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- The original version of this story incorrectly stated Brian Michael Bendis introduced a version of Nick Fury with Sam Jackson's likeness to the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Artist Bryan Hitch was the one who first drew the Marvel character to look like Jackson in The Ultimates (written by Mark Millar), which was released in 2002, years before Iron Man was filmed.
Brian Michael Bendis wrote the post-credit scene for Iron Man the day before it was filmed, including lines that never made it into the movie.
Speaking to Inverse, Bendis revealed that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recruited him and other Marvel alumni for a "committee" to help provide notes on the original Marvel Cinematic Universe film's script. This eventually led to Feige contacting Bendis about dialogue for Iron Man's Nick Fury cameo while he was attending Long Beach Comic Con. "I got a call from Kevin, who said, 'Samuel L. Jackson is showing up tomorrow to do a favor. He's just showing up and we're gonna wing it," he said. Feige then asked Bendis, "Do you have time to write anything?," to which he responded, "Yeah! Shit!"
Without any instructions on the nature of Tony Stark and Nick Fury's conversation, Bendis drafted numerous dialogue options like, "Put down your armor," "I'm here to shut you down. You're done. There's no Iron Man," and, in a nod to Jackson's 2006 film Snakes on a Plane, "Get that motherfucking armor off your motherfucking…" Ultimately, Marvel went with a variation of his "Avengers Initiative" line, which Jackson tweaked into the now-iconic, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative" cliffhanger.
"When I saw they went with Avengers — the promise of more — it was obviously the right choice," Bendis said of the scene. "It's a big fingers-crossed [moment] because nothing was set. A lot of good things have to happen for an Avengers movie to happen. As soon as the movie opened, it was obvious the goal was in reach."
Iron Man Launches the MCU in 2008
Leading up to Iron Man's tenth anniversary in 2018, director Jon Favreau reflected on the impact of Jackson's cameo. "I wanted to include Easter eggs that the fans would appreciate and we thought the idea of a post-credit scene it could be fun," he said. The film, which turns 15 years old on May 2, not only proved a critical and commercial success but spearheaded the MCU's rise as a billion-dollar Hollywood franchise.
Iron Man also rejuvenated the career of Robert Downey Jr. -- then seen as a liability due to his substance abuse history -- who went on to play Tony Stark/Iron Man in nine more MCU films between 2008 and 2019. The franchise is currently in the middle of its Phase 5 run, with Marvel Studios' latest film being James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, set to release on May 5.
Jackson, meanwhile, will lead his first MCU series in 2023 with Secret Invasion, an adaptation of Bendis' comic of the same name. Promotional posters released in April confirmed the Disney+ show's release date as June 21.
Iron Man is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Inverse
UPDATE: 2023/05/02 09:14 EST.
The original version of this story incorrectly stated Brian Michael Bendis introduced a version of Nick Fury with Sam Jackson's likeness to the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Artist Bryan Hitch was the one who first drew the Marvel character to look like Jackson in The Ultimates (written by Mark Millar), which was released in 2002, years before Iron Man was filmed.