"You think you're the only superhero in the world?"

[GRangerPrimeNYC]

That line in that after credits scene spoken by Nick Fury.

What other heroes are out there during that time?

Maybe Captain America, but he's still frozen.

It can't mean the Hulk, since he really isn't considered a hero at that time.

 

[cherokeesam]

Just because they're not widely known to the (fictional) public doesn't make them any less of a superhero. Fury obviously knows about the Hulk, and probably suspects deep down at that point that Hulk *is* a hero.

But yeah, there's probably others out there that are operating under mainstream radar, and that's what the SHIELD TV series will delve into. Allegedly.

 

[Anno_Domini]

I thought he was pretty much talking about Captain America. He isn't aware of the Asgardians then, I think, and Hulk is a 50/50 on Fury believing he "can" be a hero at a point in his life or not.

Maybe Falcon?

 

[DrCosmic]

In reality, he wasn't talking about anything specific, they weren't 100% on how Phase I was going to go at that point.

In practice, no one actually fits the bill, except maybe Cap. Someone will have to be cleverly retconned into existance by an episode of SHIELD or something. But, honestly, I think focusing on off hand lines does more harm than good.

 

[Anno_Domini]

^ That's all people do with CBMs, focus on off-hand remarks.

 

[metaphysician]

My own theory is that there are probably a good handful of street level types, odd freaks of nature, and secretive vigilantes running about. Not as ubiquitous as in the comics, but enough so that the public doesn't find the concept of superheroes as a total OCP. What Tony Stark did to kick off the modern era of heroes was to both go big and go public, being both powerful and famous. Everyone else before him was either notably weaker, notably lower profile, or both.

 

[Hawkingbird]

I agree with DrCosmic. They were setting up the fact that there are more super-hero movies to come. It was nothing specific.

 

[Baramos]

^ That's all people do with CBMs, focus on off-hand remarks.