MCU-Side character and Agent of Shield major protagonist Clark Gregg owe a lot to Samuel L. Jackson when it comes to his role in MCU. Gregg plays the role of Agent Phil Coulson.
Phil Coulson has become one of the most universally beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. He brought a certain degree of charm and humor to the Phase 1 movies that helped launch the behemoth franchise in its early days.
Screenwriter Zack Stentz had stated in Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman podcast that the reason Gregg has a role in 2011 movie Thor is thanks to Samuel. Thor’s inability to confirm whether or not they would get Nick Fury ultimately led to the use of Agent Phil Coulson as the S.H.I.E.L.D agent leading the operation in New Mexico.
And then they’re like ‘Well, you can have S.H.I.E.L.D., but Sam Jackson’s holding us up in negotiations so we don’t know if we can have Nick Fury. And we’re like ‘Well, how about that Clark Gregg guy from the first Iron Man, he was great, and he popped! Can we have Coulson?’ And they’re like ‘Coulson, Coulson, Coulson… oh him! Yeah, you can have him.’… They ended up giving him a bigger role in Iron Man 2 because they liked how he was popping in Thor. Clark Gregg actually sent us t-shirts as a thank you.
We all agree that Nick Fury’s appearance in the MCU was ridiculous. He was appearing everywhere. From Iron to Captain America to eventually Avengers, Samual Jackson was one of the pivotal characters in the shared universe. Now, it seems his contract is running out.
"Yeah, I’ve only got two more movies in my contract. [Laughs] That might be the end of it, unless I get an extension."
Just finished @Daredevil season2, Awesome! But... If Foggy got Red Weddinged, I wouldn't be mad!!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) April 17, 2016
/Although he appeared in Age of Ultron, his absence in Captain America: Civil War was unexpected. Samuel has stated that he has limited movies left in the contract. We doubt he will have any role in Doctor Strange or Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Guess, he will make his next appearance in Infinity Wars. Meanwhile, Phil Coulson is totally rocking in Marvel: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.