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 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.
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.
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. 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 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.
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:
Therefore, any analysis of Jake Fury must be confined to the comics, as his character has no counterpart or analogue in the cinematic 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.
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.