NICK FURY
of Earth-97082 circa 2015 A.D.
Real Name: Nick Fury;
likely Nicholas Joseph Fury
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-97082) human;
Occupation: Former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (see comments)
Group Membership: S.H.I.E.L.D. (notably Bjornstrand, Ramos)
Affiliations: Iron Man/Tony Stark;
formerly Mary Ann
Enemies: ESON (Hiro Matsui);
extensive listing of lifelong enemies unconfirmed in this reality beyond Imperial Japan during World War II (presumably the rest of the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy))
Known Relatives: None (unless Mary Ann had been his wife);
see Nick Fury-616's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe for likely/possible relatives
Aliases: None confirmed
Base of Operations: At least formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Levicarrier;
formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier
First Appearance: Iron Man: Crash (April, 1988)
Powers/Abilities:
Nick Fury was highly-experienced in armed and unarmed combat,
espionage, military strategy, etc. He piloted a small aircraft and had
access to advanced weaponry
Height: Presumably 6'1"
Weight: Presumably 221 lbs.
Eyes: Presumably brown (color not clearly shown, but dark; left eye badly damaged and covered by eye patch)
Hair: White (presumably formerly brown)
History:
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Fury fought in World War II against Imperial Japan (and presumably the rest of the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy)).
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - In the 1960s, S.H.I.E.L.D. formed in
response to terrorist actions of various subversive organizations. Fury was its long-standing director.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) <1965> - Stark International
emerged with a sizable military research and development contract from
the newly formed S.H.I.E.L.D.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) <1985> - Following the
destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier, Stark International designed the
Levicarrier, funded by the Pentagon when the Strategic Defense
Initiative (SDI) fell apart.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - While Fury was in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.
and apparently in charge of Stark (who was still acting as Iron Man),
the two discussed making the Iron Man armor non-exclusive; however, the
idea never came to fruition while Fury was in charge.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Nick Fury retired.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS)
<At some point shortly before the story> - Nick's presumably
long-time lover and/or wife, Mary Ann, left him.
Perhaps this was after Fury was called out of retirement?
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - S.H.I.E.L.D. uncovered Japanese design behind virus program in recent piracy of U.S. artificial intelligence technology.
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Nick Fury, called out of retirement, arranged an emergency session of the International Monetary Network IMN).
(Iron Man:
Crash) - Fury spoke at the meeting, discussing the long-existing
underground war for the control of information technology and how S.H.I.E.L.D. had finally gotten a lead of the piracy of U.S.
artificial intelligence technology. He stated that while SHIELD had no
allegiance to any one nation, faction or corporation, he was an
American, and the proof that the virus program behind the piracy was of
Japanese design made him feel like the technological equivalent of
Pearl Harbor. He continued that there was a very real possibility that
these information technology wars could escalate into the "old
fashioned shooting kind."
ESON executive Hiro Matsui then spoke up, noting
that Fury had reacted recklessly to circumstantial evidence and that
while he admired Fury's reputation as a warrior, Fury it stemmed from
time and political climates long in the past, as his invoking of Pearl
Harbor indicated. While noting that he -- out of respect for Fury's
record -- would never go so far as to call him a racist, Matsui stated
that the felt that his presence in the Information Technology
investigation compromised SHIELD's peace-keeping neutrality. Noting
that until Colonel Fury was barred from IMN proceedings he would not
participate on this board, and he invited all delegates to join him
thusly.
As Fury started to say, "Why you little...", his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (and perhaps senior office with Fury having been in retirement) Bjornstrand
stopped him from saying anything else, noting that Fury had wanted to
stir things up and that there were not many other ways for a top
executive like Matsui to react. After Fury admitted that "the 'ol
adrenalin" didn't turn on and off so easily at his age, Bjornstrand
acknowledged that by having played it this way, Matsui had created an
obligation for his government to demonstrate how wrong S.H.I.E.L.D. was, which would aid S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation.
Fury replied to Bjornstand, "Almost
like I know what I what I was doing, huh? If there's a cover up,
this'll at least make it tougher. You give nice, I stay 'Ugly
American'...between us, we'll squeeze something out. Good cop, bad cop,
international style." Bjornstrand agreed, telling Nick that that
was why they needed him, as everyone else these days were either
technicians or diplomats, and no one else had instincts like Nick Fury,
"the old bloodhound." Fury corrected that he was more like a pit bull,
as he didn't sniff at a trail when it was this serious but rather went
for the jugular.
As he departed in his persona airplane, Fury
admitted that he was too old to do this job, but that it made him feel
alive. He then flew to Stark's penthouse, considering that Stark better
be home as he needed a drink. After Fury landed on the roof, Stark
answered his call and let him in, and Fury happily accepted a glass of
scotch on the rocks. He shared with Stark that Mary Ann had left him,
initially joking that there were lots of babes chasing after an elderly
man with an eye patch before admitting that he missed her and could
barely zip his own jumpsuit anymore.
