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** Creator/LouisLeterrier was [[http://www.mtv.com/news/2430220/should-hulk-be-the-villain-in-the-avengers-you-decide-says-hulk-director/ interested in making the Hulk the main villain of the film]] and having the Avengers teaming up to stop the him, just like their comic counterparts. When Bruce intentionally hulks out during the ending of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', it was shot so it could either represent him finally gaining or losing control of the Hulk. Tony was also recruiting General Ross to help him stop the Hulk, but when ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' took on a different direction, a [[Film/MarvelOneShots One-Shot]] was made to tie up the loose end.
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** Creator/LouisLeterrier was [[http://www.mtv.com/news/2430220/should-hulk-be-the-villain-in-the-avengers-you-decide-says-hulk-director/ interested in making the Hulk the main villain of the film]] and having the Avengers teaming up to stop the him, just like their comic counterparts. When Bruce intentionally hulks out during the ending of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', it was shot so it could either represent him finally gaining or losing control of the Hulk. Tony was also recruiting General Ross to help him stop the Hulk, but when ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' took on a different direction, a [[Film/MarvelOneShots One-Shot]] was made to tie up the loose end.
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** Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII from ''Series/TheGetDown'' auditioned to play M'Baku, but lost the part to Winston Duke. Ironically, he would later go on to play Black Manta in the ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' movie.
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** Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII from ''Series/TheGetDown'' auditioned to play M'Baku, but lost the part to Winston Duke.Creator/WinstonDuke. Ironically, he would later go on to play Black Manta in the ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' movie.
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* When Fox still had the Daredevil rights, Kevin Feige reportedly offered them an extension in exchange for Fox returning ComicBook/{{Galactus}} and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer. This means there's an alternate timeline somewhere where the Netflix ''Daredevil'' show never happened, but Marvel got to use Galactus and the Surfer in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and ''Infinity War''.
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* When Fox still had the Daredevil rights, Kevin Feige reportedly offered them an extension in exchange for Fox returning ComicBook/{{Galactus}} and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer. This means there's an alternate timeline somewhere where the Netflix ''Daredevil'' show never happened, but Marvel got to use Galactus and the Surfer in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' Galaxy'', ''Thor: Ragnarok'', and ''Infinity War''.
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* Creator/DonCheadle has said that [[http://screenrant.com/war-machine-movie-don-cheadle-interview-iron-man-3/ there were discussions]] about a solo ''ComicBook/WarMachine'' SpinOff. Cheadle's idea was to have Rhodey go rogue and become a fugitive in order to complete a forbidden and politically-volatile mission that he viewed as morally right. Joe Robert Cole was hired to write the script, but the project was shelved due to potential conflicts with Shane Black's plans for Rhodey in ''Iron Man 3''. Cole would later go on to write the ''Black Panther'' film with Ryan Coogler.
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* Creator/DonCheadle has said that [[http://screenrant.com/war-machine-movie-don-cheadle-interview-iron-man-3/ there were discussions]] about a solo ''ComicBook/WarMachine'' SpinOff. Cheadle's idea was to have Rhodey go rogue and become a fugitive in order to complete a forbidden and politically-volatile mission that he viewed as morally right. Joe Robert Cole was hired to write the script, but the project was shelved due to potential conflicts with Shane Black's Creator/ShaneBlack's plans for Rhodey in ''Iron Man 3''. Cole would later go on to write the ''Black Panther'' film with Ryan Coogler.
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* Creator/DonCheadle has said that [[http://screenrant.com/war-machine-movie-don-cheadle-interview-iron-man-3/ there were discussions]] about a solo ''ComicBook/WarMachine'' SpinOff that would see Rhodey going rogue and becoming a fugitive in order to complete a mission that he views as morally right, but which goes against U.S. foreign policy.
to:
* Creator/DonCheadle has said that [[http://screenrant.com/war-machine-movie-don-cheadle-interview-iron-man-3/ there were discussions]] about a solo ''ComicBook/WarMachine'' SpinOff that would see SpinOff. Cheadle's idea was to have Rhodey going go rogue and becoming become a fugitive in order to complete a forbidden and politically-volatile mission that he views viewed as morally right, right. Joe Robert Cole was hired to write the script, but which goes against U.S. foreign policy.the project was shelved due to potential conflicts with Shane Black's plans for Rhodey in ''Iron Man 3''. Cole would later go on to write the ''Black Panther'' film with Ryan Coogler.
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** Coogler also wanted to use the Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter as one of the film's antagonists, but was told the character was off-limits.
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** Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from ''Series/TheGetDown'' auditioned to play M'Baku, but lost the part to Winston Duke. Ironically, he would later go on to play Black Manta in the ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' movie.
to:
** Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Creator/YahyaAbdulMateenII from ''Series/TheGetDown'' auditioned to play M'Baku, but lost the part to Winston Duke. Ironically, he would later go on to play Black Manta in the ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' movie.
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** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]]. [[spoiler: a web one-shot established that there is an actual Mandarin, and that he was none too pleased about having his name sullied with someone else flashy and failed plot.]]
to:
** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]]. [[spoiler: a A web one-shot established that there is an actual Mandarin, and that he was none too pleased about having his name sullied with someone else else's flashy and failed ''failed'' plot.]]
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Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]].
to:
** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]]. [[spoiler: a web one-shot established that there is an actual Mandarin, and that he was none too pleased about having his name sullied with someone else flashy and failed plot.]]
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** There were plans for Creator/PaulBettany to appear in a flashback scene that would have explained the origin of JARVIS. Presumably, he would have played the original Edwin Jarvis (a role that eventually went to James D'Arcy in ''Series/AgentCarter'').
to:
** There were plans for Creator/PaulBettany to appear in a flashback scene that would have explained the origin of JARVIS. Presumably, he would have played the original Edwin Jarvis (a role that eventually went to James D'Arcy Creator/JamesDArcy in ''Series/AgentCarter'').
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** Hawkeye was originally going to appear in several scenes, including a fight sequence where he would have battled Captain America after a prolonged chase through the city. Scheduling issues with Creator/JeremyRenner prevented this.
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** Hawkeye was originally going to appear in several scenes, including a fight sequence where he would have battled Captain America after a prolonged chase through the city. Scheduling issues with Creator/JeremyRenner prevented this.
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** Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from ''Series/TheGetDown'' auditioned to play M'Baku, but lost the part to Winston Duke. Ironically, he would later go on to play Black Manta in the ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' movie.
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** Back before the advent of the MCU, director Creator/JohnSingleton was attached to the movie, but it never materialized.
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** Back before the advent of the MCU, director Creator/JohnSingleton was attached to the movie, but it never materialized. His take would've abandoned most of the trappings of the comic, and instead would've been a PeriodPiece that featured Black Panther as an activist during the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement.
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** Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole were interested in using the movie to introduce Eli Bradley from the ''Comicbook/YoungAvengers'', but felt it would distract from main focus of the story.
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** Main/MatthewMcConaughey was offered the villain role, but passed on it.
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** Main/MatthewMcConaughey Creator/MatthewMcConaughey was offered the villain role, but passed on it.
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** Adding to that, back when the scene was still meant to be in New York, [[spoiler: the idea was that the boys would find Odin as a crazed homeless man living on the streets. When the setting was moved to Norway, he was instead shown to be living in a nursing home, awaiting his death]].
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** Adding to that, back when the scene was still meant to be in New York, [[spoiler: the idea was that the boys would find Odin as a crazed homeless man living on the streets. When the setting was moved to Norway, he was instead shown to be living in a nursing home, peacefully [[FaceDeathWithDignity awaiting his death]].death with dignity]]]].
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** A scene confirming Valkyrie's [[BiTheway bisexuality]] was shot, which showed a woman leaving Valkyrie's bedroom, implying that they'd slept together. It was ultimately cut from the finished film.
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** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies. This can even be seen in the initial logo for the movie that was shown at the Phase 3 announcement event, which had a darker and more serious look than the colorful, 80's-inspired design that was ultimately used for the finished film. [[https://i.imgur.com/JyJm9hK.png Compare the two]].
to:
** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies. This can even be seen in the initial logo for the movie that was shown at the Phase 3 announcement event, which had a darker and more serious look than the colorful, 80's-inspired design that was ultimately used for the finished film. [[https://i.imgur.com/JyJm9hK.png Compare the two]].
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Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies. This can even be seen in the initial logo for the movie which was shown at the Phase 3 announcement event, which had a darker and more serious look than the colorful, 80's-inspired design that was ultimately used for the finished film. [[https://i.imgur.com/JyJm9hK.png Compare the two]].
to:
** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies. This can even be seen in the initial logo for the movie which that was shown at the Phase 3 announcement event, which had a darker and more serious look than the colorful, 80's-inspired design that was ultimately used for the finished film. [[https://i.imgur.com/JyJm9hK.png Compare the two]].
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** Thor and Loki were originally [[spoiler: going to find Odin]] in New York City, and the subsequent CurbStompBattle where Hela destroys Mjolnir was meant to take place there as well. The setting was changed to a field in Norway in reshoots, as Waititi felt it would be [[ContrivedCoincidence too convenient]] for the boys to [[spoiler: locate Odin]] in the same city where they'd just visited Doctor Strange. Additionally, he wanted to have a quiet moment where [[spoiler: the family would reunite before Odin's death]]. This was changed so late in the game that the first two trailers still depicted the hammer being destroyed in a New York alleyway.
to:
** Thor and Loki were originally [[spoiler: going to find Odin]] in New York City, and the subsequent CurbStompBattle where Hela destroys Mjolnir was meant to take place there as well. The setting was changed to a field in Norway in reshoots, as Waititi felt it would be [[ContrivedCoincidence too convenient]] for the boys brothers to [[spoiler: locate Odin]] in the same city where they'd just visited Doctor Strange. Additionally, he wanted to have a peaceful, quiet moment where [[spoiler: the family would reunite just before Odin's death]]. This was changed so late in the game that the first two trailers still depicted the hammer being destroyed in a New York alleyway.alleyway.
