Die-hard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe know that every film is bursting with Easter eggs and references to what has been and what could be. There's so much crammed into each movie but not all of it can make the final edit and, unfortunately, some real gems get left on the cutting room floor. Let's take a look at the 10 most important deleted scenes left out of our favorite Marvel Studios' movies.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK: CAP-CICLE
The second film in the MCU franchise does not get a lot of integration into the detailed mythology established today, but this deleted scene would have tied it into the Marvel mythos as a whole. Wandering through the Arctic, Bruce Banner attempts suicide but Hulks out before his attempt is successful.
The Hulk smashes a glacier and for just a brief moment the frozen figure of Captain America reveals that the lost WWII hero may not be so lost after all. In addition to hinting toward a hero who would not debut until his own film three years later, this scene would have tied in well to The Incredible Hulk's overarching plot involving the recreation the Super Soldier Serum that gave Cap his powers.
THOR: HANK PYM & S.W.O.R.D.
2011's Thor did some world-building of its own in deleted scenes that did not quite make the cut. While the film itself established much of the interstellar mythology that the MCU would continue to expand on and debuted Hawkeye, two scenes in Thor could have built up the MCU's cast of characters even further.
In one, Erik Selvig drops a brief mention of Hank Pym's name, the original Ant-Man that would not appear until four years after Thor. In another, set to end the film, Selvig discusses cross-referencing his data with a "S.W.O.R.D. database." The space-based equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics, S.W.O.R.D. as an organization remains to this day surprisingly absent even when films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel have done so much to flesh out the Marvel cosmos.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON: QUICKSILVER LIVES!
Fan-favorite Quicksilver, the cocky speedster splitting time between the X-Men and the Avengers since the 1960s, had an all too brief appearance in the MCU. After a short introduction in a post-credits scene, Quicksilver zipped through Age of Ultron alongside his sister the Scarlet Witch, only to die tragically sacrificing himself in the climax.
Although director Joss Whedon said several different takes of Quicksilver surviving were filmed, he worried that bringing the character back would have felt like a cheap ending to what he thought of as a war movie. Ultimately he left the decision to the executives, and their unhappiness with the character's simultaneous appearance in the X-Men film franchise left them little sympathy for his MCU incarnation.
ANT-MAN: THE TEN RINGS STRIKE BACK
Despite their importance to Iron Man, there has been little seen of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings who first kidnapped Tony Stark and set into motion so much of what made the MCU what it is. A deleted scene from Ant-Man, however, would have brought the fiends back for a brief nod.
Ready to sell the technology behind the Ant Man suit for a fat profit, antagonist Darren Cross holds a private auction for the most malicious movers and shakers of the underworld. While HYDRA is a top competitor, this scene would have shown the Ten Rings throwing their hat into the, well, ring. This would have been such a cool way to tie back to a forgotten presence, but it appears they'll be back with a vengeance in the upcoming Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL.2: THE TRUTH ABOUT STAN
It was not until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that the possibility presented itself that Stan Lee's MCU cameos were all the same person. During a scene where Rocket launches through several wormholes to cross innumerable light years, there is a brief cameo of Stan The Man in a spacesuit reporting on his goings-on on Earth to the celestial Watchers.
He mentions in that scene the time he was a FedEx man, tying in to the Stan Lee cameo of Captain America: Civil War, but in a deleted scene he further details his time in the military during WWII. Not only would this have been a great way to tie in Stan's cameo from Captain America: The First Avenger, but since the real life Stan Lee was a WWII veteran it would further solidify the connection between he and his character.
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING: MILES, IS THAT YOU?
Last seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming getting webbed to his car by Spidey, there was not much else for Donald Glover's character Aaron Davis left to do. In a deleted scene, however, Aaron drops a bombshell while struggling to free himself from his car. Unable to extricate his hands from the webbing and unassisted by callous passerby, Aaron finally gives up and calls his nephew, "Miles," to cancel their plans.
As most people who have seen Into the Spider-Verse by this point now know, Davis is the criminally-inclined uncle of the young Miles Morales. With this scene deleted and Aaron's presence alone only hinting at Miles' existence in the MCU, it is yet to be seen if the invisible, venom-blasting Spider-Man will get his own shot in live-action.
THOR: RAGNAROK: BRIAN BANNER
In an all-around comedic film like the third Thor installment, there aren't many heavy moments and very little time spent on character's backgrounds. That could have been different with the inclusion of a deleted scene in which Thor and Bruce discuss their father's deaths. Bruce laments how preoccupied he was with his research into gamma radiation to give his father much thought.
He even mentions that he wasn't present for his father's death, something that is patently false with the 616 incarnation of the character, who was actually the cause of his father's death, albeit accidentally, and it remains to be seen if this will be an element of Bruce's character that carries over into the MCU.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: INTO THE MICROVERSE
Janet van Dyne's survival after years in the Quantum Realm did not get much explanation in the second Ant-Man film, but this deleted scene would have answered a few of those questions while setting up some exciting possibilities. While leaving the Quantum realm with Hank Pym, Janet tells Pym about entire civilizations within the Quantum Realm that totally escaped their notice before.
Briefly stopped by a large gelatinous being, Janet requests safe passage and is let through without consequence. While fans of the Micronauts might have been excited to have Janet further hint toward their possible existence, this scene would have answered questions for even casual audience members about how Janet managed to survive (and find eyeliner) in an unexplored and impossibly small environment.
AVENGERS: ENDGAME: EXIT GAMORA
Tony Stark's sacrifice to save the universe at the end of Avengers: Endgame was already one of the most emotionally resonant scenes in the MCU, but there was even more to it than what fans first saw in theaters. Shortly after his death with Pepper at his side, all of the heroes present take a knee in his honor.
All the heroes, that is, save for Gamora, who stalks off into the distance. While the scene was already a gut punch, this would have added to the emotional impact of such an epic ending while also raising the question of what Gamora's next actions will be as well as her place in the future.
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME: MONEY TROUBLES
While the MCU incarnation of Spider-Man gets quite a lot accurate about the character that previous versions may have not, one element that has always been missing is Peter's financial struggles. From the get-go of his origin story the Spider-Man of the comics was always scrambling to get together the money he needs, but viewers only know the MCU Spidey after his partnership with billionaire Tony Stark.
A deleted scene in Far From Home would have shown Peter selling his Star Wars collectibles to try to earn money for his European vacation and the gift he wants to buy for MJ. This could have been a nice touch to show not only that Peter still has many real-world troubles, but that he is also starting to let go of his childhood as he settles into his role as Spider-Man.