WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: The MCU

In honor of THOR: RAGNAROK.

Iron Man (2008)

>Several directors turned down the movie because they believed it'd flop before Jon Favreau was hired. Louis Leterrier was also interested, and subsequently directed THE INCREDIBLE HULK.

>Sam Rockwell and Clive Owen auditioned for Tony Stark before Robert Downey Jr. was cast.

>Rachel McAdams was approached for Pepper Potts before Gwyneth Paltrow was cast.

>Early drafts featured the Mandarin as a corrupt Chinese businessman who led the 10 Rings and created the Crimson Dynamo armor to fight Iron Man, before Jon Favreau decided to build up to the character.

>Early drafts featured Obadiah Stane only as Stark's estranged mentor, and his descent into villainy would be explored over several movies.

>In early drafts, Stark would fight Stane in the prototype Mark IV armor, which includes a shoulder-mounted gattling gun and would later become the War Machine armor.

>In early drafts, Stark would throw Stane into a vat of acid rather than have him caught in an explosion. When the armor is retrieved, Stane's body is gone, indicating he might have survived.

>The movie was filmed mostly without a script, with actors ad-libbing most of their lines based on a production guideline. Production was so chaotic that both the cast and the producers expected the movie to be a disaster until test-screenings reported surprisingly positive audience reception.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

>Mark Ruffalo was director Louis Leterrier's original choice for Bruce Banner, but the studio favored Edward Norton.

>Norton declined at first, and only agreed on the condition that he could revise the script and that all of his contributions would be filmed, but most additions ended up being cut after poor reception at test-screenings. Norton also clashed with Leterrier and the producers throughout production.

>Ray Stevenson auditioned for Emil Blonsky before Tim Roth was cast.

>Stan Lee would originally cameo as the captain of the USS Excelsior, a fishing boat that Banner and Betty Ross hire to take them to Manhattan.

>The Hulk would originally decapitate the Abomination, but this was changed due to poor reception at test-screenings.

>Norton was a fan of THE WIRE and added a subplot about a man, played by Michael K. Williams, who reaches out to the Hulk during the Battle of Harlem to stop the destruction. The subplot was almost entirely cut and Williams' role reduced to a cameo.

>Norton also added an extended comedic sequence where Banner interacts with a computer geek while trying to retrieve data from the Culver University. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Jason Segel, among others, were approached for the geek before the scene was scrapped and the geek reduced to a cameo, played by Martin Starr.

>Leterrier pitched an cameo appearance by Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, bumping into Banner at Empire State University, but Sony Pictures rejected the idea.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

>Jon Favreau planned to adapt the "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, but the studio felt it was too dark.

>Early drafts featured Justin Hammer as the main villain, manipulating brothers Ivan Vanko and Boris Bullsky into targeting Tony Stark in order to steal the Iron Man technology. Vanko would die during a fight with Stark in Monaco, and Bullsky would become the Titanium Man to avenge him. Further revisions made Vanko into the main villain and reduced Hammer to a supporting role.

>Early drafts featured Stark developing a relationship with Black Widow, but this entire subplot was cut, and even their flirtatious conversations were toned down after poor reception in test-screenings.

>Mickey Rourke created an elaborate backstory for Vanko to make him a more sympathetic character, but most of these scenes were cut to streamline the narrative. Rourke was displease and disowned the movie, swearing never to work with Marvel again.

>The original ending where Vanko forces Stark to surrender to him by kidnapping Pepper and is killed by War Machine with the ex-wife missile was scrapped due to poor reception in test-screenings.

>Emily Blunt was cast as Black Widow, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Scarlett Johansson.

>Al Pacino was approached to play Hammer before the character was reinvented and Sam Rockwell, who had originally auditioned for Bullsky, was cast.

>The cast once again ad-libbed most of their dialogue. Favreau was unhappy with the movie, believing that the rushed production schedule that didn't allow him to refine the script as much as he wanted, and declined to return for IRON MAN 3.

Thor (2011)

>Matthew Vaughn was originally attached to direct the movie. Guillermo Del Toro was also approached before Kenneth Branagh was hired.

>The first draft of the script was a dark epic set in the Viking Age and modeled after THE LORD OF RINGS, but was scrapped for being borderline unfilmable in terms of budget.

>Liam Hemsworth, Charlie Hunnam, Joel Kinnaman, Alexander Skarsgard and Tom Hiddleston auditoned for Thor before Chris Hemsworth was cast. Hiddleston impressed the studio and was offered the role of Loki.

>Josh Hartnett and Charlie Cox auditioned for Loki before Hiddleston was cast.

>Brian Blessed was approached for Odin before Anthony Hopkins was cast.

>Jessica Biel and Diora Baird auditoned for Sif before Jamie Alexander was cast.