** Adding to that, back when the scene was still meant to be in New York, [[spoiler: the idea was that the boys would find Odin as a crazed homeless man living on the streets. When the setting was moved to Norway, he was instead shown to be living in a nursing home, awaiting his death]].
** Adding to that, back when the scene was still meant to be in New York, [[spoiler: the idea was that the boys would find Odin as a crazed homeless man living on the streets. When the setting was moved to Norway, he was instead shown to be living in a nursing home, awaiting his death]].
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Changed line(s) 147 (click to see context) from:
** Thor and Loki were originally [[spoiler: going to find Odin]] in New York City, and the subsequent CurbStompBattle where Hela destroys Mjolnir was meant to take place there as well. The setting was changed to a field in Norway in reshoots, as Waititi felt it would be [[ContrivedCoincidence too convenient]] for the boys to [[spoiler: locate Odin]] in the same city where they'd just visited Doctor Strange. Additionally, he wanted to have a quiet moment where [[spoiler: the family would reunite before Odin's death]].
to:
** Thor and Loki were originally [[spoiler: going to find Odin]] in New York City, and the subsequent CurbStompBattle where Hela destroys Mjolnir was meant to take place there as well. The setting was changed to a field in Norway in reshoots, as Waititi felt it would be [[ContrivedCoincidence too convenient]] for the boys to [[spoiler: locate Odin]] in the same city where they'd just visited Doctor Strange. Additionally, he wanted to have a quiet moment where [[spoiler: the family would reunite before Odin's death]]. This was changed so late in the game that the first two trailers still depicted the hammer being destroyed in a New York alleyway.
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Added DiffLines:
** Thor and Loki were originally [[spoiler: going to find Odin]] in New York City, and the subsequent CurbStompBattle where Hela destroys Mjolnir was meant to take place there as well. The setting was changed to a field in Norway in reshoots, as Waititi felt it would be [[ContrivedCoincidence too convenient]] for the boys to [[spoiler: locate Odin]] in the same city where they'd just visited Doctor Strange. Additionally, he wanted to have a quiet moment where [[spoiler: the family would reunite before Odin's death]].
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Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies.
to:
** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies. This can even be seen in the initial logo for the movie which was shown at the Phase 3 announcement event, which had a darker and more serious look than the colorful, 80's-inspired design that was ultimately used for the finished film. [[https://i.imgur.com/JyJm9hK.png Compare the two]].
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** The film was initially going to be DarkerAndEdgier, but ended up going in a more comedic route thanks to the hiring of Waititi, as well as Chris Hemsworth's dissatisfaction with Thor being regulated to a StraightMan role in the previous movies.
** Jaimie Alexander was slated to reprise her role as Sif, but scheduling issues with her TV series, ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'', resulted in the character being written out.
** Jaimie Alexander was slated to reprise her role as Sif, but scheduling issues with her TV series, ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'', resulted in the character being written out.
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* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'':
** Director Creator/TaikaWaititi wanted Creator/JohnCReilly to reprise his role as Rhomann Dey from ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', but couldn't find an organic way to work him into the script.
** Before it was decided to have the Hulk in the movie, Marvel considered bringing in characters like Balder the Brave and Comicbook/BetaRayBill.
** Director Creator/TaikaWaititi wanted Creator/JohnCReilly to reprise his role as Rhomann Dey from ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', but couldn't find an organic way to work him into the script.
** Before it was decided to have the Hulk in the movie, Marvel considered bringing in characters like Balder the Brave and Comicbook/BetaRayBill.
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* Creator/DonCheadle has said that there were discussions about a solo ''War Marchine'' SpinOff that would see Rhodey going rogue and becoming a fugitive in order to complete a mission that he views as morally right, but which goes against U.S. foreign policy.
to:
* Creator/DonCheadle has said that [[http://screenrant.com/war-machine-movie-don-cheadle-interview-iron-man-3/ there were discussions discussions]] about a solo ''War Marchine'' ''ComicBook/WarMachine'' SpinOff that would see Rhodey going rogue and becoming a fugitive in order to complete a mission that he views as morally right, but which goes against U.S. foreign policy.
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* Creator/DonCheadle has said that there were discussions about a solo ''War Marchine'' SpinOff that would see Rhodey going rogue and becoming a fugitive in order to complete a mission that he views as morally right, but which goes against U.S. foreign policy.
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** Creator/JeffGoldlbum was offered a cameo as the senator who gets Steve involved with the USO, but it didn't work out. This ended up being for the best, as Goldblum later appeared in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' in a much larger capacity.
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** Creator/JeffGoldlbum Creator/JeffGoldblum was offered a cameo as the senator who gets Steve involved with the USO, but it didn't work out. This ended up being for the best, as Goldblum later appeared in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' in a much larger capacity.
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** The ending was supposed to have the Hulk heading off into space, but this was changed because Kevin Feige didn't want people to think they were teasing a ''Comicbook/PlanetHulk'' movie.
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** Creator/JeffGoldlbum was offered a cameo as the senator who gets Steve involved with the USO, but it didn't work out. This ended up being for the best, as Goldblum later appeared in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' in a much larger capacity.
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[[AC:Phase 1: Avengers Assembled]]
* ''Film/{{Iron Man|1}}'':
** The film had a lengthy production cycle that dates back to the early 1990's. Jeff Vintar and Creator/StanLee pitched a story for Fox that would have had Comicbook/{{MODOK}} as the main villain, and Creator/QuentinTarantino was approached as the director. Both Creator/NicolasCage and Creator/TomCruise expressed interest in starring as Tony Stark. Due to having too much on their plate with ''Film/XMen1'' and the studio's other Marvel movies (as well as Tom Rotham's rumored dislike of superheroes), Fox ended up selling the rights to New Line.
** A new script was written for New Line, which featured a {{Cameo}} from Comicbook/NickFury to [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot set the character up for his own movie]]. Subsequent drafts also featured Howard Stark (who was still alive in this version) as Comicbook/WarMachine, the movie's BigBad. The execs also made bizarre demands and suggestions, such as saying that Iron Man shouldn't fly and should suit up by using a toaster. Creator/DavidHayter did some work on the script, while both Creator/JossWhedon and Nick Cassavetes were approached to direct. When production stalled for too long, the license lapsed and the rights returned to Marvel.
** When the film was officially set up at Marvel Studios as the start of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, [[YellowPeril The Mandarin]] was originally set to be the main antagonist. Creator/MarkMillar convinced Creator/JonFavreau to go with Iron Monger instead, arguing that the Mandarin was a poor tonal fit for an origin movie (in addition to being a walking pile of UnfortunateImplications).
** Adding to that, the decision to use Iron Monger was only made ''after'' Creator/JeffBridges was cast. The original idea was that the Mandarin would be the BigBad of the first movie, while Obadiah Stane would appear in a supporting role to set him up as the villain of the sequel.
** According to Bridges, Stane was originally supposed to survive the final battle against Tony, with the heroes opening up the destroyed Iron Monger suit to find that [[NeverFoundTheBody there was no corpse inside]]. Presumably this would have poised him to return for future movies.
* ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'':
** Bruce Banner's KidSidekick Rick Jones was present in early drafts of the film, but ended up being removed once Creator/EdwardNorton rewrote the script.
** An earlier draft would've made the Abomination a CompositeCharacter with Glenn Talbot.
** As a huge fan of ''Series/TheWire'', Norton wrote in a cameo for Michael K. Williams. The scene was cut down significantly, so in the finished product, Williams basically appears for about 5 seconds during the final battle.
* ''Film/IronMan2'':
** Rumiko Fujikawa was initially going to appear, with Marvel reportedly wanting Creator/ZhangZiyi for the role. Her part was cut due to the film [[FourLinesAllWaiting already having too much going on]], but ViralMarketing showcasing her Stark-Fujikawa subsidiary was still used to promote the movie.
** The original ending would have had Whiplash survive his earlier TakingYouWithMe attempt, only to be KilledOffForReal by [[Comicbook/WarMachine Rhodey]] after making one final attempt to kill Tony and Pepper. The ending was changed to a more ambiguous NeverFoundTheBody situation in case Marvel wanted to bring back Whiplash for future movies.
** Creator/EmilyBlunt was nearly cast as Comicbook/BlackWidow, but had to turn down the part due to contractual obligations to the ill-fated ''[[Film/GulliversTravels2010 Gulliver's Travels]]'' movie.
** There were plans for Creator/PaulBettany to appear in a flashback scene that would have explained the origin of JARVIS. Presumably, he would have played the original Edwin Jarvis (a role that eventually went to James D'Arcy in ''Series/AgentCarter'').
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'':
** Marvel began development on a ''Captain America'' movie in 2000, with Artisan Entertainment tapped to help finance it. A lengthy lawsuit over ownership of the character delayed the project until it fell apart.
** Earlier drafts of ''The First Avenger'' featured Baron Zemo and Baron von Strucker as side villains working with the Comicbook/RedSkull, but the writers cut them from the script due to fears that they would be wasted in such small roles. Both ended up being SavedForTheSequel, with Strucker in TheStinger of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' as well as a minor role in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', and Zemo as the villain of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''.
