Why Was Nick Fury Created?

[jackolover]

Truely amazing foresight, considering that Nick Fury debuted in 1963 and The Man From Uncle in 1965.

Nick Fury's creation had nothing to do with SHIELD. He wasn't intended to be anything other than a WWII character when they created him. The biggest factors in his creation are probably Kirby and Lee's wartime experiences, and popular WWII movies in the early 60's.

But why? Why War stories? That war was over for 20 years already. I understand Lee and Kirby had wartime experiences and they exercised that in all the war books that came out during the Atlas Age. They had their nostalgic avenue already. Why Nick Fury, then?

[Coal Tiger]

But why? Why War stories? That war was over for 20 years already. I understand Lee and Kirby had wartime experiences and they exercised that in all the war books that came out during the Atlas Age. They had their nostalgic avenue already. Why Nick Fury, then?

Because war comics were a thing back then.

[jackolover]

Because war comics were a thing back then.

I think Sgt Rock was at DC. But Atlas already had Combat Casey, Combat Kelly, and Kent Blake Secret Service on their books, so they could have reignited them or any other characters from 2 dozen other war books they had put out.

[Jody Garland]

I think Sgt Rock was at DC. But Atlas already had Combat Casey, Combat Kelly, and Kent Blake Secret Service on their books, so they could have reignited them or any other characters from 2 dozen other war books they had put out.

Well, for one, Marvel had a limited amount of books they could publish at the time thanks to their publishing deal with National Comics. Second, they had had major success with flat out inventing new characters as opposed to revamping characters, especially the apparently forgotten Atlas Characters. I don't think any Atlas content was specifically touched on until Combat Kelly returned in the '70s, around the time Engelhart brought in the Cap of the '50s.

War comics were a huge market at the time as well. Just look at DC- they had Our Fighting Forces, Our Army at War, Star Spangled War Stories, Blackhawks and probably one or two I'm forgetting about, all running simultaneously or near simultaneously. WWII was still a massive cultural thing even twenty years later. It only made sense for Marvel to hop onboard, especially since pretty much everyone at Marvel was either a veteran or linked to the War in some way.

This. Anything Lee says in regards to the early creation of Marvel is to be taken with an entire boatload of salt, most of the time. I might be mistaken but didn't he once say it was his full intention to make one of the Howlers gay--even 'way back then?

Yeah, Stan, okay.

It was Pinky Pinkerton, the British Howler.

[Carabas]

But why? Why War stories? That war was over for 20 years already.

WWII stories were seriously popular at the time. Guns Of Navarone, The Great Escape, Hell Is For Heroes, The Longest Day, Sink the Bismarck!...

It's probably not a coincidence that Captain America was revived, minus his post-WWII history, in 1964, and we started seeing a lot of Nazi-based villains.

[jackolover]

WWII stories were seriously popular at the time. Guns Of Navarone, The Great Escape, Hell Is For Heroes, The Longest Day, Sink the Bismarck!...

It's probably not a coincidence that Captain America was revived, minus his post-WWII history, in 1964, and we started seeing a lot of Nazi-based villains.

What are you suggesting, some sort of nostalgia revisit? Or perhaps the revival of super heroes is linked to WWII? I had this floating around the back of my mind a couple of times recently that super heroes are related to WWII, on a level that at the time Kennedy took office, the super heroes revived at Atlas/Marvel, and a terrible fear arose that WWIII was about to happen in the early 1960's. The link between elements of what the super heroes were doing (in the Golden Age and the Silver Age) and Total War is not that unlikely. Captain America emerged in WWII as a response to Nazi aggression and the US wanted someone of super human abilities to be ahead of the Nazis.

Fast forward to the 1960's and now it's the commie aggressors, (ST109 has the FF go away for 1 week to make it hard for the commies), so even though the super heroes are back, they are too fresh and don't have the moxie a Captain America or a Nick Fury would have in a pinch. I suppose I'm suggesting Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Thor would be too soft if a war broke out, so you need hardened fighters who have been through wars, (note in Avengers how Cap beats up Clint saying he has to be more than a bow and arrow; and how Cap mentions to Pym how hard Cap hits in the war vs super hero fights, and consequently breaks Pyms nose as Giantman).

[Carabas]

What are you suggesting, some sort of nostalgia revisit? Or perhaps the revival of super heroes is linked to WWII?

I have absolutely no idea, way before my time, but evidently world War II movies were a thing at the time. Some of the most iconic ones date from around the time Nick Fury was created.

