It's a great time to be a comic book fan at the movies. The last two decades have seen the rise and dominance of superhero movies at the box office. Initially, Hollywood seemed hesitant, and the early films of the modern period focused on "realistic" characters. As the genre became more popular, however, filmmakers got braver. They dug deep into comic book lore, bringing the most interesting characters they could find to life. In fact, as recent years have demonstrated, the weirder the concept, the bigger the reward. Some of the most successful comic book movies and franchises have been built around supposedly "unfilmable" characters.
While a lot of weird and colorful heroes have been brought to life, this has mostly been visible with the villains. To be honest, it seems like comic book creators have more fun with the villains, and they often end up being the most exciting designs. While fans have a lot to be thankful for, however, they haven't gotten everything they wanted. Obviously, not every idea is going to make it to the big screen. As more and more films go into development, more and more concepts are created and then subsequently scrapped. In this day and age, however, there's no keeping this a secret from fans. They watch every step of a film's development, so if a villain was set to appear at some point, they're going to know about it.
20 MORBIUS IN BLADE 2
The living vampire might be about to get his very own film, but Morbius almost had a very different movie debut. The original ending for Blade (1998) was going to feature a mystery vampire watching Blade at a distance. Reportedly, director Stephen Norrington wanted to use Michael Morbius as the sequel's villain, which this scene would've set up.
Unfortunately, Norrington didn't return for Blade 2 (2002). Instead, Guillermo del Toro was brought aboard. The story featured Blade teaming up with a group of vampires to hunt down the Reapers. Morbius was supposedly considered by Sam Raimi for his Spider-Man series at one point, but the director left that series before including the vampire.
19 JUGGERNAUT IN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Quicksilver helping Xavier and Beast break Magneto out of the Pentagon is probably the most popular scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Shockingly, this moment was almost completely different. In early drafts of the script, when Matthew Vaughn was still attached, Juggernaut would have been the one to break Magneto out.
Bryan Singer changed the scene when he came aboard. Apparently, he felt that since a version of Juggernaut appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), it was better to use a different mutant. Cain Marko would remain absent from the film series until he made a surprise appearance in Deadpool 2 (2018), where he was voiced by Ryan Reynolds.
18 TASKMASTER IN DEADPOOL
It's amazing that Deadpool ever got made. It spent years in development, and only got fully greenlit after test footage was leaked to the public. During that time, the script was written and rewritten several times. Early drafts of the script actually included Taskmaster, a mercenary who can mimic any fighting style simply by watching it.
In the comics, Deadpool and Taskmaster would best be described as frenemies. The filmmakers reportedly cut Taskmaster out due to budget issues, since Fox didn't want to spend too much money on the film. While money may have been tight, the film rights to Taskmaster reverted to Marvel while Deadpool was still in development limbo, so that likely played a part in his getting cut, too.
17 GALACTUS IN FANT4STIC
Josh Trank's Fantastic Four (2015) had a troubled production, and the end result was not well received by critics or audiences. Apparently, the film's story kept changing, even during production. One of the biggest problems with the film was the lack of a major villain or threat for most of the story. Apparently, that wasn't always the case, as Galactus was supposedly meant to appear.
There are different versions of the story out there, each utilizing the devourer in different ways. Supposedly, early drafts featured Galactus as the source of the hero's powers. Other versions claim he would appear during an end credit teaser. Either way, it would have added some much needed excitement to the final product.
16 SENTINELS IN X2
After the success of X-Men (2000), fans couldn't wait for the sequel. With a bigger budget, X2 (2003) would be able to bring even more of the comic book universe to life. While it definitely delivered (the opening Nightcrawler scene is still a classic), some concepts were just too much for young franchise.
Some of the X-Men's most infamous foes are the Sentinels, giant robots that hunt mutants. Fans couldn't wait to see them in live action, and the filmmakers attempted to include them. Concept art was drawn up, but it was eventually decided that it would be too expensive to create them with CGI. The killer robots would eventually make their grand debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2015) over a decade later.
15 THE WHITE QUEEN IN THE LAST STAND
While X-Men (2000) was a success, X2: X-Men United (2003) blew audiences away. Since the film set up the Phoenix during its closing shots, fans couldn't wait to see Bryan Singer's take on the classic storyline. Unfortunately, while he was set to direct the sequel, Singer left to go direct Superman Returns (2006) instead.
