For months, the worst kept secret about Iron Man has been Samuel L. Jackson's cameo as Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel and director Jon Favreau tried to play coy for a while, but they finally gave up and admitted that, yes, Sam Jackson dropped by for a one-day shoot as the eye-patched superspy. And, once again, the internet ruined what could've been a really cool surprise.

Or did it? According to the panel at yesterday's Wizard World Los Angeles convention (via Comic Book Resources), Samuel L. Jackson's appearance may not turn up in Iron Man after all. So, um, if it isn't going to be used in Iron Man, where exactly will it go? The panel - which was comprised of Wizard Entertainment's Rickey Purdin and Toyfare Magazine's Adam Tracy - did confirm that there will be some kind of a crossover between Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, but I seriously doubt they're going to wedge a Tony Stark/Nick Fury scene into Edward Norton's tour de force. As far as I can tell, the only plausible option is holding it back for the DVD, which would be a weak launch for a character unknown to most non-geeks. 

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I know that Marvel is dead set on Jackson as Fury, and I've heard that his scene with Robert Downey Jr. is terrific; it certainly doesn't sound like the kind of thing that gets shot for an Extended Edition DVD. Let's see if we can't get something a tad more solid on this...