** Emily Blunt was up for the Peggy Carter role, but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts.
* ''Film/{{Thor}}:''
** Like ''Iron Man'', this one had a lengthy development cycle. Creator/SamRaimi met with Stan Lee and Fox about making a ''Thor'' movie back in 1990, but the project went nowhere. Marvel again met with Artisan to finance and push the film, but it failed to get picked up by any studios. Sony then picked up the movie and met with David S. Goyer to write and direct it, but Goyer eventually lost interest, leaving the project dead in the water.
** After the project moved to Paramount and Marvel, Mark Protosevich (a [[PromotedFanboy big fan of the comics]]) wrote a script he described as an epic about "An Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god." The draft ended up being rewritten due to fears that it would be too expensive to produce, as estimates had the script's budget pegged at around 300 million dollars.
** Creator/MatthewVaughn (who would later direct ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'') signed on to direct, but walked away when his holding deal expired.
** Creator/GuillermoDelToro was interested in directing, but wanted to incorporate more mythology into the film, as well as a grittier take on Asgard. He ended up passing to direct ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' instead, which he ''also'' ended up walking away from.
** The film was originally going to have a scene where Selvig mentioned a friend and colleague by the name of [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]]. The line did make it into the movie, but with the explicit reference to Pym removed.
** Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} was originally cast as Odin, but the role was recast with Creator/AnthonyHopkins. Creator/MelGibson claims he was also offered the part.
** The Enchantress was initially going to appear as well, and concept art of her design can even be found online.
** Creator/DanielCraig was offered the role of Thor, but turned it down due to commitments to the ''Film/JamesBond'' franchise.
** Creator/TomHiddleston actually auditioned for the role of Thor.
** Creator/CharlieCox auditioned for the role of Comicbook/{{Loki}}. While he didn't get the part, he did end up joining the MCU as Matt Murdock in ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' several years later.
** Sif was going to be black very early on, as the creators intended to have Heimdall be her older brother like he is in the comics. [[http://www.hitfix.com/news/check-out-these-fantastic-black-lady-sif-designs-from-early-thor-concept-art Concept art can be found here]].
** There's also concept art of Balder, Thor's ''other'' brother, indicating that he too was planned to appear at some point.
* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'':
** Creator/JossWhedon has confirmed that ComicBook/TheWasp was supposed to have been part of the team, but had to be written out of the script due to the high volume of characters being introduced. Specifically, the Wasp was written into the film due to another What Could Have Been: to replace Comicbook/BlackWidow when it looked like the character was going to be omitted due to salary issues with Creator/ScarlettJohansson. When a deal with Johansson was reached, Black Widow was written back into the movie. This resulted in Wasp getting cut since at that point, it was decided that seven Avengers would be too many for the first movie.
** Loki was originally going to have an intimidating [[TheDragon co-villain]] working under him, because Whedon felt that Creator/TomHiddleston wouldn't seem realistically menacing enough to pose a challenge to the likes of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] and the [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]].
** Iron Man was originally going to be introduced in the midst of a battle against a cyborg supervillain. The idea was scrapped, but animatics of it were included as part of the DVD special features.
** There was also going to be a brief fight scene between Iron Man and the brainwashed ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, acting as a [[MythologyGag nod]] to the fact that Hawkeye started off as an Iron Man villain in the comics.
** Whedon didn't want to include Pepper in the movie, as he felt isolating the individual Avengers from their respective supporting casts would make for better drama. Robert Downey, Jr. fought for her inclusion, as he felt Creator/GwynethPaltrow and Pepper were too important to the ''Iron Man'' franchise to simply ignore.
** Creator/LouisLeterrier was [[http://www.mtv.com/news/2430220/should-hulk-be-the-villain-in-the-avengers-you-decide-says-hulk-director/ interested in making the Hulk the main villain of the film]] and having the Avengers teaming up to stop the him, just like their comic counterparts. When Bruce intentionally hulks out during the ending of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', it was shot so it could either represent him finally gaining or losing control of the Hulk. Tony was also recruiting General Ross to help him stop the Hulk, but when ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' took on a different direction, a [[Film/MarvelOneShots One-Shot]] was made to tie up the loose end.
[[AC:Phase 2]]
* ''Film/IronMan3'':
** Anthony Mackie had read for a part in the film (presumably [[TheDragon Eric Savin]] or Jack Taggart), but did not get the role.
** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]].
** Creator/MarkRuffalo has confirmed that the stinger scene was originally something completely different, but it ended up being scrapped and replaced with the cameo from Bruce Banner. The rumor is that the original scene was going to show Tony suiting up and flying off into space in order to set up the events of ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', but Robert Downey, Jr. passed because he wasn't sure he was going to continue with the MCU at that point (he only signed on to do the ''Avengers'' sequels later).
** Maya Hansen was originally going to be the the true surprise villain instead of [[spoiler: Killian]], which arguably fits the themes of the movie much better. Marvel ordered that the character be replaced because they didn't think kids would buy toys of a female character.[[note]]Ironically, ''very few'' toys of Aldrich Killian were produced, and a planned Marvel Legends figure of the Mandarin was scrapped.[[/note]] This was changed fairly late into filming, and Creator/RebeccaHall didn't even find out until shortly before filming Maya's death scene.
** An unidentified actress was cast to play Tony's mother in a {{Flashback}}, but the scene was never finished.
* ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'':
** ''Film/{{Monster}}'' director Patty Jenkins was hired to direct the movie, but ended up being fired over creative differences. This incited some serious CreatorBacklash from Creator/NataliePortman, who tried to back out of the movie before being forced to stay because of her contract.
** There were apparently plans to have Valkyrie of ComicBook/TheDefenders appear, but this never came to fruition. Concept art for several different potential designs can be found online.
** Loki was originally not going to appear ''at all'', and there was going to be a much greater focus on Malekith and the Dark Elves. When Loki became the EnsembleDarkhorse of ''The Avengers'', the script was rewritten to give him a big role.
** Creator/MadsMikkelsen was looked at to play Malekith, but the role ultimately went to Creator/ChristopherEccleston.
** Mangog was supposed to appear at one point, presumably as one of the monsters Thor fights near the beginning of the film. Like Valkyrie, he was cut, but concept art of his design has been released online.
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'':
** Before the part went to Creator/AnthonyMackie, MichaelBJordan was one of the actors in the running to play Comicbook/TheFalcon. Jordan would later go on to play Erik Killmonger in the ''Black Panther'' film.
** Before settling on a [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack darker military outfit]], several of the proposed Falcon costumes featured a more armored look, complete with a helmet. At least one of the suits also retained Falcon's red and white color scheme from the comics, as well the golden forehead crest he wears on his mask.
** Early promo art, set pics, merchandise, and even the first trailer showed Falcon in a slightly different military outfit with long sleeves. This was replaced with a short-sleeved look in the finalized film for unknown reasons.
** At one point, the writers had proposed sparing Arnim Zola by revealing that the computer he housed his memory in could transform into a mobile robotic body. Marvel vetoed the idea on the grounds that it was too silly.
** Hawkeye was originally going to appear in several scenes, including a fight sequence where he would have battled Captain America after a prolonged chase through the city. Scheduling issues with Creator/JeremyRenner prevented this.
** Before his death in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and subsequent resurrection in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', Marvel considered revealing Phil Coulson as a HYDRA agent in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''. He would have played the role that [[spoiler:Sitwell]] does in the finished film.
** Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker was originally going to be the film's BigBad and leader of the [[spoiler: HYDRA double agents in SHIELD]] but the character was rewritten into Alexander Pierce after the casting of Creator/RobertRedford, with Strucker being saved for TheStinger.
** Related to this, Clay Quartermain was going to appear as well. Some of his scenes were ultimately given to Sitwell.
* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'':
** Early drafts featured Comicbook/{{Nova}} as a central character, but James Gunn cut him from the film once he was hired to direct and rewrite the screenplay. Kevin Feige claims that the decision was partially due to the desire to focus more on Star-Lord, while Gunn claims he simply does not like Nova.
** Originally, there was supposed to be a "cameo" (cameo in quotations because the person was a stunt double) of Creator/StanLee within the Collector's trophy room.
** Originally, TheStinger was supposed to be related to ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', but Gunn claims ''Winter Soldier'' "stole" the connection from them, eventually resulting in them using [[spoiler:ComicBook/HowardTheDuck]] instead.
** Gunn also wanted to include Comicbook/{{Rom| Space Knight}} on the team, but couldn't due to licensing issues.
** Similarly, Bug was unable to appear because Marvel doesn't own his film rights.
** Yondu didn't appear in earlier drafts of the script, but Gunn wrote him in specifically for Michael Rooker.
** Yondu was originally going to be killed after opening up the Orb to find that Peter had replaced the Infinity Stone with one of Rocket's bombs. Gunn decided it'd be better to keep Yondu alive for the sequel, so the scene was changed to him finding that Peter had left a troll doll inside the Orb instead.
** Likewise, Creator/KarenGillan revealed that Nebula died in the original script.
** The Power Stone was originally going to be red like it is in the comics, and the actual prop used for shooting reflected this. However, it was digitally recolored purple in post in order to avoid confusion with the Aether from ''The Dark World'', which was revealed to be the Reality Stone in ''Age of Ultron''.
** Comicbook/{{Thanos}} was originally going to have a much larger role, but Joss Whedon requested that it be reduced so as not to interfere with his own plans for the character. Gunn says at one point, Thanos was going to be the movie's BigBad rather than Ronan the Accuser.
** The studio was interested in having Creator/DannyDeVito voice Rocket, but they ultimately decided to go in a younger direction.
