Just when you thought all of
Avengers: Endgame's secrets had been revealed, we have a huge wave of new details about deleted and alternate scenes, reshoots, and moments which could have played out very differently on the big screen. Throw in intel on Howard the Duck's unexpected MCU return, and it's a good day to be a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That's not all we have in this roundup of Marvel news, however, because a
Black Panther cast member addresses their possible return in the sequel and TheDailyBugle.net continues to attack Spider-Man (good ol' J. Jonah Jameson clearly has it in for the web-slinger following his unmasking).
We also have an awesome edition of Billy on the Street with Chris Evans and Paul Rudd!
There's lots of great content here for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and beyond), so all you have to do to check it out is click on the "View List" button down below...
A Scrapped Ant-Man And The Wasp Scene In Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame mostly focused on the original six Avengers, but Ant-Man also played a pivotal role in the proceedings. However, in what was an already very busy movie, a lot of scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, including what sounds like a fun moment between Ant-Man and The Wasp.
"There was also an additional joke where Rudd and Evangeline were in the van," editor Jeff Ford told
Slash Film in a recent interview,
"and they’re trying to hot-wire it, and he twists a couple of wires, and the radio comes on and it plays that Partridge Family song from Ant-Man and the Wasp that he was into. The Outriders go [imitates their heads popping up]."
"I always thought it was funny that the Outriders heard the Partridge Family, and they start coming at the van and he’s like 'Aww, I’m sorry!' It was funny because he kinda blew it, and then of course they shrink and hide, but we had one shot where the Outrider was peeking in the window and the Partridge Family was playing, and I thought that was pretty cool."
Unfortunately, it sounds like it wasn't needed, but it definitely would have been fun to see.
Avengers Endgame Is Coming To Disney+ On Launch Day
Quite some time ago, it was confirmed that at least seven Marvel Studios movies will be available on Disney+ when it launches next Tuesday. The fact that Avengers: Endgame wasn't among them disappointed a lot of fans, as it was instead confirmed to arrive on the platform on December 11th. Well, something has changed because the superhero ensemble will be there from day one!
An Alternate Iron Man/Spider-Man Reunion In Avengers: Endgame
One of
Avengers: Endgame's most emotional moments came when Spider-Man and Iron Man were finally reunited. A big part of Tony Stark's decision to come out of retirement was to bring back "the kid," but that hug they shared played out quite a bit differently in an earlier version of the film.
Here's what editor Jeff Ford had to tell
Slash Film about the original version of the reunion.
"The first time we shot it, Peter and Tony reunite and Pepper’s nearby, and Tony goes, ‘Uh, Peter, do you know Pepper?” “Nice to meet you!’ It’s one of those crazy meet-cutes in the middle of a fight. He hugs him and they have this thing, but it felt very incidental, like they ran into each other at an airport or something. We watched it, and they were both great in the scene, but it was like a comedy scene, so it had this schtick quality to it. By the way, we did not yet know how powerful Peter disappearing was [in Infinity War] when we shot that first version. We had shot it, I think, but we hadn’t tested it, we hadn’t lived with it and actually done the [effect] of [him] going away, so when the audience had that reaction, we’re like, this reunion is different now. It’s a different thing."
As fun as that sounds, what we ended up getting was arguably more fitting.
Daniel Kaluuya Is Open To Returning For Black Panther II
Ryan Coogler remains hard at work on
Black Panther II and fans are understandably anxious to see a lot of characters from the first instalment make their return to the franchise. Daniel Kaluuya's W'Kabi obviously betrayed both T'Challa and Okoye, but surely his story isn't over quite yet?
"I don’t know yet," the actor said about a possible return to the MCU during a recent chat with
ReelBlend Podcast.
"I hope so, too! No pressure, story is key. Whatever the story needs, the story needs."
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has said that Coogler is still cracking the plot, so it makes sense that it hasn't necessarily been decided which of the original cast members are coming back.
The Daily Bugle Continues To Attack Spider-Man
The Daily Bugle's website is now being updated on a regular basis with attacks on Spider-Man from J. Jonah Jameson, and the latest deals with the fallout from the event of
Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Revealing that Coney Island has re-opened after eight years following that plane crash, the report notes that
"While local officials refused to name Spider-Man directly in their complaint - preferring to blame the working-class man, Adrian Toomes - we at the Bugle believe that this is only due to fear of payback by a vindictive, dangerous Spider-Man."
