In comparison with the gargantuan events and ensembles ofAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first two Avengers team-up films now seem almost small in scale. But in the general history of film, both are still incredibly elaborate productions, withAvengers: Age of Ultronnaturally being even slightly bigger than its predecessor in terms of the scale of its action and size of its cast. In addition to featuring the titular villain and several members of the original Avengers’ supporting cast, the film also included additional heroes, some new, some longer standing.
This led to the formation of a new roster of Avengers at the end of the film, with Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), and the Vision (Paul Bettany) joining the new team under the leadership of founding members Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). However,Avengers: Age of Ultronalmost looked very different.
Captain Marvel Was Almost in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
Having operated under different aliases, such as Ms. Marvel and Binary before taking on the Captain Marvel mantle, Carol Danvers is a long-standing member of the Avengers who also has ties to other characters such as the X-Men andJessica Jones.A fan favorite for decades, she became increasingly prominent and frequently used in 21st century Marvel Comics, leading fans to anticipate her introduction to the MCU, given that she was one of the most popular heroines Marvel Studios had exclusive film rights to in the mid-2010s. Consequently, duringAge of Ultron’s production, rumors swirled that the character would be introduced in the film, especially after a solo Captain Marvel featured was announced as being in development. It was subsequently confirmed that the character’s inclusion was considered and thata version of the film’s endingin which she wasportrayed by a stand-inwas shot. This was included as a special feature when Marvel’s Infinity Saga Box Set was released to home video in 2019.
Loki’s Scenes Were Cut from ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
Hiddleston’s Loki, brother to the Avenger Thor (Chris Hemsworth), has beenone of the MCU’s most beloved characterssince his introduction in 2011 and his popularity was particularly high whenAge of Ultronwas released, after he had served as the antagonist inThorandThe Avengers, and an anti-hero inThor: The Dark World. Given that, it isn’t surprising that he was almost included in the franchise’s second major team-up film as well.DirectorJoss WhedonconfirmedthatHiddleston did in fact shoot at least one new scene forAge of Ultron, explaining its exclusion from the theatrically released cut by simply saying, “it didn’t play.”Thor experiences a couple of prophetic visions, which he describes as dreams, throughout the film after being telepathically bewitched by Wanda. In the first, he converses with an apparition of his Asgardian friend Heimdall (Idris Elba), so one can assume that Loki’s appearance would have been part of an extended version of this scene.
There Was a Slim Chance Spider-Man Was Going To Be in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
In addition to Carol and the God of Mischief,Marvel Comics’ most famous character was also briefly considered as a possible inclusion in the film. While discussing the final scenein an interview, Whedon revealedthat, along with Carol, he had hoped to include Spider-Man among the new Avengers roster, even noting that Sony, the studio that ownsthe character’s film rights, “had approached us during the first movie about a little integration.”
Before the X-Men, Wolverine Was Basically in the Canadian Avengers
For a guy who doesn’t play nice with others, he’s sure been on a lot of teams.
Sony and Marvel Studios did, of course, eventually reach the first of their agreements to share the character, leading to the introduction ofTom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man inCaptain America: Civil War, but, as Whedon explained, by the time they had done so,Age of Ultronhad been completed, making an earlier appearance for the character impossible.Ultimately, it seems like the right decision to leave all three characters out of the film, even if, in Spider-Man’s case, doing so wasn’t entirely up to the filmmakers.
Avengers: Age of Ultronis available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
