Coulson in this office. Fury is still at his desk, and has started pouring himself a couple fingers of good whiskey.

New Nick: Yeah. That's a thing retirees do, I think. Oh, how rude of me. Hi, Nick, I'm Nick.

Old Nick: Canasta's a card game. Who plays cards in a gym?

4 - New Nick takes the tumbler of whiskey off Old Nick's desk and drinks it himself. Coulson has finished packing up Old Nick's desk, and is taping up the last box.

Coulson: Who cares where they play?

Old Nick: It doesn't matter, I'm just saying, wh-

Coulson(Interrupting): There. Now get your crap out of my office.

Old Nick: Your office? I thought he...

5 - Close on New Nick's hand as he pulls out a postcard-sized blueprint of the SHIELD Helicarrier,

New Nick(Off Panel): The job just can't be done from an office this size anymore. We're phasing out all the old relics. Phil here is manning Ground Control, while I man the mobile base. An aircraft carrier the size of a medium-size city. Tacoma, for instance.

6 - Old Nick carries the last of his boxes out of his office. We can see Phil and New Nick sharing whiskey over Old Nick's shoulder. Old Nick is still tired, but now he's a bit heartbroken, too.

Caption(Old Nick): They used to say old soldiers never die. But I guess the world moves too fast to let us fade away these days.

Quake – Shake It Up – MK Stangeland Jr.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: NICK FURY is sitting on a park bench in front of a bush reading a newspaper. An unopened pop can is on the bench next to him.

Panel 2: QUAKE pops her head out of the bush. She has a sneaky grin on her face.

SFX: *Rustle*

Panel 3: QUAKE carefully grabs the pop can from where it sits on the park bench.

Panel 4: QUAKE holds the pop can in front of her. She has a mischievous grin on her face. She doesn’t look like she’s doing much, but there should be lines of some kind around the pop can to indicate she’s using her powers to shake up the contents of the can.

SFX: (Minimized) bzzz

Panel 5: QUAKE carefully tries to set the pop can back down next to NICK FURY.

Panel 6: QUAKE stops short as she hears a noise from behind her. Her voice reads of a sudden ‘Uh oh’ as she’s been caught, and she knows it.

NICK FURY: (Off-Panel) A-HEM.

Panel 7: NICK FURY – the real NICK FURY, as the first one was actually an LMD – stands behind QUAKE, arms crossed in front of him and looking at QUAKE with a face that asks ‘What do you think YOU’RE doing?’, but in a manner that comes with a half-cocked grin.

(END PAGE)

Nick Fury – In The Hall Of The Mountain King – Shaun Richens.

This story is set in the Ultimate universe.

PAGE 1.

7 PANELS.

Panels 1,2,3 and 4 make up the top row. 5 and 6 are a second row, with 7 as the bottom half of the page.

All the captions on the page should just be white text overlaid on the panels. Like opening credits of a movie.

1. A flashing red alarm light is going off on the side of a wall. We are onboard the SHIELD Helicarrier. This alarm is a call to arms. The panel should be almost entirely red. We open on danger and never look back.

SFX: WEEW WEEW (alarm going off)

2. A black panel.

CAPTION: Marvel Comics Presents.

3. We see a pair of feet running down a corridor. They belong to a SHIELD agent. They are wearing a pair of black military boots.

4. A black panel.

CAPTION: In Association with Ultimate Comics.

5. Over the shoulder of the SHIELD agent as he stands outside a closed door. A sign across the door reads WAR ROOM.

6. A black panel.

CAPTION: In The Hall Of The Mountain King.

7. This panel should take up around half the page. The SHIELD agent has entered the WAR ROOM. He stands to the left of the panel with his back to us. He is facing NICK FURY, at the right of the panel, who is looking straight at us. FURY looks stern and serious. He is a man who, at this moment stands on the edge of something that will change the world forever.

CAPTION: Starring Nick Fury.

Shield Agent: His forces are nearing New York General Fury.

NICK FURY 1: I am aware agent. They have already been assembled. They are preparing to engage him at this very second.

NICK FURY 2: All but the good Dr. that is.

Nick Fury- The Man At The Top -Dan Hill

Page 1 (6 panels)

1.1
We OPEN on a CLOSE UP of a newspaper, laid out on some-one's knees. The paper is the Défense de la France. The headline exclaims:

“SUPER SOLDAT!”

