Marvel really wanted Samuel L Jackson to play Nick Fury

So I watched Iron Man a few weeks ago. A pretty good comic book movie--nothing super, but well done (for a 2nd-tier hero). Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, an egotistical womanizer with a drinking problem. So...he basically plays himself.

The funny part about this movie occurred at the end after the credits rolled. Samuel L Jackson has a cameo as Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D in the Marvel Universe. This got me thinking...

So for many decades, Nick Fury looked like this:



Not someone that could ever be confused for Samuel L Jackson. In fact, when they made the Nick Fury TV movie, they decided to cast this guy:



I'm not really sure why it wasn't a big hit. Anyway, I remember reading comic books circa 2003, when the "Ultimate Avengers" came out, and all of a sudden Nick Fury looked a little different:



Big change, right? It's just a little too similar to this fella right here:



I mean, come on! It's like they intentionally drew Nick Fury differently just so they could eventually cast Sam Jackson in this role! Coincidence? I think not....

I wish my biggest problem was earning only $2 million

Such tragedy...

Seriously, it's really weird to read about this. I guess it's true that you never feel like you have enough money. Such a sad commentary...