Marvel's The Avengers will hit BoxOffice on Monday, 27 August and we're introducing you to the superheroes before the action kicks off.

One of the founding members of the The Avengers initiative and the head of the global security organisation, S.H.I.E.L.D, is Nick Fury played by Samuel L Jackson.

Here's a chance to know Fury beyond the leather jacket and eye patch.

Real name: Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury

Ability/super power: Fury received the Infinity Serum in the 1940s and has had a booster every years since then. His aging had slowed to the point where his life has been extended indefinitely. However, a blood transfusion removed the serum from his blood and he now continues to age normally. Fury is a master of weapons, martial arts, and wears a uniform made of Kevlar.

Origin: Nick Fury is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D, a global security and espionage organisation tasked with protecting humanity from extra-ordinary threats.

Born into a military family, Fury’s father, Jack, was a decorated combat pilot who flew for the Royal Airforce and, reportedly, shot down World War I’s most feared German pilot - Manfred von Richthofen.

Nick grew up in New York and, together with his friend, Red Hargrove, took part in a number of death-defying stunts, which earned him the attention of the British Commandos. After several missions with the Commandos, Fury and Hargrove joined the US Army Rangers, taking part in a number of major battles during World War II, including the bombing of Pearl Harbour.

At the end of World War II, Fury is injured by a landmine and is given the Infinity Serum to heal him, with the side effect of stunting his aging. He later goes on to join the Office of Strategic Services, what will eventually become the CIA, and is eventually recruited to S.H.I.E.L.D where he remains as the Public Director – accountable only to the board of mysterious men and women that head the department.

Fury also becomes the main contact between government and superheroes and is one of the founding members of The Avengers Initiative.

Catch Nick Fury in Marvel’s The Avengers, available to rent on BoxOffice from 29 August 2012.