>Alexander Townsend was originally cast as Fandral, but was fired due to his erractic behavior. Zachary Levi was approached to replace him before Josh Dallas was cast.

>Early drafts featured Thor's human alter-ego, Dr. Donald Blake, but the concept was scrapped for being needlessly convoluted.

>Early drafts featured Thor and Loki's other brother, Balder.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

>Louis Leterrier volunteered to direct the movie, but the studio favored Joe Johnston.

>Joss Whedon revised the script after signing on for THE AVENGERS.

>Channing Tatum, Garrett Hedlund, Scott Porter, Mike Vogel, Michael Cassidy, Wilson Bethel, Chace Crowford, Patrick John Flueger, Robert Buckley, Jensen Ackles and Sebastian Stan auditoned for Steve Rogers before Chris Evans was cast. Stan impressed producers and was hired to for James "Bucky" Barnes.

>Emily Blunt was approached for Peggy Carter, but declined. Rosamund Pike, Alice Eve, Keira Knightley, Gemma Arterton and Alexa Davalos auditoned before Hayley Atwell was cast.

>Thomas Kretschmann auditioned for Red Skull before Hugo Weaving was cast. He'd later play Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.

>Evans was initially reluctant to join due to the nine-picture contract offered by the studio, but agreed once it was reduced to a six movie contract.

>Early drafts featured Baron Heinrich Zemo and Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker in supporting roles as high-ranking members of Hydra, but the writers believed they should be saved for more prominent roles in future movies.

The Avengers (2012)

>Jon Favreau and Joe Carnahan were approached to direct the movie before Joss Whedon was hired. Louis Leterrier volunteered, but was turned down.

>Zak Penn wrote the original script, which he revised multiple times to accomodate developments from other movies, but Whedon decide to write a new draft when he signed on for the movie.

>Penn's script featured the Avengers being assembled by SHIELD to fight Hulk, who had been brainwashed by Loki, before they join forces to defend the Earth from an invasion of the Frost Giants.

>Whedon created the concept of an overarching storyline about the Infinity Stones, with Thanos as Loki's benefactor.

>Early drafts featured Ant-Man and the Wasp, who were removed when ANT-MAN was delayed. Whedon also had plans for Ultron and the Skrulls that were ultimately scrapped.

>Robert Downey Jr. ad-libbed most of his dialogue. In early cuts, Iron Man would be revived by Thor's lightning after falling from the wormhole. Mark Ruffalo improvised Iron Man being awakened by the Hulk's roar.

>After Edward Norton's departure, David Duchovny was approached for Bruce Banner before Mark Ruffalo was cast.

>Jensen Ackles was approached for Hawkeye before Jeremy Renner was cast.

>Morena Baccarin and Mary Elizabeth Winstead auditioned for Maria Hill before Cobie Smulders was cast.

>The movie was originally rated "R" for the scene where Phil Coulson is killed by Loki. To ensure the PG-13 rating, the blood was digitally erased, the stabbing was shortened and a reaction shot of Thor was added to break the continuous sequence of Coulson being stabbed and collapsing on the floor.

>There were plans to tie into THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN by featuring OsCorp Tower in New York City's skyline, but a deal with Sony could not be reached in time.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

>Tom Hooper was approached to direct the movie before Shane Black was hired at Robert Downey Jr.'s behest.

>The Mandarin would've been the main villain, before Black pitched the concept of the him being a smokescreen for the real villain.

>Early drafts featured Maya Hansen as the real villain, but producer Ike Perlmutter didn't believe a female villain would be profitable and made Aldrich Killian into the real villain instead.

>Early drafts featured Stark joining forces with Dr. Chen Wu, a scientist whose family was kidnapped by the 10 Rings, to stop the Mandarin, but the concept was scrapped.

>Jessica Chastain was originally cast as Maya Hansen, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Gemma Arterton, Isla Fisher and Diane Kruger auditioned before Rebecca Hall was cast.

>Andy Lau was originally cast as Dr. Chen Wu, but dropped out due to creative differences and was replaced by Wang Xueqi and the role was severely reduced.

>Jude Law was approached to play Killian before Guy Pearce was cast.

>Anthony Mackie auditioned for Eric Savin before James Badge Dale was cast. He'd later play the Falcon.

>Black's first draft for the movie was rated R and featured a subplot where Killian uses Extremis-enhanced pheromones to seduce Pepper, record their sexual encounter and broadcast it nationwide to taunt Stark.

>IRON MAN 3 was the last movie in Robert Downey Jr.'s original four-picture contract, and was written as a definitive end for the character should Downey Jr. not renegotiate to play the character in further installments.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

>Patty Jenkins was approached to direct the movie at Natalie Portman's behest, but dropped out due to creative differences, and was replaced by Alan Taylor. Portman was reportedly upset and didn't want to return to the movie, but was contractually forced to do so.

