====== Jake Fury ======
===== Part 1: The Dossier: An At-a-Glance Summary =====
  *   **Core Identity: In a history defined by deception and sacrifice, Jake Fury is the enigmatic younger brother of [[nick_fury|Nick Fury]], a brilliant scientist who was tragically manipulated into becoming the original supervillain **Scorpio**, and later revealed to be Nick's ultimate deep-cover asset, the ruthless HYDRA leader known as **Kraken**.**
  *   **Key Takeaways:**
  *  **Role in the Universe:** Jake Fury serves as the dark mirror to his heroic brother, embodying themes of jealousy, inadequacy, and ultimately, a profound, hidden loyalty. His journey from the villain Scorpio to the mole Kraken represents one of the most significant long-term espionage plots in the Marvel Universe, orchestrated by [[nick_fury|Nick Fury]] himself.
  *  **Primary Impact:** His greatest impact lies in his personal connection to Nick Fury, representing Nick's greatest apparent failure (as Scorpio) and his greatest secret triumph (as Kraken). The reveal of his true allegiance during the //Secret Warriors// storyline fundamentally re-contextualized decades of continuity and showcased the immense personal cost of the war against [[hydra|HYDRA]].
  *  **Key Incarnations:** In the Earth-616 comics, he possesses a complex, dual-layered history as both a tragic villain and a deep-cover hero. In stark contrast, **Jake Fury has never appeared and does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)**, where Nick Fury's backstory and family life have been portrayed very differently.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
Jake Fury first appeared in //Strange Tales// #159 in August 1967, during the height of the Silver Age of comics. He was created by the legendary writer and artist Jim Steranko, whose revolutionary work on the "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." feature redefined comic book art with its psychedelic visuals, cinematic pacing, and sophisticated spy-fi narratives. Initially, Jake was introduced as Nick Fury's resentful, civilian younger brother, a plot device to explore the personal cost of Nick's life of espionage.
His transformation into the supervillain Scorpio in //Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.// #1 (June 1968), also by Steranko, established him as a key antagonist and a personal nemesis for Nick. The Scorpio identity and his leadership within the mysterious [[zodiac_cartel|Zodiac Cartel]] became his defining characteristics for over four decades. During this time, the character's story was muddled by numerous appearances of Life-Model Decoys (LMDs) and conflicting accounts, leading to a long-standing belief that the original Jake Fury was dead.
This perception was completely shattered in 2009 with the start of the critically acclaimed series //Secret Warriors//, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Stefano Caselli. Hickman executed one of the most ambitious retcons in modern comics, revealing that the "Scorpio" persona was a cover and that the true Jake Fury had been working for his brother all along. He was reintroduced as Kraken, a fearsome and high-ranking leader within HYDRA. This masterstroke of retroactive continuity transformed Jake from a footnote of familial tragedy into a central player in the shadow war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, retroactively making him a hero of unimaginable sacrifice.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
The in-universe history of Jake Fury is a complex narrative of layered deception, deliberately obscured for decades by his brother's master plan. It is best understood in two distinct phases: the publicly known "Scorpio" history and the secret "Kraken" reality.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
Jacob "Jake" Fury grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Nick. While Nick was a decorated war hero, a larger-than-life figure destined for greatness, Jake was an academic—a brilliant but physically unassuming research scientist. This dynamic fostered a deep-seated inferiority complex and a powerful jealousy that festered for years. He saw Nick's life of adventure and danger with a mix of envy and resentment, feeling that he was perpetually left behind and overlooked.
This vulnerability made him a prime target for recruitment by the subversive Zodiac Cartel, a criminal organization with astrological themes. They preyed on his insecurities, offering him power and a chance to finally outshine his famous brother. Adopting the masked identity of **Scorpio**, Jake was armed with the Zodiac Key, a powerful alien artifact that granted him superhuman abilities. As Scorpio, he became one of the most dangerous and personal enemies Nick Fury had ever faced. Their confrontations were brutal and psychological, with Scorpio using his intimate knowledge of Nick to attack him on every level. This tragic arc culminated in a final battle where, defeated and exposed, Jake seemingly took his own life rather than face capture by his own brother.
For decades, this was believed to be the end of Jake Fury's story. Nick Fury carried the immense guilt of his brother's turn to villainy and subsequent death. The Scorpio identity was later used by others, and numerous Life-Model Decoys of the original Scorpio appeared, further muddying the waters and solidifying the belief that Jake was gone.
However, the //Secret Warriors// series revealed this entire history to be a meticulously crafted lie. The truth was far more complex: the original Jake Fury never died. In the early days of the Cold War, Nick Fury, already a master of the "long game," foresaw the need for an ultimate asset deep within the enemy's ranks. He approached Jake with an impossible mission: to fake his turn to villainy and subsequent death, and then use that cover to infiltrate the nascent networks of what would become modern [[hydra|HYDRA]]. Jake, driven by a hidden loyalty that outweighed his resentment, agreed. The man who played the role of Scorpio in that final, fatal confrontation was a carefully programmed LMD, designed to "die" and provide Jake with the perfect cover to disappear.