** The ending montage was originally going to show Peter's grandfather looking over a picture of Meredith Quill and then glancing up at the stars, with the implication being that he saw Peter being abducted by Yondu all those years ago and is still desperately hoping his grandson will make it back home one day. The scene was cut because everyone thought it was way too sad a note to end the film on.
* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'':
** According to the actor himself, there were briefly plans to have Creator/TimRoth reprise his role as the Abomination from ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', but the idea was scrapped.
** [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Carol Danvers]] appeared in earlier drafts of the movie as Captain Marvel, but Marvel feared introducing her without explaining who she is [[ContinuityLockOut would be too confusing for casual viewers]]. They decided to wait and introduce her in her own movie instead. This was changed so late in production that Whedon had actually shot the live-action plates for her entrance scene, with the intention of casting an actual actress later. [[spoiler:The shots were recycled for when Scarlet Witch joins the New Avengers at the end of the movie]].
** The Captain Marvel cameo was an [[TheArtifact Artifact]] from an early discussion about using the movie to introduce a whole slew of new superheroes. The idea was jettisoned quickly due to worries that audiences wouldn't have any idea who any of these people were.
** It was rumored early on that an initial cut of the film was nearly as long as ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', clocking in at 160 minutes (along with a later report that clarified that the initial cut of movie was over three hours in length). Eventually, it was confirmed that the theatrical release would be 142 minutes. A subplot involving Thor was reduced in length as a side effect of this, and the appearance of the mysterious woman seen in the trailer (one of the Norns from Norse mythology) is not present in the final film. Bits of the original Norn sequence were later released as deleted scenes.
** Tom Hiddleston filmed a cameo as Loki for Thor's dream sequence. However, test audiences found the scene confusing, and mistakenly thought the film was implying that Loki was behind the creation of Ultron, and was thus the true GreaterScopeVillain of the movie.
** The Hulk was originally supposed to transform into his Gray Hulk form while under the Comicbook/ScarletWitch's control, but the digital effects team eventually just settled for changing his eyes to make him appear more sullen and weary. Despite this, Funko still produced a Gray Hulk figure as part of their Pop! line.
** Creator/AaronJohnson has confirmed that alternate drafts had [[spoiler: ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} survive the final battle and then join the team alongside his sister. A costume was even designed in case Marvel chose to spare his life and make him an official Avenger]].
** Whedon had wanted to include Franchise/SpiderMan as part of the new team of Avengers, but Marvel's deal with Sony had not yet been finalized at that point.
** ComicBook/{{Ultron}} was originally supposed to steal the vibranium he needed from Wakanda. Elaborate concept art of the Wakandan mine where Ultron would forge his new body was even drawn up, but didn't make it into the movie.
* ''Film/AntMan'':
** The movie was intended to be released in 2010 between ''The Incredible Hulk'' and ''Thor'' (see the reference to Hank Pym above), but was replaced by ''Iron Man 2'' due to the financial success of the first movie. This pushed the movie back 5 years and 8 movie releases.
** Creator/PatrickWilson was cast as one of the major villains (rumored to be William Cross/Crossfire, the cousin of Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, the movie's BigBad), but dropped out of the film after [[TroubledProduction multiple rewrites and production delays]].
** [[Series/KeyAndPeele Jordan Peele]] was cast in the movie, but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts.
** Creator/JosephGordonLevitt was up for the lead role at one point, while Creator/JessicaChastain, Creator/RashidaJones and Creator/BryceDallasHoward were in the running for the Hope Van Dyne part.
** Darren Cross was originally going to go by the alter ego of Nano Warrior, a CanonForeigner identity. This was changed to Yellowjacket, an actual Marvel identity.
** Hope's role was much smaller in Edgar Wright's drafts, and Creator/EvangelineLilly actually ended up praising the controversial rewrites for beefing up her part.
** As the movie predates the MCU itself, it was originally going to be a stand-alone film without any continuity ties. Most of the connections to other movies (such as [[spoiler: the appearance from the Falcon or the scene at the New Avengers compound]]) were only included in later revisions, such as the one done by Adam [=McKay=].
** Janet van Dyne was not present ''at all'' in Wright's script, and was only mentioned in passing as having [[spoiler: died offscreen]]. Presumably, TheStinger with [[spoiler: Hope carrying on her mother's legacy by becoming the new Wasp]] was only added in later drafts as well.
** The ending was supposed to have Ant-Man taking out Carson before he could [[spoiler: escape with the Pym Particles and deliver them to HYDRA]]. The ending was changed to [[spoiler: Carson successfully escaping with the Pym Particles]] in order to set up a sequel.
** A few preliminary designs of the Wasp armor harkened back to Janet's original, cone-headed costume, with one version dumping the skirt in favor of something more akin to a BadassLongcoat.
** There were tentative plans for Creator/TobyJones to return as Arnim Zola, who would've inhabited a robotic body after his apparent death in ''The Winter Soldier''.
[[AC:Phase 3]]
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'':
** Christopher Markus and Stephen [=McFeely=]'s original plan for a third Captain America movie was much smaller than ''Civil War'', and didn't feature the other Avengers. Elements of their initial idea still made it into the finished movie, such as the emphasis on Steve and Bucky's relationship, and the use of Baron Zemo as the BigBad.
** As mentioned in the ''Age of Ultron'' section, Joss Whedon almost got Captain Marvel added to the team. Had he gotten his way, Captain Marvel presumably would have been one of the Avengers featured in ''Civil War'' as well.
** Likewise, had the aforementioned alternate ending to ''Age of Ultron'' where Quicksilver survived been used, he would have appeared here as one of the Avengers.
** Creator/RobertDowneyJr has stated that had he decided not to come back for the movie, the Russo brothers would have adapted another story, since ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' simply does not work without Iron Man. As well, there were plans set up for another script had Marvel and Sony not been able to bring Franchise/SpiderMan into the MCU.
** While there were plans from Day 1 to feature a neutral hero who wouldn't be aligned with either Captain America or Iron Man, it wasn't necessarily ComicBook/BlackPanther at first. Kevin Feige has said a number of names were put forth as possibilities, but in the end, it was decided that the Panther made the most sense.
** A scene showing some of Scott Lang's personal life was cut from the movie because the writers scripted it before actually having seen the ''Ant-Man'' movie.
** Earlier drafts of the script featured the debut of Hope Van Dyne as the Wasp, with the character appearing as part of Team Cap. The creators were worried that her introduction would have been overshadowed by the other characters (as well as other concerns like CastSpeciation and Creator/EvangelineLilly being pregnant), so it was decided to save the Wasp's first appearance for the ''Ant-Man & The Wasp'' movie.
** One of {{The Stinger}}s was going to feature Bruce Banner, but it was cut to avoid spoiling where the character ended up between the events of ''Age of Ultron'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok''.
** Black Panther was originally going to have more of a cameo role, while Spider-Man was set to have a much larger part in the story. When it looked like the deal with Sony to get Spider-Man into the movie wasn't gonna happen, Black Panther's role was significantly beefed up. By the time Marvel did get permission to use Spider-Man, Black Panther had become so integral to the story that they opted to leave his part as is it was and give Spider-Man a smaller role instead.
** Related to that, Spider-Man's role in the second act was deliberately written to be non-integral so that if the rights deal fell through, the story wouldn't suffer. The writers have said that had they not been able to use Spider-Man, they would have simply used another new hero as the sixth member of Team Iron Man.
** A planned fight between Captain America and Black Widow was cut for time.
** There exists concept art of Helmut Zemo wearing his trademark purple costume and mask from the comics, indicating the idea was probably at least considered early on.
** There was an idea to have Steve wear a new black costume for stealth missions, such as the opening fight in Lagos. Concept art of the black suit can be found in the movie's art book. There was also an idea for Hawkeye to wear his black bullseye mask from ''Comicbook/TheUltimates 3''.
** The Russos toyed with the idea of giving Spider-Man organic webs like in the original Creator/SamRaimi ''Film/SpiderMan'' movie. They eventually decided that Peter being able to design his own web-shooters was more interesting.
** There's concept art of Sharon Carter wearing a combat uniform and fighting alongside Team Cap at the airport battle. This never happens in the movie, but the uniform was heavily featured in the merchandising and marketing art for the film.
** There's also concept art for the Scarlet Witch which gave her a headdress somewhat similar to what her comic book counterpart wears.
** Early concept art showed Scott Lang fighting Captain America and Hawkeye, indicating that Ant-Man was planned to be part of Team Iron Man at one point.
** Andy Park released a piece of concept art showing Vision phasing his hand through Iron Man's arc reactor to save Wanda, mirroring a similar scene in the original comic book. This would seem to indicate that at some point, Vision was either going to be part of Team Cap, or was set to betray Team Iron Man at a key moment.
* ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'':
** Creator/JoaquinPhoenix came very close to being cast as Strange, but passed at the last minute because he feared the lengthy production schedule (including sequels and potential Avengers crossovers) would prevent him from pursuing other roles.
** Creator/NeilGaiman and Creator/GuillermoDelToro pitched a ''Doctor Strange'' movie back in 2007, but Marvel passed because the character was considered a very low priority for the studio at the time. Not much is known about the pitch, though Gaiman confirmed that Clea would have appeared as a major character.
** Wong was originally not going to appear in the movie, because the director felt he was an embarrassing racial stereotype. However, he decided to include Wong after they cast a [[RaceLift white woman]] to play the Ancient One, reasoning that not having ''any'' Asian characters at all would probably look even worse.
