20 Things That Almost Completely Changed The MCU

17. That Nine-Picture Deal With Samuel L. Jackson Very Nearly Didn't Happen

In a lot of ways, it's Samuel L. Jackson and his character, Nick Fury, who have really come to define everything that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was by way of Jackson's character that the MCU was originally proposed and later expanded out from within, of course. Ever since he made that first appearance in Iron Man, Nick Fury has felt like the definitive symbol of the "MCU" - whenever he turns up in a MCU flick, it serves as a reminder that the franchise truly is special... and Fury is the glue. Odd, then, to imagine an MCU without Samuel L. Jackson as the connecting force - which is a thing that very nearly came to be. Before Jackson signed his exclusive nine-picture deal with the studio, then (just after the release of Iron Man), he spoke out in a candid interview. €œThere was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down," he said. "I don€™t know. Maybe I won€™t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury." Somebody else?! That's blasphemy! Marvel eventually got it together, however, and signed Jackson for a monumental slew of pictures, thus helping them to shape the MCU for years and years to come.