Beneath the headline is a CLOSE UP black and white shot of CAPTAIN AMERICA beaming proudly.

FURY (OFF): Whaddya’ think?

1.2
AGENT REED RICHARDS of the OSS looks up from the newspaper, smiling. He’s leaning back in a simple wooden chair by the side of a small, single bed. He’s younger than we’re used to seeing-- no grey in the temples. He wears a pair of green khakis, combat boots and a dark woolen pea coat.

We’re inside a small, cramped bedroom somewhere on the upper floor of an old house.

RICHARDS: Skinny kid turned super soldier? I love it.

RICHARDS: Something on your mind, Nicholas?

1.3
Large panel. CUT TO SGT. NICK FURY looking out of the bedroom window a few yards from RICHARDS. He’s wearing combat fatigues. Young. No eye patch.

FURY: World’s gettin’ stranger, Richards.

FURY: Human torches, men from under the sea.

1.4
Fury slides the window up slightly.

FURY: Four colour heroes got everyone thinkin’ the world’s black and white.

1.5
CLOSE UP on Fury who now has a rifle in his hands. It’s pointing out of the open window. He looks through the scope.

His free eye is closed.

FURY: Thing is...

1.6
Large panel. EXTREME CLOSE UP on Fury’s finger, about to pull the trigger.

FURY: We both know that ain’t the case.

Nick Fury - Message In A Barber - Ryan K Lindsay

PAGE 1 - 5 PANELS

1. We look at a barber shop from across the street - it is reminiscent of the one we saw in Fury's first spy appearance way back whenin Strange Tales. The main outer window is filled with one sfx.

SFX: BLAM!

2. Fury looks down the barrel of his hand gun at the end of his outstretched arm, we look up at him. There are blood spatters on his arm and face.

Fury: You'll do fine.

3. Fury slaps a SHIELD bomb on the barber's chest. You can design the bomb, and have fun with it.

Fury: You'll do just fine.

4. Fury pulls the lever to activate the chair and send the barber's body down beneath the barber shop into who knows where.

NO COPY

5. Fury walks away from the barber shop and across the street. He straightens his tie.

Caption: War can be a hell of a thing.

Caption: Hell of a pretty thing.

Nick Fury - Unprecedented - Grant McLaughlin

Page 1

Four rows of panels.  The first, third, and fourth rows are each made up of two equal-sized panels.  The second row is a single panel that stretches the page.  It can also be a little shorter than the others, which are all of the same height.

1 – Three men stand facing the reader, shot from the waist up. They are all SHIELD Agents, and they are all holding guns at the ready. The Agent in the middle is aiming a pistol with both hands, while the Agents to either side of him have much larger – and deadlier-looking – weapons. They wear serious expressions; they mean business.

MIDDLE AGENT: We can't let you do this, sir.

2 – A shot of Nick Fury standing at a console filled with controls. It more or less wraps a U around him and hides his body below the waist. He is working with the console before him and doesn't even look up at his would-be assailants.

NICK FURY: Excuse me?

3 – Side-shot. You can see that the four men stand in the bridge of the Helicarrier, with Fury to one side and the three SHIELD Agents aiming their guns at him opposite. There's no one else in the room. Of note: the bank of control consoles that Nick Fury is standing at is actually on a slightly higher level than the SHIELD Agents, who stand below aiming their guns up, a situation that takes a bit of the menace out of their threat. Nick Fury still hasn't looked up.

MIDDLE AGENT: We know what you're planning, and for the sake of the world, we can't let you do it.

4 – A shot from behind the Agents. Nick Fury is walking towards them, going down the short staircase to be at the same level as they are.  He looks bemused.  If he's worried, he's definitely not showing it (he's not worried).  The Agents' bodies and positioning once again obscures Nick Fury's body below the waist.

NICK FURY (1): Son, I've been putting a stop to superpowered megalomaniacs, alien invasions, and all manner of cataclysmic nonsense since before you were in diapers.

NICK FURY (2): Do you really think that any of you can stop me from doing anything that I want to do?

5 – Switch back to a similar shot from the first panel, but their determined looks are gone. In their place, it is clear that the Agents are starting to doubt themselves. They look towards each other for support, but find none. No dialogue.

