Marvel fans and moviegoers can rejoice now that Samuel L. Jackson is back in the picture for Iron Man 2 (and a bunch of other films)!

Samuel L. Jackson will be playing Col. Nick Fury for nine films, thanks to an unprecedented deal with Marvel Entertainment.

Aside from Iron Man 2, Variety.com reports, Sam will also play Nick in forthcoming Marvel projects like Captain America, Thor, The Avengers and The Shield.  He's also got an option to star in any sequel spawned from those movies.

As always, Samuel will be the man because Nick is the head of a spy organization named S.H.I.E.L.D.  The acronym has undergone several makeovers during the years; right now, it stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.

Sam originally turned down Marvel's offer to reprise the role because they weren't offering him enough money. 

Fans freaked out when he debuted as Nick in Iron Man during a special teaser after the credits rolled.  You've always got to stick around for treats like that, but we have the clip here in case you missed it.
 

Marvel tried to ease fans into seeing Sam as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.  They even went so far as to recreate the character in his image for comic books.  Nick was originally a white man with a full head of brown and white hair.  Marvel kept the signature eye patch for both of Nick's incarnations.

Filming for Iron Man 2 is expected to begin this spring.  It's slated to be released in summer 2010. 

 
-- Sonya Eskridge