It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for Versus! This week we’re doing a little something special and hopefully clearing up a few misconceptions you might have about a certain one eyed anti-hero. The subject in question is of course Nick Fury, everyone’s favorite super spy (take that James Bond!). If you have seen the recent Iron Man movie then you know that Nick makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film. The cameo is done by none other than the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson. A few of you might also remember the Nick Fury TV Movie that came out on Fox in the 90’s. That Nick Fury was portrayed by the Hof himself David Hasselhoff. So at this point your thinking, “How did Samuel L Jackson get signed to play a white character?” The truth is he didn’t, at least not exactly…

The Tale of the Tape:

Ultimate Nick Fury

This version of Nick Fury was only created within the last decade when Marvel revamped their classic stories for a new audience. They called the new stories the ‘Ultimate’ line of comics and there are several characters that have received the Ultimate treatment, but none as severe as Nick Fury.

Powers: Ultimate Nick Fury was a part of a secret government project to create super soldiers of which he is the only survivor (this project predates Captain America’s project). Unlike the Captain America project Nick was seemingly only blessed with incredibly slowed aging. Aside from that Fury comes off as a normal human in great physical condition.

Weaknesses: Honesty apparently. The one aspect that they kept true between the two versions of nick Fury is the idea that he can’t necessarily be trusted. Aliens, bullets, George Lucas movies, a multimillion dollar contract.

Nick Fury of Earth 616

Earth 616 is the Marvel earth where all your favorite heroes have lived in perpetual youth since the forties. On that earth exists Nick Fury formerly of the Howling Commandos, currently fighting to retake his country from the hands of one Norman Osborn (Willem Defoe from the Spider-Man movies). This is the original Nick Fury that the Ultimate version is based on.

Powers: This Nick Fury took a serum called the Infinity Formula that, you guessed it, greatly slowed his aging. Nick has taken so much of the stuff that his aging has been regressed permanently. He’s also a highly trained soldier, so yeah he knows karate and stuff.

Weaknesses: Teenaged girls with camcorders, royalty checks from America’s got Talent, talking cars, and of course New Edition with or without Bobby.