If Iron Man is the heart of the MCU, then Nick Fury is definitely the lynchpin. He's the man working from the shadows from the start, pulling the strings to bring together Earth's mightiest heroes to battle every imaginable threat. During a recent interview, Fury's actor Samuel L. Jackson was asked who his favorite Avenger was, and his answer might surprise some fans.

At first, Jackson's prompt reply to the Avengers question was Nick Fury, because obviously. Apart from the personal connection, Fury is one of the most badass characters in the MCU, browbeating gods into submission and keeping the entire roster of MCU superheroes in line. But then Jackson laughed and admitted his actual favorite Avenger is none other than Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow.

Nick Fury and Natasha go way back. She was already working closely with Fury before the Avengers initiative became a real thing. Natasha posed as Tony Stark's secretary on Fury's orders to gauge his suitability to join the superteam. Much later, in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Nat was the only one who Steve trusted enough to join him on his quest to discover the truth behind Fury's apparent assassination.

It is strongly hinted that Nick Fury is one of the few people at SHIELD who is fully aware of Nat's troubled past, and has even covered for her on occasion. That is why it makes sense that Nick Fury makes an appearance in the trailer for Black Widow's upcoming solo movie.

So considering that Samuel Jackson got to work with Black Widow's character throughout most of his run with the MCU, it makes sense that she would be his favorite. The actor no doubt also appreciates the idea of an ordinary hero with no special powers standing should to shoulder with literal demi-gods and super soldiers and still managing to hold her own.

For the rest of us who are fans of Black Widow, a major highlight of 2020 was supposed to be her first solo movie finally getting released. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, the film is set to explore Widow's backstory as a Russian secret agent. Certain circumstances compel Natasha to travel back to Russia, where she must deal with her family, the Red Room project, which taught her the ways of the assassin, and a mysterious adversary, The Taskmaster.

Unfortunately, after the unveiling of the film's exciting trailers, its release date was placed in jeopardy by the global lockdown conditions. Now, Black Widow's release date is very much up in the air, and there are even rumors that Disney might be considering bypassing a theatrical release all together in favor of a digital release to make some desperately needed profit in times of a global recession. It would be a shame, for Black Widow to finally get her own movie, only for fans to miss the opportunity to watch it on the big screen.