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In “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?,” it’s reaffirmed Nick Fury’s the MCU’s worst boss, but he’s also its most loyal one.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If…? Season 1, Episode 3, “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” streaming now on Disney+.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has cut a cold, mean figure for most of his tenure. He’s a sneaky spy who’s trying to stay ahead of others, and as a result, many people initially view him as someone not to trust. However, come “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?,” as much as it’s proven Fury’s the MCU’s worst boss, he’s also its most loyal one.
The monster aspect appears due to his actions with Tony Stark in this alternate reality. He’s chatting with Iron Man like he does in Iron Man 2, trying to get Tony to sign up for the Avengers Initiative. Stark’s as stubborn as ever, which results in Black Widow approaching and stabbing him in the neck with an injection as Fury distracts him.
It contains a serum that’s supposed to counter the arc reactor’s poisoning, but instead, it’s sabotaged and Stark dies. Now, even if he lived, this conversation wouldn’t have gone well. It’s an invasion of trust and autonomy, with Fury dictating what’s best for Tony’s health without giving Tony a chance to weigh his options. There are a number of things that could’ve also gone wrong with this, like an allergic reaction, so it’s a dangerous and arrogant move.
While he keeps both eyes open most of the time, it would be hard for Fury to even know what upgrades Tony may have done in secret, again posing a risk. Making this call for Tony without talking to him or taking into consideration how he would feel isn’t leadership, and while Nat could be forgiven for following orders, Fury coming up with this scheme is manipulative, risky and inconsiderate, especially as Nat’s the one to be apprehended when it backfires.
That said, while Fury puts his agents through very questionable operations that could make them fall guys, he’s loyal to them and doesn’t treat them like mere pawns he can discard, even when the odds say he should. It’s seen with him slipping Nat the syringe to investigate what went wrong with Stark, urging her to break out and find the truth out on her own. Nat even questions if he’s making the right move backing her like this, but Fury has no second thoughts, despite her own shady past as a Russian agent and the possibility she might indeed be a traitor.
Fury knows his people and believes he’s a sound judge of character. It’s reaffirmed in the second half of the episode when Thor and Hawkeye die. All evidence is there that Clint pulled his arrow and shot Thor, with the archer even wondering if he deluded himself. SHIELD thinks he did it willingly, especially after Clint is found poisoned in his cell, with Agent Coulson wondering if it’s suicide via cyanide pill.
However, Fury admits Clint had a family, so he wouldn’t go out like this. He helped Clint set a safe house up for them in Avengers: Age of Ultron too, so he knows that’s a love Clint wouldn’t abandon. Despite everything pointing to the arrow leaving Clint’s bow, Fury just can’t see his agent — someone who’s worked for him for years — murdering someone against orders.
This inspires Fury to keep the case open, and thankfully Nat makes the breakthrough when the real killer attacks her in a library. She ends up dead, but luckily, her message gets through to Fury to send him after the true culprit: a vengeful Hank Pym. Had Fury not believed in his team, especially Nat, this wouldn’t have happened, and Pym may have continued to destroy more than just the Avengers initiative.
To understand more of Nick Fury’s duality as a boss, the third episode of What If…? is streaming now on Disney+.
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