>Jenkins's version was an "intergalactic ROMEO & JULIET" centered on Thor and Jane Foster's estrangement and Odin'd disapproval of their relationship.

>Taylor clashed with the studio as he wanted a darker and edgier movie than they were comfortable with. The script was revised multiple times during filming, leading to numerous subplots being scrapped.

>Mads Mikkselsen was originally cast as Malekith, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Christopher Eccleston. He'd later play Kaecilius.

>In early drafts, Malekith had a more sympathetic backstory, wanting revenge for the death of his family at the hands of Thor's grandfather, Bors, but the concept was scrapped.

>Early drafts featured a minor role for Loki that was expanded due to the character's newfound popularity after THE AVENGERS.

>Early drafts featured a larger role for Lady Sif, exploring her romantic feelings for Thor, but this subplot was cut after Jamie Alexander injured herself on set.

>Early drafts also included larger roles for Asgardian commander Tyr and Jane Foster's suitor Richard, and also included the Valkyrie and the Enchantress.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

>F. Gary Gray and George Nolfi were approached to direct before Joe & Anthony Russo were hired.

>Early drafts featured Sharon Carter as Captain America's partner, but revisions replaced her for Black Widow.

>Early drafts featured Hawkeye being deployed to capture Captain America after he escapes from the Triskelion, leading to a fight in an abandoned warehouse that ends with Hawkeye being defeated and secretly helping Captain America to escape. This subplot was scrapped due to time restraints.

>Early drafts featured Arnim Zola surviving the bunker's explosion by escaping in a robotic body. This subplot was scrapped for being tonally jarring.

>Anna Kendrick, Emilia Clarke, Felicity Jones, Imogen Gay Poots, Teresa Palmer, Alison Brie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jessica Brown Findlay auditioned for Sharon Carter before Emily VanCamp was cast.

>Kevin Durand, Josh Holloway and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau auditioned for Brock Rumlow before Frank Grillo was cast.

>Michael B. Jordan auditioned for Sam Wilson before Anthony Mackie was cast.

>Alec Baldwin was approached for Alexander Pierce before Robert Redford was cast.

>Early cuts featured several flashbacks to Captain America and Bucky's experiences during World War 2 which were cut to streamline the narrative.

Stop posting these you've been doing it for years
No one cares
This is all basic info you can get off google/wiki

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

>Peyton Reed and Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck were approached to direct the movie before James Gunn was hired.

>Nicole Perlman wrote the first - and very different - draft of the script: Star-Lord was an U.S. pilot who is accidentally jettsioned to another galaxy in a military experiment gone wrong and joins forces with a group of intergalactic outlaws to stop the Badoon from conquering the galaxy.

>Early drafts featured Richard Rider joining the Nova Corps and developing a feud turned friendship with Star-Lord, but Gunn scrapped the concept in order to streamline the narrative.

>Early drafts featured Bug as a member of the team; appearances by Adam Warlock and ROM; and included the Badoon as Ronan's army and the Spartoi as the Krees' lifelong enemies.

>Early cuts featured ELO's "Living Thing" and Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky".

>Early cuts featured Stan Lee as one of the items in the Collector's inventory, but it was cut for being too meta.

>Joel Edgerton, Eddie Redmayne, Jensen Ackles, Jack Huston, Cam Gigandet, Sullivan Stapleton, Logan Marshall-Green, Garrett Hedlund, Chris Lowell, James Marsden, Jim Sturgess, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Aaron Paul, Michael Rosenbaum, Wes Bentley, John Krasinski, Lee Pace and Glenn Howerton auditioned for Star-Lord before Chris Pratt was cast.

>Gina Carano, Olivia Wilde, Rachel Nichols, Thandie Newton, Elizabeth Banks and Adrianne Palicki auditioned for Gamora before Zoe Saldana was cast.

>Jason Momoa was approached for Drax, but refused to cut his hair for the role. Djimon Hounson, Brian Patrick Wade and Isaiah Mustafa auditioned before Dave Bautista was cast.

>Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and David Tennat were approached to voice Rocket before Bradley Cooper was cast.

>Gal Gadot auditioned for Nebula before Karen Gillian was cast.

>Marvel Studios offered to allow Fox to retain the rights to Daredevil in exchange for using Silver Surfer and Galactus in the movie, but Fox declined.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

>Production was troubled due to creative disagreements between Joss Whedon and the studio.

>In early drafts, Ultron was modeled after Tony Stark's brain patterns, but the concept was scrapped.

>Early drafts also featured Abomination as Ultron's enforcer; Captain Marvel and Spider-Man as recruits for the New Avengers; Ultron invading Wakanda to steal Vibranium; and the Ultron drones combining to form a skyscrapper-sized Ultron for the final battle.