** Before Creator/TildaSwinton was cast, director Scott Derrickson considered having the Ancient One be an Asian woman. However, he decided against it, as he felt it'd seem too reminiscent of the DragonLady trope.
** Derrickson wanted Nightmare to be the movie's main villain, but Kevin Feige dissuaded him by saying that the Dream Dimension would only add more {{Exposition}} to a movie that was already full of {{Infodump}}s.
** Creator/TonyTodd recorded lines as [[spoiler: Dormammu]] before Marvel decided to get [[spoiler: Benedict Cumberbatch]] to voice him instead.
* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'':
** Main/MatthewMcConaughey was offered the villain role, but passed on it.
** Kevin Feige and James Gunn were both interested in having Music/DavidBowie cameo, but the musician's death from cancer in 2016 tragically prevented this. [[spoiler: Had he lived, Bowie would have played a member of Yondu's original Ravagers team.]]
** There were plans for Comicbook/AdamWarlock to join the team alongside Mantis, but Gunn wrote him out of the script after deciding that the story was already too packed to accommodate ''another'' new main character.
** To James Gunn's shock, Marvel apparently did not own the movie rights to the character Ego the Living Planet, which would have caused a ''lot'' of problems as James Gunn had built him up as a very important part to the MCU mythos. Fortune shined upon them, however, when Fox approached Marvel, wishing to change up the power set to Negasonic Teenage Warhead for ''Film/{{Deadpool}}''. Thus, Marvel got back Ego so Warhead could have better powers.
** Gunn originally didn't want to [[spoiler: kill off Yondu]], but ultimately decided it had to happen to lend some real stakes to the movie.
* ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'':
** An early idea was to retroactively incorporate the ''[[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries Amazing Spider-Man]]'' movies into the MCU canon instead of doing yet another reboot. However, Creator/AndrewGarfield likely wouldn't have returned, thanks to [[http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/05/01/spider-man-actor-andrew-garfield-got-himself-fired-from-series-by-insulting-sony-chief tensions behind the scenes]] with Sony.
** Creator/MichaelKeaton nearly passed on the Vulture role, as it was thought that Marvel wouldn't be able to afford both Robert Downey, Jr. and Keaton.
** Creator/DavidLetterman was offered a cameo as a street vendor, but he quickly passed on the part due to a lack of interest.
** Ted Melfi was in the running to direct the movie, but he withdrew to make ''Film/HiddenFigures'' instead.
** Jon Watts originally wanted Nick Fury to serve as Peter's mentor.
** The Vulture was originally going to turn out to be one of Peter's high school teachers [[spoiler: instead of the father of his love interest]], but the creators thought it'd be better to not have him involved with the school stuff.
** War Machine and Comicbook/TheVision were supposed to make a {{Cameo}} appearance [[spoiler: during the ferry rescue scene]], showing that they were still operating as members of the Avengers even after the events of ''Civil War''.
* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'':
** Back before the advent of the MCU, director Creator/JohnSingleton was attached to the movie, but it never materialized.
** A Black Panther film has been in various stages of development and DevelopmentHell since the '90s, with various scripts, studios, actors, and directors attached at one point or another. Wesley Snipes was even in talks to star at one point, before being cast as the title character in ''Film/{{Blade}}''.
** Creator/ReginaldHudlin stated that one of the early proposed scripts would have had Black Panther reimagined as a young African-American man with no knowledge of Wakanda or his African heritage, a change Hudlin found offensive and disrespectful.
** Once the project was finalized as part of the MCU's Phase 3, ''Film/{{Selma}}'' director Ava [=DuVernay=] went into talks to direct the film. She ended up passing, citing creative differences with Marvel over the vision of the movie.
** After the massive success of ''Film/StraightOuttaCompton,'' director F. Gary Gray was looked at to helm the movie, but he passed to direct ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast and Furious]] 8'' instead.
* ''Film/CaptainMarvel'':
** A report in 2013 indicated that Carol Danvers was originally going to be introduced into the MCU as ComicBook/MsMarvel, rather than her (At the time) recent ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel}} identity.
** Back when it was going to air on Creator/{{ABC}}, Carol was also supposed to appear in ''Series/JessicaJones2015''. When the show was instead picked up by Creator/{{Netflix}} a few years later, she was swapped out for ComicBook/PatsyWalker.
** Before Creator/BrieLarson was cast as Carol Danvers, there were rumors going around that Music/TaylorSwift and Wrestling/CharlotteFlair were being considered.
* The third and fourth Avengers movies were originally going to be called ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar Part I'' and ''Avengers: Infinity War'' Part II. The "Part I and II" numbering was later dropped and the fourth movie was renamed entirely, as the Russos felt the titles were misleading viewers into thinking the two movies were just one long film split into two parts.
[[AC:Unreleased/Other]]
* Way back when Marvel announced their Phase One film slate in 2006, a solo ''Comicbook/NickFury'' film written by Andrew Marlowe (''Film/AirForceOne'', ''Film/EndOfDays'', ''Film/HollowMan'') was one of the titles included. Nothing ever came of this, and Fury instead ended up appearing across the MCU as the major connective force between the movies.
* James Gunn was interested in directing a ''Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' movie, which Kevin Feige claimed was a possibility should ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' do well enough at the box office. The surprise success of ''Guardians'' led to Marvel quickly announcing a sequel, which resulted in ''Thunderbolts'' being regulated to DevelopmentHell.
* A ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' film written by Drew Pearce was in the works for Phase 2, and got far enough along in production that a casting call was released (which drew flack for allegedly [[RaceLift whitewashing]] Nico Minoru, though Marvel claims this was a misunderstanding), and Music/KekePalmer was approached for a role. The film was shelved indefinitely after the massive success of ''The Avengers'' caused Marvel to rethink its plans for future movies.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]], ComicBook/NickFury, and Loki were all considered as possible ''Film/MarvelOneShots'', but were ultimately rejected. The former three because Marvel felt they couldn't be done justice given the short length, and the latter because the studio thought the required special effects budget would have been cost-prohibitive.
* ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' began as a pitch for a movie reboot in the MCU. It was determined that while the idea was too low stakes and low budget to work as a film, it was the perfect fit for Marvel's burgeoning line of Creator/{{Netflix}} shows.
* When Fox still had the Daredevil rights, Kevin Feige reportedly offered them an extension in exchange for Fox returning ComicBook/{{Galactus}} and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer. This means there's an alternate timeline somewhere where the Netflix ''Daredevil'' show never happened, but Marvel got to use Galactus and the Surfer in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and ''Infinity War''.
* ''Film/DoctorMordrid'' was going to be a Doctor Strange movie, but the Doctor Strange license expired.
* The creators of the ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' franchise proposed a crossover with Marvel's Comicbook/{{Blade}}, presumably with Wesley Snipes reprising his role. Marvel Studios passed due to wanting to have a clean slate to reintroduce Blade at some point in the future.
* An ''[[Comicbook/TheInhumans Inhumans]]'' movie was initially scheduled for Phase 3, with a tentative November 2018 release date, which was later pushed back to July 2019. After Ike Perlmutter (who had championed the project despite a lack of interest from Kevin Feige) was ousted from Marvel Studios, the film was pulled from the Phase 3 line-up altogether, with [[Series/TheInhumans a live-action TV show]] being ordered by ABC instead.
----
* ''Film/{{Iron Man|1}}'':
** The film had a lengthy production cycle that dates back to the early 1990's. Jeff Vintar and Creator/StanLee pitched a story for Fox that would have had Comicbook/{{MODOK}} as the main villain, and Creator/QuentinTarantino was approached as the director. Both Creator/NicolasCage and Creator/TomCruise expressed interest in starring as Tony Stark. Due to having too much on their plate with ''Film/XMen1'' and the studio's other Marvel movies (as well as Tom Rotham's rumored dislike of superheroes), Fox ended up selling the rights to New Line.
** A new script was written for New Line, which featured a {{Cameo}} from Comicbook/NickFury to [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot set the character up for his own movie]]. Subsequent drafts also featured Howard Stark (who was still alive in this version) as Comicbook/WarMachine, the movie's BigBad. The execs also made bizarre demands and suggestions, such as saying that Iron Man shouldn't fly and should suit up by using a toaster. Creator/DavidHayter did some work on the script, while both Creator/JossWhedon and Nick Cassavetes were approached to direct. When production stalled for too long, the license lapsed and the rights returned to Marvel.
** When the film was officially set up at Marvel Studios as the start of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, [[YellowPeril The Mandarin]] was originally set to be the main antagonist. Creator/MarkMillar convinced Creator/JonFavreau to go with Iron Monger instead, arguing that the Mandarin was a poor tonal fit for an origin movie (in addition to being a walking pile of UnfortunateImplications).
** Adding to that, the decision to use Iron Monger was only made ''after'' Creator/JeffBridges was cast. The original idea was that the Mandarin would be the BigBad of the first movie, while Obadiah Stane would appear in a supporting role to set him up as the villain of the sequel.
** According to Bridges, Stane was originally supposed to survive the final battle against Tony, with the heroes opening up the destroyed Iron Monger suit to find that [[NeverFoundTheBody there was no corpse inside]]. Presumably this would have poised him to return for future movies.
* ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'':
** Bruce Banner's KidSidekick Rick Jones was present in early drafts of the film, but ended up being removed once Creator/EdwardNorton rewrote the script.
** An earlier draft would've made the Abomination a CompositeCharacter with Glenn Talbot.
** As a huge fan of ''Series/TheWire'', Norton wrote in a cameo for Michael K. Williams. The scene was cut down significantly, so in the finished product, Williams basically appears for about 5 seconds during the final battle.
