Nicholas Fury (1459)

Nick Fury was the head of "S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury is also credited as a possible co-creator/designer of the Avenger Initiative as well as the special operations commander. He has been in active service since the 1940s at the earliest, where he participated in World War II first as a part of the US Army, Then SSR eventually the CIA and to S.H.I.E.L.D.

## History

### Early Life

The eldest of three children, Nicholas Joseph Fury grew up in Depression-era New York City with his brother Jacob and sister Dawn. Fury's mother died while he was very young and his father Jack Fury, an American pilot who joined the British war effort during World War I, remarried and the children were raised by his stepmother in lieu of Jack Fury's own early death. It wouldn't be until Nick Fury became a soldier himself overseas that he would learn of his father's military service. Living in the tough streets of Hell's Kitchen, Fury soon became fast friends with Red Hargrove, whom he helped keep out of trouble. Fury himself was no stranger to trouble, but more than often confined it to the boxing ring where he would bout, or in the Police Athletic League where he became one of the finest marksman.

### World War II

Nick Fury and Hargrove caught the eye of Lt. "Happy Sam" Sawyer who enlisted them for a special mission in Holland. On this mission Fury made the acquaintance of his future life-long friend, the circus strongman Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan. Seeing the Nazi menace firsthand, Hargrove was moved to say he would enlist, and Fury said he would follow him. However Fury didn't enlist until 1941, where he received nine weeks of basic training at Fort Dix without Red Hargrove, hoping to ride out the wave of unemployment in the States. Eventually Fury reunited with Hargrove, both getting stationed at Pearl Harbor.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Fury was spurred on by the death of Hargrove during the attack to join the U.S. Rangers, and was eventually recruited and reunited with Captain Sawyer who assigned him command of the First Attack Squad; aka the "Howling Commandos," a specially-trained band of soldiers who undertook some of the most dangerous missions of the war. Together with Dum Dum Dugan as his second in command, Fury led Gabe Jones, Robert "Reb" Ralston, Dino Manelli, Izzy Cohen and Jonathan Juniper, as well as their later additions Percival Pinkerton and Eric Koenig against the likes of Red Skull, Baron Heinrich Zemo, and other Axis villains, fighting alongside such war heroes as Captain America and Bucky. As leader of the Howling Commandos, Fury struck blow after blow against the Nazis and their allies through missions that ranged from deep infiltration missions behind enemy lines to undercover work and even some home front action. It was during one of these missions that he first met Reed Richards who would go on to become Mister Fantastic, leader of the Fantastic Four.

### Infinity Formula

Two serious injuries sustained during this time would have a serious impact in his later life: a grenade blast that began the slow deterioration of his sight in his left eye, and a landmine accident that led to Fury being inoculated with the Infinity Formula by Professor Berthold Sternberg in France.

The Infinity Formula substantially slowed his aging process, and Fury was thrust with a double edged sword: although his life was saved, the consequences of the Infinity Formula would haunt him throughout his life as he would see many friends age and die, as well as become the target of various villains seeking his secret. Dr. Sternberg himself was not immune to taking advantage of Fury's delicate situation, basically holding Fury's life for ransom starting in 1946, every year through 1976 by charging Fury a high fee for more of the serum.

### CIA

For most soldiers, after V-J Day the war was over it was time to go home and live a normal life again. This was not the case for Nick Fury. Following a number of "mop-up" missions with the Howlers, Sgt. Fury was reassigned and left his wartime comrades behind in France, heading for Okinawa. His skills were quickly put to use with the growing intelligence community. The Office of Strategic Services had recognized Fury's potential during the war, using him for a few missions into German-occupied France, and based on this he was officially recruited by Colonel Tom Lynaugh in 1954. He was flown to Langley where he began training as an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency, serving through till his appointment to S.H.I.E.L.D..

During these cloak & dagger years, Fury saw action in the Korean War, briefly reuniting with some of the former Howling Commandos who reenlisted. On one particular mission, the Howlers joined Fury and Colonel "Happy" Sam Sawyer for a covert mission to destroy a MIG airbase, a mission that earned Fury a long-deserved brevet field commission to Second Lieutenant. Fury also became involved in fighting Communist Chinese forces,[*citation needed*] and was promoted to the rank of Colonel during his time with the C.I.A.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

In 1963 Fury left the CIA and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. being assigned as a Field Agent.

Director Fury

on August 4th 1994 Fury was given the title of Director of SHIELD, he has held this title since.

## Powers and Abilities

**Infinity Formula:** Nick Fury's aging had been slowed greatly by the Infinity Formula, a serum created by Dr. Berthold Sternberg. Fury was first inoculated with the serum in the late 1940's. Fury took the serum annually for many years. Due to its cumulative effect, Fury no longer needs additional doses to prolong his life span. The effects of the serum has been passed on to his two sons Mikel Fury and Nick Fury, Jr.

### Abilities

**Master Martial Artist:** He is a seasoned unarmed- and armed-combat expert, was a heavyweight boxer in the Army, and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. Fury has honed his fighting skills to hold his own against Captain America (Steve Rogers), perhaps the world's finest unarmed-combat expert.

**Master Tactician and Strategist:** He is an accomplished strategist. He had been widely considered one of, if not the greatest, tacticians on the planet, both on and off the battlefield. He is able to formulate battle strategies and his brilliant tactical sense allows him to alter any strategy to fit the changing need of the situation.

**Advanced Military Operator:** Fury has trained as a paratrooper, ranger, demolitions expert and vehicle specialist. He holds an unlimited-tonnage, all-seas license as a commander of ocean-going vessels. Fury has completed Green and Black berets Special Forces training, and has been an agent of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and a liaison of the MI-5 (British Secret Intelligence).

**Expert Marksman:** He is an exceptional marksman of every type of firearm who is sometimes depicted as being ambidextrous in this respect. He is skilled in sharpshooting and knife throwing as well.

**Weapons Proficiency:** He is proficient in wielding swords, daggers, throwing knifes, staffs, sticks, tonfa, axes, maces and clubs.

**Multi-lingual:** Fury is fluent in English, German, Russian, Japanese. He might be lingual in other languages.

**Expert Vehicular driver:** As a S.H.I.E.LD. Fury is proficient in driving cars, motor cycles, Trucks, Tanker, helicopters, motor boats, sub marines, and some types of trains and utility vehicles. In his youth, Fury learned to fly planes and wing walking.

### Physical Strength

Nick Fury possesses the normal human strength of a man of in his middle-age years, and with his own height and build who engages in extensive regular exercise

### Weaknesses

* **Nick Fury's Eyepatch:** He has 95% vision loss in his injured left eye, over which he wears a cosmetic eyepatch.