He did begin development of the movie, however. One of the ideas he was reportedly working on involved Emma Frost, aka the White Queen. Apparently, they were hoping to cast Sigourney Weaver in the role, which gives fans some idea as to what direction the character would have gone in.
14 DARKSEID IN JUSTICE LEAGUE
Justice League (2017) had an extremely troubled production. The studio swapped out directors after filming wrapped, leading to massive reshoots. Before that, however, the studio reportedly altered the film's original story after the poor critical response to its predecessor Batman V Superman (2016).
While Darkseid's presence was somewhat teased in the final film, he was originally supposed to make a full appearance. It's unclear how big of role he was going to play, but it's rumored that he would have at least appeared during the film's final moments to set up a sequel. Instead, the film decided to focus on Steppenwolf and save the Darkseid reveal for future films (that may or may not still be in the works).
13 THE RIDDLER IN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Since Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies were supposed to be a somewhat realistic take on Batman, fans assumed that the Riddler would appear at some point. He's one of the most well known Batman villains that could fit into that style of movie, so it made sense. While he didn't appear, he was allegedly going to be the antagonist in early versions of what would become The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
Apparently, after the massive success of The Dark Knight (2008), the studio wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to play the villain. Christopher Nolan seemingly had a different vision, and felt that the Riddler was too similar to the Joker. Instead, he focused the third movie on Bane and the return of the League of Shadows.
12 OMEGA RED IN DEADPOOL 2
The Deadpool movies love their cameos. The filmmakers have a huge roster of X-Men characters to choose from, and these movies are the perfect spot for many fan favorite mutants. Unlike many of the entries on this list, Omega Red actually made it to filming, but was cut from the final product.
The Russian super soldier was supposed to appear in the Ice Box Prison, where mutant criminals are held with power dampening collars. In the comics, the villain has super strength and tendrils that can suck the life force out of his victims. It seems like he was just going to be a cameo in the movie, so fans of the villain shouldn't be too disappointed.
11 SCARECROW IN SUICIDE SQUAD
In Suicide Squad (2016), Amanda Waller puts together a team of villains to do the dirty work that good guys can't be seen doing. This Suicide Squad includes killers like Deadshot, Killer Croc and Harley Quinn, all led by Rick Flagg. While the team included a variety of physically dangerous villains, it almost took on a more psychological threat.
Early concept art shows that, at one point, the Scarecrow was going to play a part in the film. It's unclear if he was going to be part of the team, or if he was going to be part of the Joker's crew. Either way, the designs reveal that he would've been a creepy addition to the movie.
10 BONEBREAKER IN LOGAN
James Mangold's Logan (2017) provided a somber end to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Set in a dark future where mutants have essentially disappeared, Logan's healing factor seems to have failed him. He's stuck caring for an ailing Xavier, who's suffering from dementia, which combined with his mental powers, is a dangerous combination. It's a tragic tale focused on the death of beloved characters.
Of course, it seems that the movie was going to be more comic-booky at one point. Concept art for Bonebreaker, a half-man/half/tank member of the Reavers shows the character in all of his ridiculous glory. It definitely would've changed the mood of the movie to show him rolling through a scene.
9 MAGNETO IN THE FIRST AVENGER
When Marvel first went into development for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the studio decided to set the story during World War II, and then bring Cap to the modern world in the followup movies. The movie featured appearances and cameos from several other World War II era characters, including the original Human Torch.
During early production, the filmmakers reportedly hoped to include both Logan and Magneto. Logan would've appeared as a soldier, and Magneto would've been a young boy fleeing the villains. While this would've been cool for fans, rights issues prevented it from becoming a reality (Logan and Magneto's film rights were owned by a rival studio at the time).
8 THE LIZARD IN SAM RAIMI'S SPIDER-MAN
Sam Raimi loved classic Spider-Man, and it showed in his films. Aside from Venom, his movies are mainly focused on material from the webslinger's silver age storylines. Interestingly, the character Curt Connors appeared as one of Peter's college professors. In the comics, Connors is a scientist who accidentally turns himself into a giant lizard monster.
It's clear that Raimi eventually planned on featuring the villain. In fact, the Lizard was reportedly part of early drafts of Spider-Man 2 (2004). Unfortunately, he was cut from that movie to keep the story from becoming too cluttered. Connors returned for the sequel, but remained in his human form the entire time. It wasn't until the series rebooted that he finally got his time in the spotlight.