* ''Film/IronMan2'':
** Rumiko Fujikawa was initially going to appear, with Marvel reportedly wanting Creator/ZhangZiyi for the role. Her part was cut due to the film [[FourLinesAllWaiting already having too much going on]], but ViralMarketing showcasing her Stark-Fujikawa subsidiary was still used to promote the movie.
** The original ending would have had Whiplash survive his earlier TakingYouWithMe attempt, only to be KilledOffForReal by [[Comicbook/WarMachine Rhodey]] after making one final attempt to kill Tony and Pepper. The ending was changed to a more ambiguous NeverFoundTheBody situation in case Marvel wanted to bring back Whiplash for future movies.
** Creator/EmilyBlunt was nearly cast as Comicbook/BlackWidow, but had to turn down the part due to contractual obligations to the ill-fated ''[[Film/GulliversTravels2010 Gulliver's Travels]]'' movie.
** There were plans for Creator/PaulBettany to appear in a flashback scene that would have explained the origin of JARVIS. Presumably, he would have played the original Edwin Jarvis (a role that eventually went to James D'Arcy in ''Series/AgentCarter'').
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'':
** Marvel began development on a ''Captain America'' movie in 2000, with Artisan Entertainment tapped to help finance it. A lengthy lawsuit over ownership of the character delayed the project until it fell apart.
** Earlier drafts of ''The First Avenger'' featured Baron Zemo and Baron von Strucker as side villains working with the Comicbook/RedSkull, but the writers cut them from the script due to fears that they would be wasted in such small roles. Both ended up being SavedForTheSequel, with Strucker in TheStinger of ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' as well as a minor role in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', and Zemo as the villain of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''.
** Emily Blunt was up for the Peggy Carter role, but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts.
* ''Film/{{Thor}}:''
** Like ''Iron Man'', this one had a lengthy development cycle. Creator/SamRaimi met with Stan Lee and Fox about making a ''Thor'' movie back in 1990, but the project went nowhere. Marvel again met with Artisan to finance and push the film, but it failed to get picked up by any studios. Sony then picked up the movie and met with David S. Goyer to write and direct it, but Goyer eventually lost interest, leaving the project dead in the water.
** After the project moved to Paramount and Marvel, Mark Protosevich (a [[PromotedFanboy big fan of the comics]]) wrote a script he described as an epic about "An Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god." The draft ended up being rewritten due to fears that it would be too expensive to produce, as estimates had the script's budget pegged at around 300 million dollars.
** Creator/MatthewVaughn (who would later direct ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' and ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'') signed on to direct, but walked away when his holding deal expired.
** Creator/GuillermoDelToro was interested in directing, but wanted to incorporate more mythology into the film, as well as a grittier take on Asgard. He ended up passing to direct ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' instead, which he ''also'' ended up walking away from.
** The film was originally going to have a scene where Selvig mentioned a friend and colleague by the name of [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]]. The line did make it into the movie, but with the explicit reference to Pym removed.
** Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} was originally cast as Odin, but the role was recast with Creator/AnthonyHopkins. Creator/MelGibson claims he was also offered the part.
** The Enchantress was initially going to appear as well, and concept art of her design can even be found online.
** Creator/DanielCraig was offered the role of Thor, but turned it down due to commitments to the ''Film/JamesBond'' franchise.
** Creator/TomHiddleston actually auditioned for the role of Thor.
** Creator/CharlieCox auditioned for the role of Comicbook/{{Loki}}. While he didn't get the part, he did end up joining the MCU as Matt Murdock in ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' several years later.
** Sif was going to be black very early on, as the creators intended to have Heimdall be her older brother like he is in the comics. [[http://www.hitfix.com/news/check-out-these-fantastic-black-lady-sif-designs-from-early-thor-concept-art Concept art can be found here]].
** There's also concept art of Balder, Thor's ''other'' brother, indicating that he too was planned to appear at some point.
* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'':
** Creator/JossWhedon has confirmed that ComicBook/TheWasp was supposed to have been part of the team, but had to be written out of the script due to the high volume of characters being introduced. Specifically, the Wasp was written into the film due to another What Could Have Been: to replace Comicbook/BlackWidow when it looked like the character was going to be omitted due to salary issues with Creator/ScarlettJohansson. When a deal with Johansson was reached, Black Widow was written back into the movie. This resulted in Wasp getting cut since at that point, it was decided that seven Avengers would be too many for the first movie.
** Loki was originally going to have an intimidating [[TheDragon co-villain]] working under him, because Whedon felt that Creator/TomHiddleston wouldn't seem realistically menacing enough to pose a challenge to the likes of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] and the [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]].
** Iron Man was originally going to be introduced in the midst of a battle against a cyborg supervillain. The idea was scrapped, but animatics of it were included as part of the DVD special features.
** There was also going to be a brief fight scene between Iron Man and the brainwashed ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, acting as a [[MythologyGag nod]] to the fact that Hawkeye started off as an Iron Man villain in the comics.
** Whedon didn't want to include Pepper in the movie, as he felt isolating the individual Avengers from their respective supporting casts would make for better drama. Robert Downey, Jr. fought for her inclusion, as he felt Creator/GwynethPaltrow and Pepper were too important to the ''Iron Man'' franchise to simply ignore.
** Creator/LouisLeterrier was [[http://www.mtv.com/news/2430220/should-hulk-be-the-villain-in-the-avengers-you-decide-says-hulk-director/ interested in making the Hulk the main villain of the film]] and having the Avengers teaming up to stop the him, just like their comic counterparts. When Bruce intentionally hulks out during the ending of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', it was shot so it could either represent him finally gaining or losing control of the Hulk. Tony was also recruiting General Ross to help him stop the Hulk, but when ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' took on a different direction, a [[Film/MarvelOneShots One-Shot]] was made to tie up the loose end.
[[AC:Phase 2]]
* ''Film/IronMan3'':
** Anthony Mackie had read for a part in the film (presumably [[TheDragon Eric Savin]] or Jack Taggart), but did not get the role.
** The movie's take on the Mandarin is vastly different from what Creator/JonFavreau had planned way back when he was making the first film. He had hinted at the character through the Ten Rings organization in both ''Iron Man'' and ''Iron Man 2'', and said the idea was to set him up as the GreaterScopeVillain waiting in the shadows, similar to Sauron or Emperor Palpatine. Favreau ended up walking away from the director's chair due to the ExecutiveMeddling he faced while making ''Iron Man 2'', so Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided to make the Mandarin [[spoiler: a DecoyLeader and charlatan]].
** Creator/MarkRuffalo has confirmed that the stinger scene was originally something completely different, but it ended up being scrapped and replaced with the cameo from Bruce Banner. The rumor is that the original scene was going to show Tony suiting up and flying off into space in order to set up the events of ''Guardians of the Galaxy'', but Robert Downey, Jr. passed because he wasn't sure he was going to continue with the MCU at that point (he only signed on to do the ''Avengers'' sequels later).
** Maya Hansen was originally going to be the the true surprise villain instead of [[spoiler: Killian]], which arguably fits the themes of the movie much better. Marvel ordered that the character be replaced because they didn't think kids would buy toys of a female character.[[note]]Ironically, ''very few'' toys of Aldrich Killian were produced, and a planned Marvel Legends figure of the Mandarin was scrapped.[[/note]] This was changed fairly late into filming, and Creator/RebeccaHall didn't even find out until shortly before filming Maya's death scene.
** An unidentified actress was cast to play Tony's mother in a {{Flashback}}, but the scene was never finished.
* ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'':
** ''Film/{{Monster}}'' director Patty Jenkins was hired to direct the movie, but ended up being fired over creative differences. This incited some serious CreatorBacklash from Creator/NataliePortman, who tried to back out of the movie before being forced to stay because of her contract.
** There were apparently plans to have Valkyrie of ComicBook/TheDefenders appear, but this never came to fruition. Concept art for several different potential designs can be found online.
** Loki was originally not going to appear ''at all'', and there was going to be a much greater focus on Malekith and the Dark Elves. When Loki became the EnsembleDarkhorse of ''The Avengers'', the script was rewritten to give him a big role.
** Creator/MadsMikkelsen was looked at to play Malekith, but the role ultimately went to Creator/ChristopherEccleston.
** Mangog was supposed to appear at one point, presumably as one of the monsters Thor fights near the beginning of the film. Like Valkyrie, he was cut, but concept art of his design has been released online.
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'':
** Before the part went to Creator/AnthonyMackie, MichaelBJordan was one of the actors in the running to play Comicbook/TheFalcon. Jordan would later go on to play Erik Killmonger in the ''Black Panther'' film.
** Before settling on a [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack darker military outfit]], several of the proposed Falcon costumes featured a more armored look, complete with a helmet. At least one of the suits also retained Falcon's red and white color scheme from the comics, as well the golden forehead crest he wears on his mask.
** Early promo art, set pics, merchandise, and even the first trailer showed Falcon in a slightly different military outfit with long sleeves. This was replaced with a short-sleeved look in the finalized film for unknown reasons.
** At one point, the writers had proposed sparing Arnim Zola by revealing that the computer he housed his memory in could transform into a mobile robotic body. Marvel vetoed the idea on the grounds that it was too silly.
** Hawkeye was originally going to appear in several scenes, including a fight sequence where he would have battled Captain America after a prolonged chase through the city. Scheduling issues with Creator/JeremyRenner prevented this.
** Before his death in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and subsequent resurrection in ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', Marvel considered revealing Phil Coulson as a HYDRA agent in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''. He would have played the role that [[spoiler:Sitwell]] does in the finished film.
** Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker was originally going to be the film's BigBad and leader of the [[spoiler: HYDRA double agents in SHIELD]] but the character was rewritten into Alexander Pierce after the casting of Creator/RobertRedford, with Strucker being saved for TheStinger.
** Related to this, Clay Quartermain was going to appear as well. Some of his scenes were ultimately given to Sitwell.
* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'':
** Early drafts featured Comicbook/{{Nova}} as a central character, but James Gunn cut him from the film once he was hired to direct and rewrite the screenplay. Kevin Feige claims that the decision was partially due to the desire to focus more on Star-Lord, while Gunn claims he simply does not like Nova.
** Originally, there was supposed to be a "cameo" (cameo in quotations because the person was a stunt double) of Creator/StanLee within the Collector's trophy room.
** Originally, TheStinger was supposed to be related to ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', but Gunn claims ''Winter Soldier'' "stole" the connection from them, eventually resulting in them using [[spoiler:ComicBook/HowardTheDuck]] instead.
** Gunn also wanted to include Comicbook/{{Rom| Space Knight}} on the team, but couldn't due to licensing issues.
** Similarly, Bug was unable to appear because Marvel doesn't own his film rights.
** Yondu didn't appear in earlier drafts of the script, but Gunn wrote him in specifically for Michael Rooker.
** Yondu was originally going to be killed after opening up the Orb to find that Peter had replaced the Infinity Stone with one of Rocket's bombs. Gunn decided it'd be better to keep Yondu alive for the sequel, so the scene was changed to him finding that Peter had left a troll doll inside the Orb instead.
** Likewise, Creator/KarenGillan revealed that Nebula died in the original script.
** The Power Stone was originally going to be red like it is in the comics, and the actual prop used for shooting reflected this. However, it was digitally recolored purple in post in order to avoid confusion with the Aether from ''The Dark World'', which was revealed to be the Reality Stone in ''Age of Ultron''.
** Comicbook/{{Thanos}} was originally going to have a much larger role, but Joss Whedon requested that it be reduced so as not to interfere with his own plans for the character. Gunn says at one point, Thanos was going to be the movie's BigBad rather than Ronan the Accuser.
** The studio was interested in having Creator/DannyDeVito voice Rocket, but they ultimately decided to go in a younger direction.
** The ending montage was originally going to show Peter's grandfather looking over a picture of Meredith Quill and then glancing up at the stars, with the implication being that he saw Peter being abducted by Yondu all those years ago and is still desperately hoping his grandson will make it back home one day. The scene was cut because everyone thought it was way too sad a note to end the film on.
* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'':
** According to the actor himself, there were briefly plans to have Creator/TimRoth reprise his role as the Abomination from ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', but the idea was scrapped.
** [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Carol Danvers]] appeared in earlier drafts of the movie as Captain Marvel, but Marvel feared introducing her without explaining who she is [[ContinuityLockOut would be too confusing for casual viewers]]. They decided to wait and introduce her in her own movie instead. This was changed so late in production that Whedon had actually shot the live-action plates for her entrance scene, with the intention of casting an actual actress later. [[spoiler:The shots were recycled for when Scarlet Witch joins the New Avengers at the end of the movie]].
** The Captain Marvel cameo was an [[TheArtifact Artifact]] from an early discussion about using the movie to introduce a whole slew of new superheroes. The idea was jettisoned quickly due to worries that audiences wouldn't have any idea who any of these people were.
** It was rumored early on that an initial cut of the film was nearly as long as ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', clocking in at 160 minutes (along with a later report that clarified that the initial cut of movie was over three hours in length). Eventually, it was confirmed that the theatrical release would be 142 minutes. A subplot involving Thor was reduced in length as a side effect of this, and the appearance of the mysterious woman seen in the trailer (one of the Norns from Norse mythology) is not present in the final film. Bits of the original Norn sequence were later released as deleted scenes.
** Tom Hiddleston filmed a cameo as Loki for Thor's dream sequence. However, test audiences found the scene confusing, and mistakenly thought the film was implying that Loki was behind the creation of Ultron, and was thus the true GreaterScopeVillain of the movie.
** The Hulk was originally supposed to transform into his Gray Hulk form while under the Comicbook/ScarletWitch's control, but the digital effects team eventually just settled for changing his eyes to make him appear more sullen and weary. Despite this, Funko still produced a Gray Hulk figure as part of their Pop! line.
** Creator/AaronJohnson has confirmed that alternate drafts had [[spoiler: ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} survive the final battle and then join the team alongside his sister. A costume was even designed in case Marvel chose to spare his life and make him an official Avenger]].
** Whedon had wanted to include Franchise/SpiderMan as part of the new team of Avengers, but Marvel's deal with Sony had not yet been finalized at that point.
** ComicBook/{{Ultron}} was originally supposed to steal the vibranium he needed from Wakanda. Elaborate concept art of the Wakandan mine where Ultron would forge his new body was even drawn up, but didn't make it into the movie.
* ''Film/AntMan'':
** The movie was intended to be released in 2010 between ''The Incredible Hulk'' and ''Thor'' (see the reference to Hank Pym above), but was replaced by ''Iron Man 2'' due to the financial success of the first movie. This pushed the movie back 5 years and 8 movie releases.
** Creator/PatrickWilson was cast as one of the major villains (rumored to be William Cross/Crossfire, the cousin of Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, the movie's BigBad), but dropped out of the film after [[TroubledProduction multiple rewrites and production delays]].
** [[Series/KeyAndPeele Jordan Peele]] was cast in the movie, but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts.
** Creator/JosephGordonLevitt was up for the lead role at one point, while Creator/JessicaChastain, Creator/RashidaJones and Creator/BryceDallasHoward were in the running for the Hope Van Dyne part.
** Darren Cross was originally going to go by the alter ego of Nano Warrior, a CanonForeigner identity. This was changed to Yellowjacket, an actual Marvel identity.
** Hope's role was much smaller in Edgar Wright's drafts, and Creator/EvangelineLilly actually ended up praising the controversial rewrites for beefing up her part.
** As the movie predates the MCU itself, it was originally going to be a stand-alone film without any continuity ties. Most of the connections to other movies (such as [[spoiler: the appearance from the Falcon or the scene at the New Avengers compound]]) were only included in later revisions, such as the one done by Adam [=McKay=].
** Janet van Dyne was not present ''at all'' in Wright's script, and was only mentioned in passing as having [[spoiler: died offscreen]]. Presumably, TheStinger with [[spoiler: Hope carrying on her mother's legacy by becoming the new Wasp]] was only added in later drafts as well.
** The ending was supposed to have Ant-Man taking out Carson before he could [[spoiler: escape with the Pym Particles and deliver them to HYDRA]]. The ending was changed to [[spoiler: Carson successfully escaping with the Pym Particles]] in order to set up a sequel.
** A few preliminary designs of the Wasp armor harkened back to Janet's original, cone-headed costume, with one version dumping the skirt in favor of something more akin to a BadassLongcoat.
** There were tentative plans for Creator/TobyJones to return as Arnim Zola, who would've inhabited a robotic body after his apparent death in ''The Winter Soldier''.
[[AC:Phase 3]]
* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'':
** Christopher Markus and Stephen [=McFeely=]'s original plan for a third Captain America movie was much smaller than ''Civil War'', and didn't feature the other Avengers. Elements of their initial idea still made it into the finished movie, such as the emphasis on Steve and Bucky's relationship, and the use of Baron Zemo as the BigBad.
** As mentioned in the ''Age of Ultron'' section, Joss Whedon almost got Captain Marvel added to the team. Had he gotten his way, Captain Marvel presumably would have been one of the Avengers featured in ''Civil War'' as well.
** Likewise, had the aforementioned alternate ending to ''Age of Ultron'' where Quicksilver survived been used, he would have appeared here as one of the Avengers.
** Creator/RobertDowneyJr has stated that had he decided not to come back for the movie, the Russo brothers would have adapted another story, since ''Comicbook/CivilWar'' simply does not work without Iron Man. As well, there were plans set up for another script had Marvel and Sony not been able to bring Franchise/SpiderMan into the MCU.
** While there were plans from Day 1 to feature a neutral hero who wouldn't be aligned with either Captain America or Iron Man, it wasn't necessarily ComicBook/BlackPanther at first. Kevin Feige has said a number of names were put forth as possibilities, but in the end, it was decided that the Panther made the most sense.
** A scene showing some of Scott Lang's personal life was cut from the movie because the writers scripted it before actually having seen the ''Ant-Man'' movie.
** Earlier drafts of the script featured the debut of Hope Van Dyne as the Wasp, with the character appearing as part of Team Cap. The creators were worried that her introduction would have been overshadowed by the other characters (as well as other concerns like CastSpeciation and Creator/EvangelineLilly being pregnant), so it was decided to save the Wasp's first appearance for the ''Ant-Man & The Wasp'' movie.
** One of {{The Stinger}}s was going to feature Bruce Banner, but it was cut to avoid spoiling where the character ended up between the events of ''Age of Ultron'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok''.
** Black Panther was originally going to have more of a cameo role, while Spider-Man was set to have a much larger part in the story. When it looked like the deal with Sony to get Spider-Man into the movie wasn't gonna happen, Black Panther's role was significantly beefed up. By the time Marvel did get permission to use Spider-Man, Black Panther had become so integral to the story that they opted to leave his part as is it was and give Spider-Man a smaller role instead.
** Related to that, Spider-Man's role in the second act was deliberately written to be non-integral so that if the rights deal fell through, the story wouldn't suffer. The writers have said that had they not been able to use Spider-Man, they would have simply used another new hero as the sixth member of Team Iron Man.
