Fortnite’s HR took the announcement of having four skins for the actor Samuel L. Jackson in the game very positively, as he became the most talked about character in the collaboration history of the giant battle royale. The news started a debate among players about the actor’s roles and the method of getting the skin in the game.
Fortnite informant HYPEX, aka the town crier for the game, had just popped this bit of information and I swear it shocked me at the moment I was about to take my coffee. Samuel L. Jackson. Four skins. In one game. That is… a lot. If you think about the number of superstars who have come and gone in the Item Shop, it’s a huge amount. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? He has two skins. Keanu Reeves as John Wick? I think it’s only one, that’s a variant perhaps. But Sam Jack? He has got an army of his own on the island. It’s ridiculous and yet somehow it fits perfectly if you just look at it a little more critically.
Therefore, the skins, according to HYPEX’s picture, are Mace Windu from Star Wars, Frozone from The Incredibles, and two different ones of Nick Fury from the Marvel universe – one as the typical S.H.I.E.L.D. director and the other “Who Laughs” variant from that crazy comic book crossover event. This shows a very solid list of the actor’s animated characters. But soon after the announcement on Twitter, the responses were like a courtroom debate. Some players were like, “Is that included?” One user, OG_MasterZJ, claimed “Only 3 nick fury isn’t him look at the face,” defending the view that the Nick Fury skin is not really an authentic likeness. Another user, 1fogaca, put up a picture of the Nick Fury skin with the caption “this is NOT Samuel,” which is… a point, I guess? The skin is based on the character he portrays, rather than a faithful parralel with Jackson. But then, someone countered, “It’s nick fury, so basically is.” This is the intricate lore we are facing now, folks. What actually makes a Samuel L. Jackson skin? The man or the iconic character? Fortnite philosophy 101.
And then there is the whole Frozone issue. User itsthemcp commented “Frozone is just his voice.” True! That is a voice acting job. So does that count as a “Samuel L. Jackson skin” or a “Frozone skin”? The lines are so vague, bro. But it seems that the majority of the community is granting it and giving Sam the title. RizeCaprie stated the most common view: “That’s because Samuel L. Jackson is the goat :)”. Hard to argue with that feeling.
The conversation quickly turned to other stars. Pikajosh10 said, “Even Dwayne, Tom, Oscar, and Zendeya only has 2 skins lol,” which put Sam’s four-pack in perspective. It raises the question that HYPEX kind of ignited: who really has the most? Someone precisely asked that: “Does anyone have more Fortnite’s skins than him?” And honestly… I have no idea? Maybe Batman? But that’s a comic character, not a real person. In terms of actual living, breathing celebrities, Sam Jackson might just be a class by himself. Which is a crazy flex for a 75-year-old actor. He is beating gamers in a game that he perhaps doesn’t even play.
It’s only natural for players to start thinking about his next skin. Eric Milzarski suggested a long shot: “There’s one more Samuel L. Jackson role that could work well with Fortnite and would be must-buy,” and accompanied it with an image of him as Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction. Just think about it. Arriving on the island in a suit, with a briefcase, and the “Ezekiel 25:17” quote could be the linked emote to this character. It would be a cash cow. Another user, skkream, simply shared a GIF of him from Snakes on a Plane with the caption “lets make this his next fr.” The need is there! The people have spoken!
Some comments went to completely different subjects, which is quite typical. One user, nate, asked, “Soo your telling me you can buy and own a black guy on a video game 😳😳😳😳” which is… indisputably a viewpoint regarding the acquisition of digital items. And another, MikeLarson83967, was pondering the eternal rather than musing: “What will Fortnite do when they run out of celebrity endorsements?” Don’t worry, the game also features many skins for PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