7 POISON IVY IN SUICIDE SQUAD
It's clear that Suicide Squad (2016) was heavily inspired by Batman's rogues' gallery. Harley Quinn, Killer Croc and Deadshot all joined the team, and the Joker played a significant role in the plot. Like other films in the DCEU, this movie had a troubled production, even all the way through post-production. It's not clear how close the final product was to the original intention, but it seems like it was significantly changed.
One of the more interesting rumors is that Poison Ivy was going to be included at one point. Considering her relationship with Harley Quinn in the comics, this makes sense. It's not known if she would've been a member of the team or just a cameo in the prison, however.
6 MYSTERIO IN SPIDER-MAN 4
After Spider-Man 3 (2007) disappointed with fans and critics (although not at the box office), director Sam Raimi planned on returning the series to its former glory. He began development on Spider-Man 4, which would have featured the Vulture as the main villain. Unfortunately, Raimi dropped out of the project after the studio tried to force a release date on him.
After this, the series was rebooted. Concept art from the un-produced film made its way to the internet, revealing that Raimi planned to include a sequence where Mysterio would appear. Based on the storyboards, it seems like the plan was for Mysterio to be a joke and not pose a major threat to Spidey.
5 KING SHARK IN SUICIDE SQUAD
While it may have its flaws, Suicide Squad (2016) did do a good job of expanding the DCEU's roster. By introducing an entire squad of villains who were already active, the film made the film universe seem bigger. One of the best aspects of the movie was the variety of characters, which included street level threats like Harley Quinn and Deadshot, all the way up to mystical entities like the Enchantress.
Early versions of the movie would've gone even further with this by including King Shark. The humanoid son of a shark god, King Shark was eventually cut because the director reportedly didn't want to do an entirely CG character. Killer Croc replaced him on the team.
4 DEATH ZEALOTS IN DR STRANGE
In Doctor Strange (2016), the titular hero must prevent Kaecilius from opening a doorway from Earth to the dark dimension. The fallen sorcerer went mad when he discovered that the Ancient One was drawing power from the forbidden dimension to sustain her life. He and his followers decided that everyone deserved eternal life, and they gave themselves to Dormammu.
In the film, this changes them physically by creating a mystical rot around their eyes. While it's a cool effect, they were originally going to completely different. Early concept art of Kaecilius' followers show a much darker take on the characters, looking much more like the Marvel Universe's embodiment of Death.
3 BLACK CAT IN SPIDER-MAN 2
While she changes teams fairly often, Felicia Hardy spends much of her time on the wrong side of the law. She's one of Spider-Man's closest allies and fiercest enemies. After the massive success of Spider-Man (2000), fans couldn't wait to see her brought to life on the big screen. Unfortunately, she has yet to make an actual film appearance.
While she was reportedly set to debut in the scrapped Spider-Man 4, concept art from Spider-Man 2 (2003) reveals that she was a part of that sequel at one point. While she didn't appear in the film, her character was heavily utilized in the video game adaptation. This may reveal what the filmmakers had in mind for her.
2 ARNIM ZOLA'S ROBOT BODY IN ANT-MAN
One of the coolest cameos in any MCU movie is Arnim Zola in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). In that film, the villain had uploaded his mind into a giant computer bank, a reference to his comic book counterpart. In the books, his brain had been uploaded into a robot body, with his face projected on a screen in the middle of the chest.
While the cameo was pretty cool, fans almost got something better in Ant-Man (2015). Apparently, during one of the film's flashback scenes, Zola's robotic body from the comics was supposed to appear. Unfortunately, the character was dropped from the movie and fans will have to live with just the giant computer version of the villain.
1 THE PIT BOSS IN GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) did an amazing job of bringing Marvel's cosmic line-up to the big screen. Aside from the main characters, the film introduced a ton of concepts that fleshed out the entire universe. The Nova Corps and Celestials were both included, along with a wide variety of alien races.
One character that didn't make the final cut, however, was the pit boss on Knowhere. The filmmakers revealed that this character was set to have a run in with Drax before he reveals the team's location to Ronan. The actress reportedly had to learn her lines in a brand new language created just for the film, which apparently will never see the light of day.