Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by MarvelComics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 (May 1963).
He originally appeared as an older white man with two-tone black and white hair, in the Prime Marvel universe. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, he became an older bald black man modeled after Samuel L. Jackson; his estate initially planned to sue Marvel for this since they didn't get permission to use his likeness, before a deal was made for Jackson himself portray Fury in the then-upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fury's popularity has skyrocketed since then, primarily associated with Jackson. As a result, his original white appearance has all but disappeared from Marvel adaptations, and in the comics he was succeeded by his black bastard son Nick Fury Jr.
