NICK FURY

 

NICK FURY

Real Name: Nicholas Joseph Fury

First Appearance: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (Vol. 1) #1, September 1963

Powers: No superhuman powers, typically. Nick Fury has trained as a paratrooper, Ranger (Commando), demolitions expert, and vehicle specialist. He holds an unlimited-tonnage, all-seas license as a commander of ocean-going vessels. Fury has completed Green and Black Beret Special Forces training, and has been an agent of the OSS (Office of Special Services) and a liaison of the M5 (British Secret Intelligence).

He is a seasoned unarmed and armed combat expert, was a heavyweight boxer in the Army (during World War II), and holds a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and a brown belt in Jujitsu. Fury has honed his fighting skills sparring with Captain America, perhaps the world's finest unarmed-combat expert. He is a combat veteran of three wars (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) and has served in various "military advisor" missions and clandestine operations.

Nick Fury's aging process has been greatly retarded by the Infinity Formula, a biochemical liquid serum developed by Berthold Sternberg. Fury was first inoculated with the serum in the 1940s and had been annually ingesting the formula until it became apparent that its cumulative effect continued to prolong his lifespan. He suffers from 95% vision loss in his injured left eye and wears a trademark cosmetic eye patch over it.

As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had access to a wide variety of equipment and weaponry designed by S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians. He wore a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform made of 9-ply Kevlar (able to withstand ballistic impact up to .45 caliber bullets) and a Beta cloth (type C), a fire-resistant material, which has a kindling temperature of 1,700° Fahrenheit. Fury used various types of handguns, including a .15 caliber needle gun, a government issue .45 caliber automatic, a captured German Luger in 9mm Parabellum, a modified semi-automatic Walther PPK in 9 mm Parabellum, and the Ingram MAC-10 machine pistol in .45 caliber.

Fury also had access to highly advanced transportation equipment, including various air, land, and sea craft provided by S.H.I.E.L.D.; and numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. paraphernalia, including a radio-link tie.

Being transformed by the Watchers into the Unseen has given him a form of cosmic awareness.