Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role as Nick Fury in nine upcoming Marvel Studios features.

Following his brief debut as Fury at the end of "Iron Man," Jackson will now flesh out the role in "Iron Man 2," "The Avengers," "Thor," "The First Avenger: Captain America" and prospective sequels, according to Variety.

Jackson recently indicated talks for his return had broken down, describing the setback as "an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world." Nevertheless, Jackson returns as other casting attempts experience similar hiccups, including the replacement of Terrance Howard as Rhodey by Don Cheadle, and Mickey Rourke's negotiations for a respectable paycheck to star as villain Crimson Dynamo.

Jackson's role as Fury will showcase his position as a general with SHIELD, a law-enforcement and espionage agency tasked with combatting superhuman threats. SHIELD could receive its own film, with Jackson headlining. Eventually, his role will peak as Fury assumes a leadership role with all the Marvel heroes under the Avengers banner.

"Iron Man 2" is scheduled for a summer 2010 release, with Jon Favreau returning to direct. Also scheduled for 2010 is director Kenneth Branagh's "Thor."

Arriving in theaters in 2011 are "The Avengers" and director Joe Johnston's "The First Avenger: Captain America."

One note about "The Avengers," which is supposed to bring all the Marvel movie characters together: It's now up against the final outing of the Harry Potter franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," so it's likely that Marvel may play around with the release date for "The Avengers."