The following contains spoilers for Secret Invasion, Episode 2, "Promises," now streaming on Disney+.
Samuel L. Jackson contributed heavily to the development of Nick Fury's backstory in Secret Invasion, according to the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries' director, Ali Selim.
Selim revealed that the scene in Secret Invasion Episode 2, "Promises," in which Fury shares a childhood memory with Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) drew directly from Jackson's own experiences in an interview with Variety. "It wasn't on the page. It was [Jackson] telling us a story," he said. "He's very connected to Nick Fury in a way that no writer ever could be." Added Jackson: "We used things that were real for me as a person to give Nick Fury the kind of history that he has, to inform the story in a real way about, you know, how he wasn't always this [powerful], or he does look at America in another kind of way."
Fury's youth isn't the only previously unrevealed aspect of the spymaster's past brought into the spotlight in "Promises," either. Secret Invasion's second episode also introduces Nick Fury's wife, Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) -- a character never seen before in the MCU. "Promises" isn't clear on whether Fury knows that Priscilla is a shapeshifting Skrull, which Selim noted in a recent interview was an intentional creative choice. "In the script, he knows. And when we shot it, it was interesting that maybe he didn't know. We ultimately edited it in a way that made people feel like, 'I wonder if he knows or not,'" he said.
Secret Invasion Director On Nick Fury's Personal Life
Regardless of whether Priscilla turns out to be hiding her true nature from her husband, her introduction tracks with previous comments by Selim regarding Secret Invasion's focus on Nick Fury's personal life. The director indicated that this aspect of the show is something Jackson is especially passionate about, as it allows him to portray previously unexplored facets of Fury's character. "Sam Jackson would say we knew the working part of Nick Fury, but we never knew anything about his personal life," Selim said. "We never knew what his demons were. We never knew what his home life secrets were. He was never vulnerable or broken in any way."
Fury's apparent vulnerability in Secret Invasion doesn't go unremarked upon by those around him, including MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth. Actor Olivia Colman recently spoke about Falsworth's relationship with Fury in the Disney+ miniseries, insisting that the concern Sonya expresses for Nick's well-being is sincere. "Her sort of love is a funny old thing, but I think she genuinely does mean it," Colman said.
New episodes of Secret Invasion arrive on Disney+ Wednesdays.
Source: Variety