It also references the wall-crawler's unmasking and ends with, "BUG OFF, WEBHEAD!"
Avengers: Endgame Writers Detail Some Significant Reshoots
We know that
Avengers: Endgame underwent fairly significant reshoots, but writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have now revealed that the arrival of Earth's Mightiest Heroes during the final battle was not only reshot, but also completely rewritten by them!
"The first draft looked one way…some of it’s the same," McFeely told
Slash Film.
"The ship appears. Kaboom. Creates a new battlefield, that was a big part of it. They get separated. In the first version, they were all together, because we hadn’t quite cracked it."
"And everyone came back immediately," Markus added. "There wasn’t that cavalry moment. They all came back when [Hulk] snapped. On a storytelling level, it really just killed the momentum of the movie."
"We shot it a couple of times," McFeely continued. "The first time, it was quicker. It was very powerful, and I would say exciting, like, 'Holy crap, they’re back!' And the music was at a 10 early, and you zipped around. I liked it a lot, but Joe and Anthony were absolutely right to reshoot it, because everybody didn’t get their hero shot."
How Howard The Duck Ended Up In Avengers: Endgame
It didn't take long for eagle eyed viewers to notice that Howard the Duck was among the heroes in
Avengers: Endgame's amazing final battle, but how did that cameo end up becoming a reality?
WETA Digital Visual Effects Supervisor Matt Aitken tells
Slash Film that his inclusion was Feige's idea.
"We got the note that if there was a chance, to get Howard the Duck in. There was this one little gap when the Ravagers were coming out of Contraxia where there was room to drop him in, and he wouldn’t be too obvious, which is good. It was the way they wanted to play it. It would involve us essentially building and rigging and shading and prepping a hero digital character for one tiny little beat. I’ve counted, he’s actually in eighteen frames of the film. So it’s not like a huge presence. That’s a lot of work for a small amount of time. But we were so delighted to be able to do that, and what we heard that when we sent the shot through and it was reviewed in the screening room at Marvel with the filmmakers, they were all clapping and cheering to see Howard."
Needless to say, this proved to be one of the movie's most enjoyable cameos, and the fact that it was hidden there for fans goes to show how much thought is put into even the MCU's smallest moments.
Chris Evans Bumps Into Paul Rudd In Billy On The Street
Billy on the Street is moving to Netflix and host Billy Eichner recently invited Chris Evans to join him. In what proves to be a genuinely hilarious segment, they end up bumping into Evans' Avengers: Endgame co-star Paul Rudd, and you're best off checking this out for yourselves as it'll definitely crack you up!
Black Panther's Larger Role In Avengers: Endgame's Final Battle
T'Challa plays a small but key role in
Avengers: Endgame's final fight, but Black Panther once had quite a bit more to do in the battle. Ford tells
Slash Film that there were once plans for the King of Wakanda to square off with The Black Order's Ebony Maw in what sounds like a potentially fun fight sequence.
"We didn’t really shuffle it around a lot. I remember we did have a much more elaborate sequence with [Thanos’s henchman, Ebony] Maw," he reveals.
"His battle with Panther was longer."
"I remember we took it down because when they come through the portals, they kind of introduce all these characters into the story that haven’t been in the movie yet…Panther and Maw felt like, that’s not the story that we’re tracking, so maybe we reduce that stuff." As cool as this might have been, Ford's right that it wasn't exactly an essential addition to this already busy battle.
Why The A-Force Moment Works In Avengers: Endgame
The shot of Marvel's female superheroes assembling near the end of
Avengers: Endgame is something fans still talk about, and many believe it could have been a teaser for an inevitable A-Force spinoff. However, some have also been critical of all of those characters just happening to be in the right place at the right time, and now McFeely and Markus have responded to that in an interview with
Slash Film.
"We’ve learned this a lot – emotional logic versus intellectual logic. Emotional logic wins every time," McFeely explains.
"So I recognize that there are some people who are like, 'It’s pretty convenient that all of the ladies are all in one spot,' but the eight-year-old girl next to me loses her mind and wears a T-shirt, and I’m good with it."
"Literally, one of the comments at a test screening was, 'It’s pandering. Don’t you dare cut it,'" Markus added. While it is easy to criticise, it's also an undeniably fun and noteworthy moment.