‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’: Samuel L. Jackson Improvised 1 Hilarious Line
Nick Fury has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since he appeared in the 2008 movie that started it all, Iron Man. Samuel L. Jackson has made the part his own so thoroughly that he’s comfortable putting words in Fury’s mouth. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jackson did just that, ad-libbing a response that was classic for the character. But although Jackson has a special reason to assume he knows what Fury might say, he isn’t the only MCU actor to improvise lines.
Setting Spider-Man straight
Jackson has played Fury for 13 years, so it’s fair to say he’s familiar with the character. According to Comicbook, that familiarity gave him the confidence to insert a colorful improvised line into a recent movie.
In 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, Fury is shown lecturing Spider-Man, urging him to step up and fight dangerous forces. The young superhero expresses his doubt that he’s up to the job, but Fury isn’t having it, and he responds, “Bitch, please. You’ve been to space!”
He was referring to Avengers: Infinity War, when Spider-Man went all the way to the planet Titan to battle Thanos. The line is classic Fury, but it wasn’t the writers who thought it up. Jackson improvised it, a fact that his co-star Jake Gyllenhal confirmed.
Nick Fury was made for Samuel L. Jackson
If it seems that the character of Nick Fury has a lot in common with Jackson, you’re right. According to ScreenRant, in 2000 Marvel Comics started publishing a new series, called Ultimate, exploring the alternate universe backstories of different characters.
Fury had been in the comics since 1963, but in the Ultimate series, they decided to base the new version of Fury on Jackson himself. When Jackson’s agent found out about this, he wanted to sue Marvel for unlicensed use of the star’s image.
But Jackson loved being the face of Fury, so instead he worked out a deal with Marvel to use his appearance. Part of this deal led to Jackson later signing a nine-movie contract to play the live-action version of the comic book Fury.
Since the character was based on Jackson, playing the part came pretty naturally to him.
“I tried to make him as honest to the story and as honest to what real-life would seem,” he explained about his approach to Fury.
Other memorable improvised lines
Even if he weren’t so close to Fury, Jackson’s extensive acting background provides him with plenty of experience to ad-lib confidently. He’s been working in movies since the ’80s, appearing in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, Mo’ Betta Blues, and multiple Star Wars movies.
But although Jackson has the closest ties to his character and one of the longest resumes, he’s not the only MCU actor to insert their own dialogue.
According to ScreenRant, Robert Downey Jr. came up with his now-famous line at the end of his first movie: “I am Iron Man.” In The Avengers, when he was playing Tony Stark waking up after being unconscious, he improvised the line about going to get shawarma. This led to a post-credits scene of the team doing just that.
In Infinity War, an entire short conversation between Thor and Captain America was improvised by the actors, including Captain America asking Thor if he got a haircut.
The many actors who make up the MCU have worked together in multiple movies, so they’re extra familiar with their characters and how they interact. This naturally gives them more insight into what the dialogue should be. Fortunately, the directors at Marvel Studios seem to agree that they should have a say in what they say.