Jake Fury shed his old identity and was reborn as **Kraken**. He spent the next several decades working his way up the ranks of HYDRA, becoming a legend within the terrorist organization. He was utterly ruthless, fanatically dedicated to the HYDRA ideology on the surface, and committed acts that would brand him a monster in the eyes of the world. All the while, he was secretly feeding intelligence to Nick Fury, acting as the most valuable mole in the history of espionage. He became a member of HYDRA's ruling council alongside figures like [[baron_von_strucker|Baron Strucker]], Gorgon, and Viper, all of whom were completely unaware of his true allegiance. This incredible, lifelong sacrifice defined him not as a villain, but as a hero who willingly damned his own soul to save the world.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
**Jake Fury does not exist within the established continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.** The version of Nick Fury portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson has a significantly different and more streamlined backstory that omits any mention of a brother or other siblings from his comic book history.
There are several likely reasons for this narrative choice:
  * **Character Focus:** The MCU's Nick Fury is defined by his career, his founding role in the [[avengers|Avengers Initiative]], his mentor-mentee relationship with [[carol_danvers|Carol Danvers]], and his solitary, secretive nature. Introducing a complex sibling rivalry would have required significant screen time and could have diluted the focus on his role as the master spy connecting the universe.
  * **Streamlined Backstory:** The MCU often simplifies or alters complex comic book origins for clarity and pacing. The decades-long, retcon-heavy story of Jake Fury as both Scorpio and Kraken would be extremely difficult to adapt faithfully without extensive exposition.
  * **Different Family Dynamic:** The concept of Nick Fury's family was not explored in the MCU until the //Secret Invasion// series on Disney+, which revealed he had a Skrull wife, Priscilla (Varra). This establishes a different kind of secret personal life for Fury, one built on the Skrull refugee crisis rather than a sibling conflict rooted in his human past.
  * **Absence of the Zodiac:** While the Zodiac Cartel has been subtly teased (most notably in the //Agent Carter// one-shot), the organization has never been a major antagonistic force in the MCU. Without the Zodiac, the primary catalyst for Jake's original transformation into Scorpio is missing.
Therefore, any analysis of Jake Fury must be confined to the comics, as his character has no counterpart or analogue in the cinematic universe.
===== Part 3: Abilities, Equipment & Personality =====
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
Jake Fury's capabilities evolved dramatically with his shifting identities, transforming him from a brilliant but ordinary man into one of the most formidable figures in the world of espionage.
==== Personality ====
As a young man, Jake was defined by a powerful **inferiority complex**. He was intellectually brilliant but perceived himself as physically and charismatically lacking compared to his war-hero brother. This bred a potent mix of jealousy, resentment, and a desperate need for validation, which the Zodiac Cartel expertly exploited.
The persona of **Scorpio** was an outlet for this darkness—arrogant, theatrical, and driven by a personal vendetta. He was cruel and manipulative, using his knowledge of Nick's psyche as his primary weapon.
As **Kraken**, Jake's personality underwent a profound and terrifying transformation, forged by decades of deep cover. He became cold, ruthless, and brutally pragmatic. He projected an aura of absolute authority and unwavering devotion to HYDRA's cause, necessary to survive and rise within the organization. He was a master of psychological discipline, burying his true self so deep that even those closest to him in HYDRA never suspected the truth. Beneath this hardened exterior remained the core of his being: an unbreakable loyalty to his brother and their mission, and the immense psychological burden of the atrocities he had to commit to maintain his cover.
==== Abilities ====
  * **Genius-Level Intellect:** Even before his life of espionage, Jake was a gifted scientist with a formidable intellect. This analytical mind proved invaluable in his later roles.
  * **Master Spy:** After decades embedded in HYDRA, Jake's skills in espionage, counter-intelligence, infiltration, and deception became second to none, rivaling even those of his brother. He was a master of the "long game," capable of managing complex operations and maintaining a flawless cover story for most of his adult life.
  * **Master Tactician and Strategist:** As a high-ranking commander in HYDRA, Kraken was responsible for orchestrating complex military and terrorist operations on a global scale. He demonstrated a strategic acumen on par with the world's greatest military minds.
  * **Peak Human Condition:** To survive in the cutthroat world of HYDRA, Jake trained his body to the absolute peak of human potential.
  * **Expert Combatant:** He became a master of multiple forms of armed and unarmed combat. He was shown to be capable of holding his own against elite agents and superhumans, relying on brutal efficiency and tactical awareness.
==== Equipment ====
  * **As Scorpio - The Zodiac Key:** This was his signature piece of equipment and primary source of power. The Zodiac Key is an artifact of extraterrestrial origin with vast and poorly understood powers. Its known abilities include:
    *   **Energy Projection:** Firing powerful blasts of concussive force or other forms of energy.
    *   **Force Field Generation:** Creating durable energy shields for defense.
    *   **Teleportation:** Instantly transporting himself or others over short distances.
    *   **Cosmic Energy Manipulation:** The Key could tap into ambient cosmic energies for a variety of effects, including, at one point, amplifying the user's physical strength and durability.
  * **As Kraken - HYDRA Technology:** As a leader of HYDRA, Jake had access to the organization's most advanced and sophisticated technology.
    *   **Kraken Armor:** He wore a distinctive suit of advanced, full-body combat armor, including a menacing, tentacled helmet that completely obscured his identity. This armor provided enhanced durability, a sealed life-support system, and a sophisticated sensor and communications suite.
    *   **Advanced Weaponry:** He utilized a wide array of customized HYDRA firearms, energy weapons, and explosives