After Phase 1 established the Avengers and Phase 2 developed their arcs and teased the arrival of Thanos, Phase 3 brought brought Earth’s mightiest heroes back together for one final stand against the Mad Titan.
Bringing the storylines set up in Phases 1 and 2 to a satisfying conclusion was no easy feat for the team at Marvel. So, here are the 10 best unused concepts from the MCU’s Phase 3.
Tony Stark And Stephen Strange Swap Powers
According to concept art for the Q-Ship fight in Avengers: Infinity War, Tony Stark and Stephen Strange were supposed to switch powers at one point. Tony would wear the Cloak of Levitation to fight Ebony Maw, and he would send his Iron Man armor to Strange to free him from Maw’s grasp.
The Eye of Agamotto would connect to the armor and give the Iron Man suit magical powers. The suit swap idea was initially resurrected for Avengers: Endgame, but it still went unused.
Including Rhomann Dey In Thor: Ragnarok
When he was hired to helm Guardians of the Galaxy, but he ultimately couldn’t find a place for him in the story.
Reilly was seriously under-served by his minor role in Guardians of the Galaxy, and he would’ve surely been given a lot of great material to sink his teeth into in Thor: Ragnarok.
Cameo Appearances By Vision, War Machine, And David Letterman In Spider-Man: Homecoming
Originally, War Machine and Vision were supposed to show up during Spider-Man: Homecoming’s ferry set piece, helping Iron Man to weld the boat back together. Plus, David Letterman was offered a cameo appearance as a New York hot dog vendor, but he turned it down, simply because he wasn’t interested.
If the producers had been able to interest Letterman and make War Machine and Vision’s appearances happen, then all three of these cameos would’ve put a smile on viewers’ faces.
Kraven The Hunter ing Black Panther’s Rogues Gallery
Director Ryan Coogler was eager to include Kraven the Hunter as one of the villains in Black Panther, which may have been what led to rumors that the MCU’s version of Kraven will be Wakandan.
Unfortunately, the monolithic rights holders at Sony wouldn’t allow Coogler to use the character.
Avengers: Infinity War’s Living Tribunal Scene
Early drafts of Avengers: Infinity War featured the Living Tribunal. During the cosmic skirmish between Doctor Strange and Thanos on Titan, the former would’ve sent the latter to be judged by the Living Tribunal.
The screenwriters ultimately felt that the Living Tribunal’s appearance stopped the fight dead, and found it difficult to introduce a new character in such a fast-paced scene. Still, seeing the Living Tribunal up on the big screen could’ve been breathtaking.
Making Nightmare The Villain In Doctor Strange
When Scott Derrickson was first recruited to bring the Sorcerer Supreme to the big screen with 2016’s Doctor Strange, he wanted to use Nightmare as the villain. He was fascinated by the idea of nightmares existing in an entirely different dimension.
However, Marvel wanted to streamline the project and keep the focus on Strange’s origin story. An appearance by Nightmare could’ve saved the movie from being so dull and generic.
Introducing Sam Wilson As Captain America In Spider-Man: Far From Home
Originally, Spider-Man: Far From Home was going to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Any ties to the Avengers were cut from the film to show that Peter Parker could save the day on his own and didn’t need them.
On the heels of Avengers: Endgame, fans were desperate to see plot points paid off, so even a brief hint that Sam had begun operating as Cap would’ve been a nice hint – even if he’s about to be overshadowed by U.S. Agent.
Confirming Valkyrie’s Bisexuality In In Thor: Ragnarok
Tessa Thompson suggested including a scene in Thor: Ragnarok in which a woman can be seen leaving Valkyrie’s room, confirming her bisexuality. Taika Waititi liked the idea and fought to include it, but it was ultimately cut. The studio said it was for pacing reasons, but there’s no way two seconds of someone leaving a room through the pace of an entire movie off-kilter.
Valkyrie’s sexual orientation will instead be explored in Waititi’s follow-up, Thor: Love and Thunder, in which she’ll be seeking a queen with whom to rule over New Asgard.
Shuri Makes Her Own Black Panther Suit
In an early draft of Black Panther, there was a scene in which Shuri designed her own Black Panther suit, teasing a future as T’Challa’s successor.
Letitia Wright has said she’d love to play Shuri as a new Black Panther at some point in her MCU arc, and a lot of fans would, too.
Thanos Sits Atop A Throne Of Skulls
In Avengers: Endgame, when Earth’s mightiest heroes return from the Time Heist, everything seems to have gone according to plan. Unbeknownst to them, Nebula has been replaced by her 2014 self, who sets the stage for Thanos to travel through time and destroy them.
In an early version of the story, when the rules of time travel were different, the Avengers returned to 2023 and found that Thanos had spent the last nine years taking over the world. He’d be sitting atop a throne made of skulls, waiting for them. He even tossed Captain America his own severed head like a basketball.