6 – Same shot, but the Agents have lowered their guns. A mixture of defeat and relief is written across their faces. They look down in shame and embarrassment.

MIDDLE AGENT (whispers): No, sir.

NICK FURY (off-panel) (1): That's better.

NICK FURY (off-panel) (2): Besides, this isn't the end of the world.

7 – Nick Fury has walked past the Agents. The bodies of two of the Agents frame the shot. Nick Fury walks towards the door, not looking back at the Agents / reader. This is the first full body shot of Nick Fury that we've gotten, and while he's wearing his signature SHIELD top, he's actually been wearing a swimsuit the whole time.

NICK FURY: It's a well-deserved vacation.

Nick Fury - ∞ x ∞ - Rol Hirst

Panel One.

Flashback. The end of World War II. Paris. A landmine explodes, tossing Sgt. Nick Fury high in the air, all but killing him.

CAP (Fury): So there’s this tasty little cure-all called The Infinity Formula: helped save my life at the end of WW II…

Panel Two.

Out of flashback. Close on Fury, half in shadow, talking but not looking at us.

Fury: Kept me the dashing young super-spy you see before you today…

Panel Three.

Flashback. Fury injects Bucky with his last dose of The Infinity Formula, saving the Winter Soldier’s life.

CAP (Fury): Till recently, anyway.

Panel Four.

Out of flashback. Fury steps out of the shadows and we see who he’s talking to – some of his oldest allies: Captain America, the Black Widow, Wolverine, Dum Dum Dugan. They’re all in one of Fury’s secret hideouts. Fury looks miffed.

Fury: ‘Bout time I started growing old gracefully though – been putting it off far too long. That ain’t the problem…

Fury: The problem is the Formula… I always thought it couldn’t ever be replicated. Thought Sternberg took that with him to his grave.

Panel Five.

Hydra Secret Base. A long line of Hydra recruits are lining up for an injection. The one at the front of the line has rolled up his uniform sleeve to the shoulder. An evil Hydra doctor is injecting him. Beside them are boxes and boxes of vials, all labelled with the ∞ symbol.

Fury: Turns out I was wrong.

Nick Fury – Some Assembly Required, Page 1 - Ben Rosenthal

PAGE 1

1. Nick Fury stands in a control room, watching four monitors. We can only see the back of them, and as such cannot see what Fury sees. He has a deep look of concern on his face.

CAPTION (Fury)

I don’t even understand how this is happening. But it is.

2. This is one large panel showing all of the monitors that Fury is watching. They are separate panels, but make up one whole picture at the same time. We are looking at these from behind Fury as he studies them, trying to figure out the next move.

2 a. We see the first of the four monitors. It shows a beat up Hawkeye leaning against a crumbled wall. In his right hand he holds his bow. His left arm is obviously dislocated.

CAPTION (Fury)

The Avengers were assembled to be this planet’s protectors. That’s what I told them, but they know the truth.

2 b. The second monitor shows the Black Widow being knocked back by an unseen force.

CAPTION (Fury)

They’re the last line of defence.

2 c. The third monitor shows the Hulk bent over in pain, holding his head.

CAPTION (Fury)

I’m not sure how they can be expected to defend –

2 d. The screen shows Loki, in the middle of rubble that was Times Square. He has a wicked smile on his face.

CAPTION (Fury)

- If they don’t have their weapons.

This is a battle I do not think we can win.

Nick Fury – Marvel Noir: Nick Fury and the Agents of SHIELD - MK Stangeland Jr.

(5 Panels)

Panel 1: NICK FURY, AGENT JUNIPER, and AGENT MANELL lead GABRIEL JONES down an alleyway.

GABRIEL JONES: I didn’t get your name.

NICK FURY (1): Nick Fury.

NICK FURY (2): I command SHIELD.

Panel 2: The four come to a dead end. A number of posters line the brick walls.

One is a variation on the classic UNCLE SAM ‘I want you to join the US army’, but with Uncle Sam replaced by a noir version of CAPTAIN AMERICA. NICK FURY is closest to this poster, and looks as though he’s about to interact with it.

GABRIEL JONES: Nick Fury? I thought you were just a rumor.

Panel 3: NICK FURY lifts the CAPTAIN AMERICA poster up and has his other hand up against one of the bricks. At present, it looks like just more brick wall.

NICK FURY: I am.

