This weekend Marvel fans the world over will be able to see a ridiculous number of their favorite stars on the big screen, as Avengers: Endgame collects characters from all corners of the beloved Cinematic Universe for one big blockbuster. Very few, however, will be able to watch the movie with a real Marvel star in attendance - but that's exactly what one screening in Italy recently got to experience thanks to a surprise appearance by Samuel L. Jackson:
Samuel L. Jackson has been an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the very beginning - specifically ever since the original Iron Man when he first told Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark about the existence of the Avenger Initiative - but due to his shooting schedule he wasn't one of the stars who attended the world premiere of Avengers: Endgame earlier this week. That was almost surely a bummer for the actor, but the good news is that it didn't take him too long to catch a screening of the film.
Per Samuel L. Jackson's personal Instagram account, he recently made a special appearance at the Cinema Ambasciatori in Trieste, Italy where he surprised fans by ducking into a screening of Avengers: Endgame. Jackson is currently in the region doing work on both the upcoming The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and reshoots for Spider-Man: Far From Home, and it seems that he got a break in his schedule long enough to squeeze in a cool surprise for Italian cinema fans.
Since appearing in Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson has been a consistent presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having notably signed an early nine picture deal with Marvel Studios when the franchise was still in its infancy. Jackson followed up his cameo as Nick Fury in the 2008 Jon Favreau film with a more substantial part in Iron Man 2, and then he was back on the big screen again as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The First Avenger. Following his turn in The Avengers, he made a special appearance in the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and was then in both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
After that we didn't see much of him for a few years, but 2019 is pretty huge for Nick Fury. Not only did we just recently see him playing a major role in Captain Marvel, but this summer we expect him to have a key part in the aforementioned Spider-Man: Far From Home, where he will be recruiting Peter Parker (Tom Holland) for a mission while the high schooler is on a European field trip.
What will come next for him? Only time will tell. You'll just have to go see every Marvel movie from here on out and wait for Samuel L. Jackson's potential presence. And even if he doesn't appear on screen, he may wind up sitting next to you in your local theater.
