The Marvel Cinematic Universe has enjoyed a lot of success over the years, but there are several deleted scenes that could have made even the best movies just a little bit better. The one thing that Marvel always seems to do is to tinker with the movies in post-production, removing certain scenes for various reasons, and then never releasing a director’s cut in the future, allowing its finished product to stand as it was when they released it. It makes sense, but there are also many scenes that Marvel removed from the movies that would have explained things better and even improved parts of the story.
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From moments that helped add to the plot to scenes that would have been incredible to watch in the movies themselves, here are five MCU deleted scenes that would have made the movies better.
5) Hulk “Eats the Bullet” in The Incredible Hulk
The only solo Hulk movie came in 2008, the same year that Iron Man started the MCU. The Incredible Hulk was the second MCU movie, and it was a slight disappointment after Iron Man set the world on fire. Edward Norton starred as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, although he was removed from the role after this movie and replaced by Mark Ruffalo. When it comes to the changes in editing, there was one scene that Marvel demanded to be removed. The movie ended with Bruce Banner experimenting on himself, and the last scene showed his eyes glowing green and him smiling at the camera. This hinted that he was gaining control of Hulk.
That was an interesting direction to take, and that would have contrasted well with the film’s original opening scene, where Banner went to the Arctic with the intention of committing suicide because he wasn’t keeping control. The scene had him take the gun and shoot himself, but Hulk caught the bullet, spit it out, and crushed the gun. The scene didn’t make the final movie, mainly because test audiences didn’t like Banner trying to end things at the start of the movie. One thing the movie lost as a result was that there was an Easter egg showing Captain America buried in the ice there, hinting at his future arrival.
4) Loki’s Coronation in Thor: The Dark World
Thor: The Dark World is one of the worst Marvel movies for many reasons. The movie went through two directors, first with Patty Jenkins leaving the project before Alan Taylor took over. After the movie was released, Taylor later said it was one of the worst experiences of his professional career. From all the behind-the-scenes talk, it sounds like this was a movie that never knew what it wanted to be, and what resulted was a film that wasted Malekith, resulting in one of the worst villains in MCU history.
However, there was one thing that could have made the movie a little better in another area. Loki’s story was always the best in the movie, as he was the neglected and dismissed son who only wanted what he believed his brother Thor received. There was a deleted scene in Thor: The Dark World that saw Loki’s coronation as the new King of Asgard, even wielding Mjolnir. It was a shocking scene, made tragic when viewers saw that it was not real and was only in his imagination. This really showed Loki’s desire for acceptance and would have gone a long way to show his eventual change in character sooner.
3) Thor’s Possession in the Norn Cave
Avengers: Age of Ultron had a lot going on, and Marvel wanted to stick with the main villain, Ultron, and his Ultron bots. However, there was one scene that ended up cut from the movie that completely diminished Thor’s role in the film. To figure out how to beat Ultron, the Avengers went in different directions after Wanda caused Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor to have terrible visions. Thor went to discover what his visions meant by meeting with his friend Erik Selvig.
This led Thor and Erik to the Norn Cave, and this is where Marvel chose to cut the scene from the movie. In the deleted scene, Thor ends up possessed by the Norm, and he explains that the “stone draws you all to its brilliance, and you to your end.” It also explained the six Infinity Stones that would become important in the MCU. Director Joss Whedon has said that he believed that scene was needed for the movie, and when looking at the deleted scenes, it would have explained things better and laid out what was coming next for Thor when Ragnarok arrived.
2) Tony Stark Sees His Daughter in the Soul World
Tony Stark’s death was one of the most shocking moments in the MCU, and it ended the main battle in Avengers: Endgame on a note that showed that not all heroes make it back home alive. Iron Man’s sacrifice saved the world and showed that the MCU’s first hero was the most important at that moment. However, there was a deleted scene that could have made his death hit even harder.
After Iron Man died, there was a deleted scene where Tony showed up in Soul World, the same place that Thanos took Gamora when he was trying to explain what he was doing. Here, he encountered a young woman who turned out to be the older version of his young daughter, Morgan. Played by Katherine Langford, Morgan looked at her father and told him that everything was going to be okay and thanked him for being her dad. It was a perfect goodbye for Tony, but one that never made it into the final movie.
1) Hela Kills Odin in Thor: Ragnarok
There was a deleted scene in Thor: Ragnarok that ended up being removed because it was so devastating. From all reports, Taika Waititi wanted to smooth out the scene to make it less harsh, so he instead had Loki and Thor find Odin, sitting and looking out at the ocean. When Odin complimented both of his sons, he then told them it was time for him to go, and he dissipated, which opened the door for Hela’s return. That isn’t what was originally filmed for the movie.
The deleted scene showed Thor and Loki finding Odin, drunk and in an alley in New York City. He then explained that Ragnarok was coming, and then Hela arrived. It wasn’t Odin’s death that brought her back, but she returned while he was still alive. The scene then had her kill Odin in front of Thor and Loki before she went to Asgard to slaughter countless people there. Having Hela kill Odin was a powerful moment and would have made a great MCU movie even better.
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