Panel 4: NICK FURY pushes a selection of separate bricks into the wall.

GABRIEL JONES: But you’re standing right…

NICK FURY: Nick Fury does not actually exist. Neither does SHIELD.

Panel 5: A portion of the brick wall opens up to reveal a doorway. JUNIPER is passing through, while FURY and MANELL wait for GABRIEL JONES to follow JUNIPER in.

NICK FURY: And as of today, Mr. Gabriel Jones does not officially exist, either.

(END PAGE)

(Since it probably helps fit the theme better if I provide a tad more information, part of the idea I’m running with on the Noir version of Nick Fury/SHIELD is that in addition to SHIELD being a secret, covert organization, rather than Nick Fury having LMDs or the infinity formula, Nick Fury isn’t just a single man, but instead an identity. When one Nick Fury bites it, another agent of SHIELD takes his place and assumes the identity of Nick Fury in his place.

How Gabriel Jones plays into this is that I imagine that, by the end of the tale, the Nick Fury we are introduced at the start of the story would not be fortunate enough to survive to the end. The story would then end with Gabriel Jones becoming the new Nick Fury, essentially becoming the Noir version of Ultimate Nick Fury.)

Why Nick Fury?

“’I am Iron Man’. You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe. You just don’t know it yet.”

“Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative.”

And the crowds went wild.

When Marvel put together the first Iron Man movie, it was kind of a big deal. Even more so when they did such a great job with it. But what few suspected prior to its actual release that it was just the first building block of a much bigger picture. There were rumors Fury would show up, of course, but it was only after we got to see the movie itself and sat around through the end credits that we knew the truth.

Unholy $#*^! They’re doing an Avengers movie!

So here we are, four years later. And with the summer of 2012 will come the debut of a film most of us no doubt thought would never see the light of day – The Avengers, on the big screen.

Naturally, there was certainly the expectation that Thoughtballoons Would do a week for The Avengers, following the tradition Ryan unwittingly started when he picked Iron Man for the very first week of ThoughtBalloons on at least partial account of the second movie having been released recently.

However, thinking about this brought an idea to my head – as a film, The Avengers ranks somewhere between the biggest movie of the summer and the biggest superhero movie of all time. So why not do something extra special for it? My answer: Instead of a single week dedicated to The Avengers, why not several weeks dedicated to The Avengers - one for each major character from the movie?

Since everyone else thought it was a great idea, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Starting today with Nick Fury, Thoughtballoons is launching it’s multiple-week ‘Avengersthon’ extravaganza, with each week dedicated to a different major character from the film, all leading up to the final The Avengers week when the movie actually comes out. Because a comic book movie this big deserves it.

Which brings us to Nick Fury himself. It seemed appropriate to start with him, since in a way he’s the man who kicked off the four-year road to the Avengers movie with Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo in the first Iron Man movie.

Why Nick Fury? Because whether he’s from the classic 616 universe we’re more familiar with or the Ultimate Universe, Nick Fury is the flip side of the same heroic coin that is shared by Captain America – Both have been around since World War II, both have some kind of serum running through their veins, both are fighting for freedom against the would-be tyrannical forces such as HYDRA and AIM. They’re both artifacts from an earlier age, though artifacts in the best sense of the word.

But where as Captain America was frozen at the end of WWII and woke up to a culture shock in the modern era, Nick Fury’s been there all along to see the world as it’s changed. Where as Steve Rodgers is as much as a symbol as a one-man fighting force, fighting out in the light for everyone to see and be inspired by, Nick Fury does his job from the shadows – he does his job better when people don’t know what he’s up to. Where Cap is prohibited from doing things like killing supervillains in order to be the better man because that’s who he has to be, Nick Fury isn’t as concerned about what people think about him – he’s just concerned about keeping the world safe.

To borrow a comparison from DC, Nick Fury is the Batman to Captain America’s Harvey Dent. Harvey Dent specifically, mind you, taking Two-Face out of the equation. Where as Captain America is the White Knight that stands as a shining beacon of good against a backdrop of scum and villainy, Nick Fury is Dark Knight doing the dirty work people don’t like to talk about.

Nick Fury gets the job done. Does he make mistakes? Yeah, but who doesn’t? He’s still human. He’s just a human that does what has to be done to keep the world safe. Because he’s Nick Fury.

Spymaster.

Director of SHIELD.