Nicholas J Fury

The eldest of three children Nicholas Joseph Fury grew up in NYC with his brother Jake and sister Dawn, raised by his stepmother. Living in the tough streets of Hell's Kitchen, he soon became fast friends with Red Hargrove, whom he helped keep out of trouble. Fury himself was no stranger to trouble, but he tried to keep his temper confined to his parish boxing ring. Under the tutelage of Father Lewis Hargrove, Red's brother, Fury eventually grew to a local boxing sensation.

Red Hargrove and Fury left the city in search of dreams and adventure, finally settling on a wing-walking act, The Sky Devils, where Hargrove would fly and Fury would perform the stunts. Their renowned skill came to the attention of the British goverment while the team were in Europe in 1940, hiring them to help train their soldiers in parachuting techniques. Fury and Hargrove caught the eye of Lt. "Happy Sam" Sawyer who began enlisting them for special missions in Holland and France.

Among thier missions behind enemy lines, Red and Fury encountered the superhuman John Steele and liberated Professor Erskine from the Nazis.

Seeing the Nazi menace first hand, Hargrove was moved to say he would enlist and Fury said he would follow him. When Fury finally enlisted in 1941, he received nine weeks of basic training at Fort Dix without Hargrove, hoping to ride out the wave of unemployment in the States. Eventually Fury reunited with Hargrove, both getting stationed at Pearl Harbor.

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Fury is spurned on by the death of Hargrove during the attack to join the U.S. Rangers, eventually recruited and reunited with Captain Sawyer who assigned him command of the First Attack Squad; aka "The Howling Commandos". A specially trained band of soldiers who undertook some of the most dangerous missions of the war, the Howlers went up against the likes of The Red Skull, Baron Zemo, and other Axis villains, fighting alongside such war heroes as Captain America. As leader of the Howling Commandos, Fury struck blow after blow against the Nazi and thier allies through missions that ranged from deep infiltration missions behind enemy lines to undercover work and even some homefront action. Two serious injuries sustained during this time would have a serious impact in his later life, a gernade blast that began the slow deteriotion of his sight in his right eye and a landmine accident that lead to Fury being innoculated with the Infinifty Formula by Professor Berthold Sternberg in France. Endowed with a process that granted him a substantially slower aging process, Fury was thrust with a double edged sword; although his life was saved, the consequences of the Infinity Formula would haunt him throughout his life as he would see many friends age and die, as well as become the target of various villains seeking his secret.

It was also during the war that Fury first crossed paths with his most dangerous foe, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. Strucker's humiliating defeats at the hands of Fury would drive Strucker to devote a lifetime seeking revenge. Fury's command of SHIELD coincided with the ascension to Supreme Hydra by Von Strucker, igniting a war between HYDRA and SHIELD for many years.

The end of the war brought many changes to Fury's life, foremost amoung them Dr. Sternberg blackmail taking advantage of Fury's delicate situation, basically holding Fury's life for ransom every year through 1976 by charging him a high fee for more of the serum.

Sgt.Fury remained on active duty after the war, serving with the OSS and later entered training with the CIA where he served until his membership into SHIELD. During the Korean War, Fury rejoined the Howlers for special missions, eventually earning a battlefield commission that promoted him to Second Lieutenant. Espionage work Fury performed for the French government in Vietnam earned him a promotion to Colonel, after which he left the "cloak & dagger" games behind. In 1963 Fury was contacted by the Board of Directors of the newly organized international espionage organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) and offered directorship by Tony Stark. Fury served as SHIELD's director throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. At his side were fellow Howlers Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones.