Part of finishing off this list of 100 essential superhero movies is bringing in my audience, and so when I got down to the last 20 movies, I decided that I would let you decide. And what better way than to reach out to other movie critics and reviewers to let them argue the case for a superhero movie that they are a fan of and at the bottom of the post, there is a poll where you can vote whether or not you agree if it should be included in the 100 Essential Superhero Movies list. Today my guest is T from The Focused Filmographer who is arguing for the made for TV movie starring David Hasselhoff as the one and only Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. which makes the movie poster’s tagline “The Last Superhero” appropriate as this time, it really is the last of these polls.

Before the world new Nick Fury of the Samuel L. Jackson persuasion, Fury had a much different appearance. And in 1998 the pirate eye-patched leader of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (previously aka “Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate” and the “Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division” ) got his own movie with David Hasselhoff as the title hero.

If you never heard of the film before, there’s probably a reason…and that reason, most-likely, is that S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken almost every precaution to keep it vaulted. And well they should. But someone should stand up for it, right?…right?

I chose to nominate and defend this film because in several ways it was ahead of its time. This made-for-tv movie is actually much more suited in the genre of comic of a different nature…the funny kind, but it still has its merits that can be spotted with a microscope or magnifying glass. The late 90s was pre-“superhero movie explosion” and Nick Fury: AoS was the first film to really tie in several characters that NOW have big meaning to movie fans and bring a sense of a greater universe with the purpose of SHIELD. (The films prior to NF:AoS existed in their own realm with little to no ability to connect with any other members of the comicbook universe). SHIELD immediately meant possible future ties with Captain America, Baron Von Strucker, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Daredevil, Wolverine and many more. In a way…Nick Fury: AoS paved a way for the films we have now.

Well, let’s not say it “paved” a way, but more like “pointed in the direction where the bulldozers should go.”

Hasselhoff was barely the best choice for Nick Fury to be sure and the rest of the cast could take lessons from Kristen Stewart and then improve, but then again, much of the superhero movies from this time lacked in that department as well. What some may find ironic is that the story was written by David S. Goyer who also is credited for contributing to and/or writing for Man of Steel, Justice League, The Dark Knight trilogy and the Blade trilogy. The problem is that its characters and the world created by the film never take off and give any credence or justice to the film.

While definitely better than previous comicbook movies, this tv-movie broadcast on FOX kept fanboys ever hopeful for Marvel films to be done better in the future. Imagine the delight of the holdout long-term fans who suffered through so many bad Marvel films when Marvel finally got its own studio and delivered their first major blockbuster…IRON MAN and had an after-credit sequence introducing the very division led by Nick Fury! The time had come where S.H.I.E.L.D., shown in 1998 with Hasselhoff, finally would make a reappearance and be done right…10 years later!

Thank you for the promise of things yet to come, Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD.

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Thank you T for your well crafted defense of the movie. I was not a big fan of this movie outside of its laughably bad dialogue. I think it’s a bit of a stretch connecting this with how the movies are handled now. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently the connective tissue in the Marvel Universe, there weren’t any mentions of any other heroes that I can remember in this movie and it was just a couple years later when X-Men changed everything as far as the big budget movies go. There are some interesting parallels that can be drawn out of this movie if you look for them, so it isn’t a complete waste of time, but I will leave it to the readers to decide. So make sure you vote in the poll below whether or not you think Nick Fury deserves to be included in the 100 Essential Superhero Movies list. Until next time, this has been Bubbawheat for Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights.