A 'Captain Marvel Prelude' Is Coming To Explain Nick Fury's 'Infinity War' Absence

This past summer, Avengers: Infinity War brought all of the Marvel superheroes together, but one Marvel mainstay did not appear at all in the movie, and only showed up for a few seconds in a post-credits scene. But although Nicky Fury only briefly popped up, that final scene makes it clear that he will be crucial in connecting the upcoming Captain Marvel to Infinity War and Avengers 4. So where was Nick Fury during Infinity War? Thankfully, Marvel is releasing a new one-off comic that will reveal what Nick and Maria Hill were doing before falling victim to Thanos' snap in the Infinity War end credits, and it will also give fans a ton of new details about how Captain Marvel will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Before we get to finally see Brie Larson's Captain Marvel in action in her upcoming standalone movie, Marvel will give fans all the backstory they need with a one-off comic that promises to connect the events of Avengers: Infinity War to Captain Marvel. The 32-page book, fittingly entitled Captain Marvel Prelude, will follow S.H.I.E.L.D. renegades Nick Fury and Maria Hill during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and lead to the two agents finally bringing Captain Marvel into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Check out the official synopsis and cover for Captain Marvel Prelude below:

Before Carol Danvers takes flight in 2019’s first Marvel Studios film, immerse yourself in this all-new adventure! Spinning out of the mysterious events of Avengers: Infinity War, Nick Fury and Maria Hill set off on life-or-death missions that lead directly to the appearance of Captain Marvel!

Although the upcoming comic is called Captain Marvel Prelude, it sounds like it will serve more as a connective tissue between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 than setting up Captain Marvel. Marvel has said that the book will "spin out of" the events of Infinity War, apparently focusing on Nick Fury and Maria Hill's efforts to contact Captain Marvel so that she can help the rest of the Avengers take down Thanos, a team-up that we know will happen in Avengers 4. But the actual Captain Marvel standalone movie is going to be set in the '90s, serving as an origin story for the hero.

The comic may include some flashbacks to Nick Fury and Captain Marvel's early days together, though, which would serve as set-up for Captain Marvel. We know that a younger, eyepatch-less Nick Fury will be a major character in Captain Marvel, in which Captain Marvel will be the very first superhero that Fury meets. The movie will also heavily feature S.H.I.E.L.D., depicting Nick Fury and Phil Coulson's early days at the supernatural organization.

But by all accounts, Captain Marvel Prelude will be more focused on the present-day of the Marvel Cinematic Universe than the '90s flashback that we will see in Captain Marvel, and be more about introducing Captain Marvel to the rest of the Avengers than setting up her origin story. Fan can pick up Captain Marvel Prelude on Nov. 14, and Captain Marvel will sail into theaters on March 8, 2019.