Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon planned on including Captain Marvel in the movie's final scene, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had different ideas and the character didn't make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until earlier this year.
Now, though, an image taken from the new "Infinity Saga" box set reveals where Carol Danvers was meant to appear, and a stand-in was presumably used for the hero to be added at a later date.
She was eventually removed using VFX, of course, and instead only The Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and War Machine were shown reporting to Captain America and Black Widow. Feige has previously said that he decided that Captain Marvel shouldn't be used here as she deserved a proper introduction, as opposed to being randomly added to
The Avengers sequel at the last minute.
"[Captain Marvel] was in a draft," Feige revealed earlier this year.
"But to me, it would have done that character a disservice, to meet her fully formed, in a costume and part of the Avengers already when 99% of the audience would go, ‘Who is that?’ It’s just not the way we’ve done it before. The way we reveal Scarlet Witch at the end of the movie? Those were Captain Marvel plate shots."
"Joss said, ‘We’ll cast her later!’ And I said, ‘Yeah Joss, we’ll cast her later.’ [Whispers to an invisible associate who isn't Joss] ‘We’re not putting her in there!’" Check out the image below:
Captain Marvel was originally going to appear in Avengers Age of Ultron. From the Infinity Saga Box Set. from r/marvelstudios
Hit the "View List" button to check out some newly revealed
deleted scenes from Avengers: Endgame courtesy of Disney+!
"Hulk Meets The Ancient One"
Similar to what we saw in the final cut, The Hulk lands on the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum and starts making his way through the rooftop door before a voice behind him asks if his hands are too big to use the doorbell. It's The Ancient One, with a sun hat and cold drink (she points out that he could bring her some ice), seemingly oblivious to the Chituaru attack.
The conversation that follows is pretty much the same - she points out that he's five years too early to get Doctor Strange's help - but the key difference here is that The Ancient One is well aware that The Hulk has arrived in the past in order to get the Time Stone.
"Vormir Battle"
As Black Widow and Hawkeye discuss which one of them should make the leap off that cliff on Vormir, they come under attack from Thanos' Sakaaran army. The odds are stacked against the heroes but Widow makes a run for it being shot at least three times in the process. As Hawkeye fights off the soldiers, she crawls to the edge, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
As one of the aliens gets set to deliver a killing blow to Clint Barton, a shot rings out and Widow saves his life one final time before throwing herself off the cliff. Thanos approaches in the background but the sacrifice has been made and Hawkeye is teleported away just in the nick of time.
"Tony Time Suit Prep"
In a brief deleted scene, Tony comes in to check on the progress of the Quantum Realm suits, pointing out that they're a combination of Pym and Stark tech. That's pretty much all there is to it until Hawkeye volunteers to travel back in time but there is one key difference here.
Originally, rather than helmets, it seems the team would use the same technology Star-Lord does to breath in space (seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when Yondu sacrificed himself).
"Tony At The Way Station"
In perhaps the most emotional deleted scene, Iron Man finds himself in the Way Station immediately after snapping his fingers. Realising that he's talking to an adult Morgan Stark (Katherine Langford), Tony worries that sacrificing himself wasn't the right move but his daughter assures him that his actions not only saved the world but meant she could live a full life.
As they say their goodbyes, Morgan tells her father that she loves him. His reply? A tear-inducing, "I love you, 3000." It's a heartbreaking sequence but one which could have come across as confusing to moviegoers who don't necessarily remember Thanos' exchange with Gamora at the Way Station in
Avengers: Infinity War.
"Hulk And The Ancient One"
In the original meeting between The Hulk and The Ancient One, Bruce Banner remains in his green form and the Sorcerer Supreme acknowledges Thanos' existence. However, when the Jade Giant chastises her for not acting, she points out that she could have also prevented him becoming The Hulk if she were to interfere in the world's affairs.
What follows is a condensed and sometimes confusing explanation of time-travel and it's easy to see why this was replaced. The possibility of alternate timelines is once again addressed and rather than talking only about the ramifications of removing the Time Stone, The Ancient One also teases what will happen when the rest are taken.
However, she's definitely more willing to hand over her Infinity Stone to the Green Goliath!
"In The Trench"
As Earth's Mightiest Heroes manage to catch a breather, we see Star-Lord and Rocket's reaction to Gamora's return (Mantis mistakenly believes she's a zombie when Quill points out it's not their Gamora). Iron Man is reunited with Peter Parker in a less emotional moment and Tony isn't at all happy to see Doctor Strange as he aggressively questions him about those possible futures.
Captain America comes up with a plan of attack and we get to see some unique interactions, including Valkyrie and Drax. The whole thing is a lot of fun but would have arguably bogged down the action.