Everything Revealed By The Russo Brothers During Collider's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Q&A
During a two-hour Avengers: Infinity War Q&A, the filmmakers revealed some incredible new details about the movie, including alternate scenes, scrapped cameos, behind the scenes secrets, and much more...
Avengers: Infinity War was released way back in April and while all anyone can talk about right now is when we'll get to see the first trailer for Avengers 4, there's still a lot to discuss when it comes to this epic ensemble.
That might explain why Collider hosted a two-hour Q&A with the Russo Brothers last night following a special IMAX screening of the movie and we've rounded up all the biggest reveals from that for you right here. While you might think that there's nothing more to be learned, the filmmakers address a wide array of topics here which haven't been discussed before.
Those include deleted scenes, original plans for The Defenders to appear, how they pulled off creating such a huge movie, their MCU future and a whole lot more besides.
There are even some very small Avengers 4 teases!
So, to take a look at these amazing new reveals, simply click on the "View List" button below.
Hugo Weaving WAS Asked To Return As The Red Skull
While Hugo Weaving has made it clear on a number of occasions that he's not interested in returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Russo Brothers confirmed that they did actually approach the actor about reprising his role as the iconic Captain America villain.
He turned them down, hence why the decision was made to cast The Walking Dead's Ross Marquand instead. He did such a good impression of Weaving that many fans couldn't tell the difference!
They Considered Including The Defenders
Well, this is somewhat heartbreaking. According to the Russos, they did indeed consider including characters from Marvel's Netflix TV shows in Avengers: Infinity War but it quickly became too complicated to figure out not only how they would fit into other Marvel movies in production but what was happening in their own shows. We were this close, people...what a shame, eh?
Don't Ask About Avengers 4!
It's almost become comical this week seeing constant articles from websites in which they declare that the Avengers 4 trailer won't be with us today but will arrive tomorrow (it's always tomorrow...).
Well, right at the very start of this Q&A session, the Russos made it clear that they would not be answering any questions about the movie or its trailer, something which immediately put to rest the theories that they would make some sort of announcement at this event.
Loki Is 100% Dead
One of the most popular fan theories to come out of Avengers: Infinity War is that Loki is disguised as Bruce Banner. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, of course, but it's definitely given people something to talk about in the build-up to the release of Avengers 4!
Well, the Russos were quick to debunk this one and made it clear that Loki is most definitely dead. How that works when the God of Mischief has a series in the works on Disney's streaming service is hard to say, but that doesn't have to be an Infinity War sequel.
Thanos Didn't Beat The Hulk Thanks To The Power Stone
At the start of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos makes short work of The Hulk and gives him such a beating, the Green Goliath is too scared to show his face for the rest of the movie.
While some fans have speculated that the Mad Titan may have been stronger than usual after acquiring the Power Stone, the reality is that he's simply a better fighter, smarter, and more calculated. Still, you have to imagine that a rematch is coming in Avengers 4!
They Scrapped The Idea To Shoot Both Films At The Same Time
Before shooting began on Avengers: Infinity War, we heard that both that and the fourth instalment would be shot at the same time. Well, plans ended up changing and when the Russos were asked why, they revealed that it all became too complex and confusing, especially as they're two drastically different movies.
It was also confusing the crew who weren't sure which instalment the scenes they were prepping for would end up in, something which understandably hurt the pre-production process.
Another Scene With Tony And Pepper Was Shot
During reshoots, another scene was shot at the home of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in which the former was shown sitting in a lawn chair and fidgeting with the flip phone Steve Rogers sent to him. His train of thought is interrupted when Pepper returns and the Russos ultimately decided that the sequence didn't really work, hence why it failed to make the final cut.
The Russos Want To Make A Secret Wars Movie
Joe and Anthony Russo have made it clear that Secret Wars was the storyline which resulted in them falling in love with comic books and neither of them has shied away from saying that the Fox/Disney merger has them incredibly excited about bringing it to the big screen.
There's nothing to say it will ever happen, of course, but during last night's Q&A, the filmmakers once again said that the best way for Marvel Studios to tempt them back after Avengers 4 would be to allow them to finally adapt this iconic storyline.
Stand-Ins Were Used Frequently During Shooting
At one point, it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch would have to shoot pretty much all of his scenes as Doctor Strange alone due to his other commitments and that a stand-in would be used throughout production.