** A planned fight between Captain America and Black Widow was cut for time.
** There exists concept art of Helmut Zemo wearing his trademark purple costume and mask from the comics, indicating the idea was probably at least considered early on.
** There was an idea to have Steve wear a new black costume for stealth missions, such as the opening fight in Lagos. Concept art of the black suit can be found in the movie's art book. There was also an idea for Hawkeye to wear his black bullseye mask from ''Comicbook/TheUltimates 3''.
** The Russos toyed with the idea of giving Spider-Man organic webs like in the original Creator/SamRaimi ''Film/SpiderMan'' movie. They eventually decided that Peter being able to design his own web-shooters was more interesting.
** There's concept art of Sharon Carter wearing a combat uniform and fighting alongside Team Cap at the airport battle. This never happens in the movie, but the uniform was heavily featured in the merchandising and marketing art for the film.
** There's also concept art for the Scarlet Witch which gave her a headdress somewhat similar to what her comic book counterpart wears.
** Early concept art showed Scott Lang fighting Captain America and Hawkeye, indicating that Ant-Man was planned to be part of Team Iron Man at one point.
** Andy Park released a piece of concept art showing Vision phasing his hand through Iron Man's arc reactor to save Wanda, mirroring a similar scene in the original comic book. This would seem to indicate that at some point, Vision was either going to be part of Team Cap, or was set to betray Team Iron Man at a key moment.
* ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'':
** Creator/JoaquinPhoenix came very close to being cast as Strange, but passed at the last minute because he feared the lengthy production schedule (including sequels and potential Avengers crossovers) would prevent him from pursuing other roles.
** Creator/NeilGaiman and Creator/GuillermoDelToro pitched a ''Doctor Strange'' movie back in 2007, but Marvel passed because the character was considered a very low priority for the studio at the time. Not much is known about the pitch, though Gaiman confirmed that Clea would have appeared as a major character.
** Wong was originally not going to appear in the movie, because the director felt he was an embarrassing racial stereotype. However, he decided to include Wong after they cast a [[RaceLift white woman]] to play the Ancient One, reasoning that not having ''any'' Asian characters at all would probably look even worse.
** Before Creator/TildaSwinton was cast, director Scott Derrickson considered having the Ancient One be an Asian woman. However, he decided against it, as he felt it'd seem too reminiscent of the DragonLady trope.
** Derrickson wanted Nightmare to be the movie's main villain, but Kevin Feige dissuaded him by saying that the Dream Dimension would only add more {{Exposition}} to a movie that was already full of {{Infodump}}s.
** Creator/TonyTodd recorded lines as [[spoiler: Dormammu]] before Marvel decided to get [[spoiler: Benedict Cumberbatch]] to voice him instead.
* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'':
** Main/MatthewMcConaughey was offered the villain role, but passed on it.
** Kevin Feige and James Gunn were both interested in having Music/DavidBowie cameo, but the musician's death from cancer in 2016 tragically prevented this. [[spoiler: Had he lived, Bowie would have played a member of Yondu's original Ravagers team.]]
** There were plans for Comicbook/AdamWarlock to join the team alongside Mantis, but Gunn wrote him out of the script after deciding that the story was already too packed to accommodate ''another'' new main character.
** To James Gunn's shock, Marvel apparently did not own the movie rights to the character Ego the Living Planet, which would have caused a ''lot'' of problems as James Gunn had built him up as a very important part to the MCU mythos. Fortune shined upon them, however, when Fox approached Marvel, wishing to change up the power set to Negasonic Teenage Warhead for ''Film/{{Deadpool}}''. Thus, Marvel got back Ego so Warhead could have better powers.
** Gunn originally didn't want to [[spoiler: kill off Yondu]], but ultimately decided it had to happen to lend some real stakes to the movie.
* ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'':
** An early idea was to retroactively incorporate the ''[[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries Amazing Spider-Man]]'' movies into the MCU canon instead of doing yet another reboot. However, Creator/AndrewGarfield likely wouldn't have returned, thanks to [[http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/05/01/spider-man-actor-andrew-garfield-got-himself-fired-from-series-by-insulting-sony-chief tensions behind the scenes]] with Sony.
** Creator/MichaelKeaton nearly passed on the Vulture role, as it was thought that Marvel wouldn't be able to afford both Robert Downey, Jr. and Keaton.
** Creator/DavidLetterman was offered a cameo as a street vendor, but he quickly passed on the part due to a lack of interest.
** Ted Melfi was in the running to direct the movie, but he withdrew to make ''Film/HiddenFigures'' instead.
** Jon Watts originally wanted Nick Fury to serve as Peter's mentor.
** The Vulture was originally going to turn out to be one of Peter's high school teachers [[spoiler: instead of the father of his love interest]], but the creators thought it'd be better to not have him involved with the school stuff.
** War Machine and Comicbook/TheVision were supposed to make a {{Cameo}} appearance [[spoiler: during the ferry rescue scene]], showing that they were still operating as members of the Avengers even after the events of ''Civil War''.
* ''Film/BlackPanther2018'':
** Back before the advent of the MCU, director Creator/JohnSingleton was attached to the movie, but it never materialized.
** A Black Panther film has been in various stages of development and DevelopmentHell since the '90s, with various scripts, studios, actors, and directors attached at one point or another. Wesley Snipes was even in talks to star at one point, before being cast as the title character in ''Film/{{Blade}}''.
** Creator/ReginaldHudlin stated that one of the early proposed scripts would have had Black Panther reimagined as a young African-American man with no knowledge of Wakanda or his African heritage, a change Hudlin found offensive and disrespectful.
** Once the project was finalized as part of the MCU's Phase 3, ''Film/{{Selma}}'' director Ava [=DuVernay=] went into talks to direct the film. She ended up passing, citing creative differences with Marvel over the vision of the movie.
** After the massive success of ''Film/StraightOuttaCompton,'' director F. Gary Gray was looked at to helm the movie, but he passed to direct ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast and Furious]] 8'' instead.
* ''Film/CaptainMarvel'':
** A report in 2013 indicated that Carol Danvers was originally going to be introduced into the MCU as ComicBook/MsMarvel, rather than her (At the time) recent ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel}} identity.
** Back when it was going to air on Creator/{{ABC}}, Carol was also supposed to appear in ''Series/JessicaJones2015''. When the show was instead picked up by Creator/{{Netflix}} a few years later, she was swapped out for ComicBook/PatsyWalker.
** Before Creator/BrieLarson was cast as Carol Danvers, there were rumors going around that Music/TaylorSwift and Wrestling/CharlotteFlair were being considered.
* The third and fourth Avengers movies were originally going to be called ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar Part I'' and ''Avengers: Infinity War'' Part II. The "Part I and II" numbering was later dropped and the fourth movie was renamed entirely, as the Russos felt the titles were misleading viewers into thinking the two movies were just one long film split into two parts.
[[AC:Unreleased/Other]]
* Way back when Marvel announced their Phase One film slate in 2006, a solo ''Comicbook/NickFury'' film written by Andrew Marlowe (''Film/AirForceOne'', ''Film/EndOfDays'', ''Film/HollowMan'') was one of the titles included. Nothing ever came of this, and Fury instead ended up appearing across the MCU as the major connective force between the movies.
* James Gunn was interested in directing a ''Comicbook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' movie, which Kevin Feige claimed was a possibility should ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' do well enough at the box office. The surprise success of ''Guardians'' led to Marvel quickly announcing a sequel, which resulted in ''Thunderbolts'' being regulated to DevelopmentHell.
* A ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' film written by Drew Pearce was in the works for Phase 2, and got far enough along in production that a casting call was released (which drew flack for allegedly [[RaceLift whitewashing]] Nico Minoru, though Marvel claims this was a misunderstanding), and Music/KekePalmer was approached for a role. The film was shelved indefinitely after the massive success of ''The Avengers'' caused Marvel to rethink its plans for future movies.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]], ComicBook/NickFury, and Loki were all considered as possible ''Film/MarvelOneShots'', but were ultimately rejected. The former three because Marvel felt they couldn't be done justice given the short length, and the latter because the studio thought the required special effects budget would have been cost-prohibitive.
* ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'' began as a pitch for a movie reboot in the MCU. It was determined that while the idea was too low stakes and low budget to work as a film, it was the perfect fit for Marvel's burgeoning line of Creator/{{Netflix}} shows.
* When Fox still had the Daredevil rights, Kevin Feige reportedly offered them an extension in exchange for Fox returning ComicBook/{{Galactus}} and the ComicBook/SilverSurfer. This means there's an alternate timeline somewhere where the Netflix ''Daredevil'' show never happened, but Marvel got to use Galactus and the Surfer in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and ''Infinity War''.
* ''Film/DoctorMordrid'' was going to be a Doctor Strange movie, but the Doctor Strange license expired.
* The creators of the ''Film/{{Underworld}}'' franchise proposed a crossover with Marvel's Comicbook/{{Blade}}, presumably with Wesley Snipes reprising his role. Marvel Studios passed due to wanting to have a clean slate to reintroduce Blade at some point in the future.
* An ''[[Comicbook/TheInhumans Inhumans]]'' movie was initially scheduled for Phase 3, with a tentative November 2018 release date, which was later pushed back to July 2019. After Ike Perlmutter (who had championed the project despite a lack of interest from Kevin Feige) was ousted from Marvel Studios, the film was pulled from the Phase 3 line-up altogether, with [[Series/TheInhumans a live-action TV show]] being ordered by ABC instead.
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