Captain America emerged in WWII as a response to Nazi aggression and the US wanted someone of super human abilities to be ahead of the Nazis.

That's a myth. Captain America's creation predates the USA's participation in WWII by almost a year, and the cover where he's punching out an unpopular head of state but not at the time not an actual enemy was somewhat controversial.

http://www.cbr.com/the-history-behin...nching-hitler/

Fast forward to the 1960's and now it's the commie aggressors, (ST109 has the FF go away for 1 week to make it hard for the commies), so even though the super heroes are back, they are too fresh and don't have the moxie a Captain America or a Nick Fury would have in a pinch. I suppose I'm suggesting Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Thor would be too soft if a war broke out, so you need hardened fighters who have been through wars, (note in Avengers how Cap beats up Clint saying he has to be more than a bow and arrow; and how Cap mentions to Pym how hard Cap hits in the war vs super hero fights, and consequently breaks Pyms nose as Giantman).

I think you're putting way more thought into this than Jack and Stan did.

It's not as if Jack Kirby needs an excuse to do stories about heroes against fascism. That's what half of the New Gods saga was all about.

[ed2962]

What are you suggesting, some sort of nostalgia revisit? Or perhaps the revival of super heroes is linked to WWII? I had this floating around the back of my mind a couple of times recently that super heroes are related to WWII, on a level that at the time Kennedy took office, the super heroes revived at Atlas/Marvel, and a terrible fear arose that WWIII was about to happen in the early 1960's. The link between elements of what the super heroes were doing (in the Golden Age and the Silver Age) and Total War is not that unlikely. Captain America emerged in WWII as a response to Nazi aggression and the US wanted someone of super human abilities to be ahead of the Nazis.

Fast forward to the 1960's and now it's the commie aggressors, (ST109 has the FF go away for 1 week to make it hard for the commies), so even though the super heroes are back, they are too fresh and don't have the moxie a Captain America or a Nick Fury would have in a pinch. I suppose I'm suggesting Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Thor would be too soft if a war broke out, so you need hardened fighters who have been through wars, (note in Avengers how Cap beats up Clint saying he has to be more than a bow and arrow; and how Cap mentions to Pym how hard Cap hits in the war vs super hero fights, and consequently breaks Pyms nose as Giantman).

It wasn't nostalgia the way you're probably thinking of. WW2 was just a popular setting at the time in fiction. Not just in comics, but on TV and in movies as well. During the 80's, Viet Nam was constantly being referenced in pop culture.

[ed2962]

double post

[jackolover]

In 1959 Khruschev toured the USA. He incited Eisenhower, the FBI, and the American public with his confrontational and arrogant speeches. Eisenhower was supposed to reciprocate the following year with a tour of Soviet Russia, but the Russians shot down their first U2 spy plane flying over Moscow on a spy run. Khruschev was outraged and cancelled the invitation to Eisenhower to tour there. Then sent Sputnik over America, telling the US , "We can send Nukes to America". The USA was panicked by the prospect, as Sputnik flew over like a shot across their bow. The USA thought they had a Nuke advantage with 50 B52 Bombers at ready to send Nukes to the USSR but now this was the COLD WAR.

Then in 1961, Super Heroes appeared in Marvel Comicbooks. Story after story was of the Cold War in the books. The SH's were in the Cold War right from the beginning. Then they did a book called Sgt Fury and the Howling Commandoes (from an idea Kirby had in his notes in 1959, about a rugged soldier he thought of doing). 3 issues later of this series, these heroes of WWII met Reed Richards in their book in WWII, and you see Marvel introduced Nick Fury to the New Marvel Universe. Then Fury appeared in modern times in Fantastic Four issue 21. Then in Sgt Fury issue 11, Captain America and Bucky appeared with the HC, another introduction into the Modern New Marvel, because nobody introduced Cap and Bucky into the 1950's War comics at Atlas, at all, so why now? My interpretation is because Nick Fury, the WWII hero, who was more a hero than Super Heros in tights, was necessary to be there in the COLD WAR as well as SH's.

[theoneandonly]

The relationship between fury and Cap caused unintentional hilarity for me in the avengers when Cap was burning to join up with his unit and he never got the later cap wrote. Swordsman used it to lure him into a trap and caps reaction to fury's response was to jump up and down like a kid who's got his wish fullfilled.Sounded like a budding bromance especially when they met later in tales of suspense and he offered him a spot.