Fury next questioned Stark's involvement with ESON,
sharing the information about Japanese involvement the escalation of
the IT wars. Stark in turn noted how S.H.I.E.L.D.
had long sought an exclusive deal on his armor and questioned whether
his old friend was brought out of retirement just as he had made the
deal for the non-weaponized version of his armor to go to ESON. Stark
further advised Fury that while had been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s
best director, even he had not been able to keep it absolutely
corruption free, and it was bigger and even more complicated. When Fury
ask Stark's reasons for selling his armor, Stark told him that it was
for the future: "Without this deal,
my greatest development would always be limited, a close and special
interest...whether it's combat outfits for S.H.I.E.L.D. or me, playing superhero like I did."
Stark angrily retorted how seeing Iron Man's legacy
reduced to being a brand of children's breakfast serial made him sick,
and that he was further frustrated with Stark orchestrating this while
pumped up with so much of that black market youth juice that he looked
like one of the kids himself. Stark told Fury that he looked like he
could use some Perpetuon himself, and Fury told him that while he had
taken his own anti-aging treatments (the Infinity Formula), staying
young didn't always mean staying in touch. Fury started to lecture him
further but then realized it was pointless, and he departed, saying "See you in the future. Thanks for the scotch."
(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - ESON severed contact
after Stark International shipped the final schematics and the
wire-wrapped prototype. Stark traveled to Japan and met with ESON's CEO, Hideo Shinoda,
as well as Hiro Matsui, who chalked up the communication issues to
technical difficulties. However, Shinoda subsequently sent assassins
after Stark, who slew his bodyguards. Stark was saved by Hideo's
step-daughter, Keiko Takimoto, herself a Stark employee, who slew the assassins.
(Iron Man:
Crash) - Fury subsequently arrived on the scene with a number of S.H.I.E.L.D.
aircraft and over 50 agents (as assessed by Stark), and he ordered a
clean-up crew in the building immediately. Stark asked if this wasn't a
little excessive, but Fury told him to ask his bodyguards: "I don't
take any chances with these bastards." At Fury's query, Agent Ramos'
trace on the assassins' fingerprints eventually identified one of them
as a former ESON security guard. Fury considered that this -- combined
with S.H.I.E.L.D. experts having pinpointed ESON
components in the virus program -- gave them enough to protest through
the IMN and have ESON injuncted for full investigation.
Fury then told Stark that he wanted him out of
Japan, reminding him that he had the authority to remove him forcibly.
When Stark started to argue about what he had a stake, Fury advised him
that he had already thrown his greatest invention to this pack of
wolves, and that he was not going to let him stick around to be knocked
off to assure ESON did not have future competition.
(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - After having reluctantly boarded the passenger compartment of a S.H.I.E.L.D.
craft, Stark realized he was overdue to take Perpetuon. Considering
that it had been dulling his emotions, he instead disposed of the drug
and then activated his Iron Man armor, hidden in his luggage, and
escaped the craft to take take of business.
(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - Despite
surveillance from both S.H.I.E.L.D.
and local authorities, Keiko helped Stark find evidence that Hideo
Shinoda had altered the Stark programs and created his own armored
samurai warriors. She also delivered to him the IM2 robot, alongside which Iron Man confronted and defeated Hiro Matsui (who had framed Hideo) and his armored samurai.
(Iron Man:
Crash - BTS (seen only within ship) - As the ESON tower began to collapse, Fury arrived alongside other airborne S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, confident that Stark had done this as Iron Man.
After Iron Man had crashed while pursuing his now-intelligent IM2, Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. crafts arrived,
(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Fury presumably picked up Stark and brought him back to Manhattan.
Comments: Created by Michael Saenz
Crash was billed as "The First
Computer Generated Graphic Novel." That was a big deal back in 1988.
There's an extensive feature on how they did it at the back of the
book. Buy it, and read it!
Much like Earth-8410 (the "future"
of 2020 A.D.), this is a reality where Stark was active from the
mid-60's forward, with no sliding timescale. With the graphic novel
published in 1988, the main story in 2015 AD was meant to take place 27 years in
the future.
S.H.I.E.L.D. may stand for
Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement
Division...or any other combination of words whose first letters spell
"SHIELD." It was not defined in this reality.
ESON was always in all capitals, and so I would
assume it is an acronym, but we were never given any further
description of the name.
This profile was completed 09/28/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent the Iron Man: Crash stories and characters.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
This Nick Fury is an alternate reality counterpart of:
- NICK JOSEPH FURY
of Earth-616 - Howling Commandos, various incarnations of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
later adopted the identity of the Unseen--Sgt. Fury and his Howling
Commandos#1
- but should be distinguished from any other "Nick" or "Fury" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...
images: (without ads)
Iron Man: Crash graphic novel, pg. 18, panel 6 (face);
pg. 19, panel 1 (fullish; shins blocked by table);
panel 2 (face, extreme close-up);
pg. 21, panel 4 (fullish; ankles up, with flight helmet on);
panel 6 (S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft)
Appearances:
Iron Man: Crash graphic novel (April, 1988) - Mike Saenz (writer, artist), William Bates (producer/programmer), Archie Goodwin (editor)
First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated: 09/28/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
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like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to
www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
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