Ultimate Nick Fury Bust
In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. That may have been Erasmus's assessment in the 16th century, and it has some validity even today. When you take a look at the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the one-eyed man is indeed the king. Instead of the kingdom of the blind, Nick Fury rules The Ultimates, and it's good to be the king!
Nick Fury originally appeared in the Marvel Universe as merely a sergeant, and the leader of the Howling Commandoes during various missions in World War 2. This worked just fine in the 60's when the war was still relatively recent and his age was explained partly due to taking a version of the super-soldier serum that transformed Steve Rogers into Captain America and slowed Fury's aging. Now some forty years after the 60's, he needs a new look and that's where the Ultimates come in.
There are certainly a few things that haven't changed about Nick Fury in his rebirth in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. He's still wearing an eye patch and missing an eye, and he's still the head of SHIELD (whatever the acronym currently stands for). He's also still one guy you don't want to mess with in an alley, be it night or day, and he's armed to the teeth.
What has changed are two fairly significant points. First his rank. He's been promoted to a General, and General in the true sense of the title meaning he wears four stars on each shoulder. The other change is that he's black, and if they make a movie of him in this role it won't be David Hasslehoff who plays him, but probably Samuel L. Jackson since that's clearly who he is modeled after. And yes, he's been informally dubbed 'Nick Fury, Agent of SHAFT' due to the resemblance. And it's his duty to satisfy that booty!
General Fury is the leader of The Ultimates, who is a team sponsored by the United States government. The first three issues of The Ultimates can be read online at marvel.com on The Ultimates page, so check it out. Fury's job is to keep the team of heroes (Wasp, Giant Man, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor) working together while balancing the project to create more super-soldiers for the team. Add to this the problem that one of the top scientists working for him is also the Hulk (and a very nasty Hulk at that) and you can see why the hair has fallen out.
Fury is concurrently the head of SHIELD, where he works as the director of the organization, a General and the head of the Ultimates. Some have claimed he got the jobs because of a friend inside, but the truth is that the government saw a chance to save some money with only half the eye health insurance, and they took it. Obviously they give him some leeway with the military because he doesn't always wear a uniform and his beard isn't regulation.
He might be missing a eye, but he has attitude to spare. Ultimate Nick Fury is posed ready for action during a knife fight, but his other hand is ready to show why you bring more than a knife to a gunfight. He dressed in black leather that bears striking resemblance to Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft, and he's just as bald. The black jacket is highlighted with a blue wash to get the creases to come out, and this paint is the perfect complement. What he has that Shaft doesn't is a cool eye patch and a giant belt buckle. Well, the 'buckle' is just his Shield badge integrated into the base design.
Gabriel Marquez sculpted Nick Fury along with fellow Ultimates Thor and the Green Goblin. Gabriel was also responsible for the Battle of the Planets and Vampire: The Masquerade action figures, the Marvel Universe Punisher and Black Widow busts. To compliment this work, there were 3000 of these created along with colorful boxes to store them in.
The Ultimate Nick Fury bust joins several other members of the Ultimates, including Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. The Ultimate bust line from Diamond Select Toys isn't limited to the Ultimates, and Ultimate Spider-man (with foes Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus), and a slew of Ultimate X-Men (Storm, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and the Beast) and Magneto. All the Ultimate busts are scaled for display together, or in groups to suit personal taste.
As with all busts and statues from Diamond Select, Nick comes with a full-color certificate of authenticity that is numbered.
More Pictures of Nick Fury
| Where to buy the Nick Fury Bust: This piece is limited to a run of 3000, and retails for between $50 and $60 USD. You can find it at your local comics shop and various online retailers.
One such online store is RTM sponsor The Outer Reaches. (Be sure to check the other RTM sponsors, listed on the Shop Center.) |
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