While the Russos didn't address the British actor specifically, they did confirm that the manic shooting schedule meant that they would often shoot one side of a scene with a stand-in and then months later would shoot the scene again, albeit from the other side with the other actor and another stand-in! Figuring all that out must have been a nightmare.
Three Drafts Of The Movie Were Written
According to the Russos, there were only ever three drafts of Avengers: Infinity War, one of which featured narration from Thanos and had a non-linear structure. That also would have included backstories for the Black Order but when it ended up being 250 pages long, Joe and Anthony realised that it needed to be refined.
Despite Thanos' narration being scrapped, they believe that writing it gave them a much better insight into what makes the Mad Titan tick.
Stormbreaker Isn't More Powerful Than The Infinity Gauntlet
Seeing as Thor basically manages to slice through the energy field to stab Thanos in the chest, there's been a lot of speculation that the God of Thunder's new weapon is actually more powerful than the Infinity Gauntlet.
The Russos, however, confirm that the Mad Titan simply didn't see the Asgardian coming and if he had, he would have been better prepared and more than likely able to deflect his attacker as he did with the other heroes.
Red Skull Is A Ghost Now
Those of you optimistic about possibly seeing Captain America once again come to blows with the Red Skull (this time in the present day) may be disappointed by this particular reveal.
Apparently, he's been on a journey since the events of The First Avenger and is now a "ghost," presumably because he has some sort of connection to the Soul Stone and is tied to it after being transported through the cosmos by the Space Stone. This explains his appearance and sadly seems to close the door on him having a future in the MCU.
It was also revealed that The First Avenger writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely fought for his return even though the Russos did consider using a different character here.
They Wish They Could Have Saved Spider-Man
Asked who they would have saved from being dusted "as fans," the Russos named Peter Parker as someone they would have liked to have spared (his death is obviously going to play a huge role in Iron Man's story arc moving forward so as directors, they feel they made the right decision).
Despite that, both of them said they always knew who they wanted to dust at the end of the movie.
The Movie Nearly Had A Different Ending
At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos sits and watches the sun rise over a "grateful" universe. While the Russos did consider other endings, as soon as they realised that this was the Mad Titan's movie, they realised that it would be the most fitting conclusion.
There's Been Talk Of Bringing Beta Ray Bill To The MCU
Comic book fans will be well aware that Stormbreaker is actually a weapon used by Beta Ray Bill, a character teased in Thor: Ragnarok who still hasn't made his big screen debut.
Apparently, the Russos have talked a lot about finally giving the fan-favourite hero his due in live-action but they've never been able to find a place for the alien who was once deemed worthy in Thor's absence. As a result, it seems as if we'll have to keep waiting.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Delay Didn't Change Avengers 4
James Gunn's firing is bound to have had an impact on the MCU, especially as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in a state of flux. Despite that, the Russos were quick to note that it hasn't changed their plans for the characters in the least, mostly because work on Avengers 4 was already finished when the director was fired by Disney so it was too late at that point anyway.
How Much Time Passed Between The Snap And The Final Scene?
Up until now, I think it's fair to say that most of us have assumed that the movie's final scene took place just moments after the "snappening." However, when the Russos were asked to divulge exactly how much time has passed, they refused, something which is bound to now get fans talking.
The Russos Aren't Involved In The Falcon/Winter Soldier Series
We recently learned that Marvel Studios is developing a TV series revolving around The Falcon and Winter Soldier, two characters the Russos are responsible for introducing. '
Considering the fact that the filmmakers are also responsible for developing their love/hate relationship, you'd think that they would be involved with the show in some capacity. Unfortunately, they confirmed last night that it's not a project they're working on.
More Diversity Is Coming To The MCU
Asked if we can expect to see more Latino characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward, the Russos said they didn't want to spoil anything but promised that fans will be surprised by the amount of diversity they'll see on the big screen in Phase 4 and beyond. Thinking about it, The Eternals will obviously be a great start for introducing more people of colour.
Why The IMAX Version Of The Movie Isn't On The Blu-ray
Many movie buffs were disappointed to discover that the IMAX ratio version of Avengers: Infinity War wasn't included on the Blu-ray. Based on what was said, it sounds like that decision was ultimately IMAX's, possibly because they don't want moviegoers to be able to watch movies in that format anywhere other than on their screens.
Either way, the Russos said that it's possible the ratio will be seen on home video...one day.