>Marvel originally planned to pair Black Widow and Hawkeye together, but Whedon preferred her with Bruce Banner.

>In early cuts, Banner would ultimately reject Black Widow, and she would trigger his transformation into the Hulk by lying about having never truly loved him.

>In early cuts, Thor's vision ended with Loki appearing to discuss the impending apocalypse, but this was cut as test-audiences mistakenly assumed it meant Loki was behind Ultron's sentiency.

>Whedon included Thor's investigation into the Infinity Stones at the behest of the studio, in exchange for keeping the visions and Hawkeye's farmhouse, which were both nearly cut. Test-audiences responded negatively, however, and it was almost entirely cut from the movie.

>An alternative ending where Quicksilver survives and joins the New Avengers was shot should the studio decide not to kill a long-running character.

>Saoirse Ronan was approached for Scarlet Witch before Elizabeth Olsen was cast.

Ant-Man (2015)

>Edgar Wright was originally attached to direct the movie, but dropped out due to creative differences. Adam McKay and Rawson Marshall-Thurber were approached before Peyton Reed was hired.

>Wright reportedly wanted a highly stylized, completely standalone movie, and rejected the revisions demanded by the studio.

>Wright's draft featured Scott Lang as a petty crook who's been arrested several times; Hank Pym as a mad scientist driven by ego; a love triangle between Scott, his ex-wife Maggie and his childhood friend Paxton; Darren Cross becoming the Nano Warrior; and minor roles for Hope Van Dyne and Scott's crew, which was comprised by eight criminals.

>Reed's revisions added Yellowjacket; the Quantum Realm; Hope, Luis, Kurt and Dave being prominent characters; Maggie and Paxton being minor characters; and Scott fighting the Falcon.

>Early drafts featured Alexander Pierce as one of the SHIELD agents present when Pym leaves the organization in the 1980's; and Armin Zola - in a robotic body - as Hydra's representative in procuring the Yellowjacket from Cross.

>Early cuts featured a prologue set in 1989, with a young Pym retrieving stolen data from a military compound in Cuba. Jordi Molla was cast as the compound's leader, General Castillo, but his scenes were cut.

>Early cuts featured Lang retrieving the stolen Cross Particles from HYDRA operative Mitchell Carson, but this was cut, leaving the plot thread available for a sequel.

>Joseph Gordon-Levitt auditioned for Scott Lang before Paul Rudd was cast.

>Jessica Chastain was approached for Hope Van Dyne before Evangeline Lily was cast.

>Steve Buscemi was approached for Hank Pym before Michael Douglas was cast.

>Patrick Wilson was originally cast as Paxton, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Bobby Cannavale.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

>Early drafts featured Vision on Captain America's team and Ant-Man on Iron Man's team; larger roles for Sharon Carter and Everett Ross; appearances by Bruce Banner and Pepper Potts; and Hope Van Dyne becoming the Wasp.

>In early drafts, Spider-Man had a larger role and Prince T'Challa had a minor role. When the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures initially failed, T'Challa's role was expanded, including his transformation into Black Panther. Marvel and Sony later reached an agreement and Spider-Man was reinserted in the script in a smaller role.

>Producers initially feared that Giant-Man wouldn't be taken seriously by the audienced and demanded him to be removed from the script. An alternative version featured the Scarlet Witch telekinetically blowing up an underground pipeline to create a diversion for Captain America and Winter Soldier to escape, but the Russos were ultimately able to convince the studio to have Giant-Man in the movie.

>Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter refused to pay Robert Downey Jr's salary, reducing Iron Man to a brief appearance. Downey Jr. lobbied for a larger role and was backed by producer Kevin Feige, leading to a conflict that ended with Marvel Studios splitting off from Marvel Entertainment and Perlmutter being reassigned to the television department while Feige had complete creative control over the movies.

>During the period where Iron Man was unavailable, the Russos mapped out an alternative third act centered on Baron Zemo searching for a biological weapon known as "Madbomb", which compels people into murderous rampages.

>Asa Butterfield, Charlie Rowe, Judah Lewis, Matthew Lintz, Charlie Plummer, Liam James, Chandler Riggs and Timothée Chalamet auditioned for Spider-Man before Tom Holland was cast.

Doctor Strange (2016)

>Fede Alvarez, Nikolaj Arcel, Dean Israelite, Jonathan Levine and Mark Andrews were approached to direct before Scott Derrickson was hired.

>Benedict Cumberbatch initially declined the role of Stephen Strange due to scheduling conflicts with his theater commitments. Mads Mikkelsen, Joaquin Phoenix, Jared Leto, Jake Gyllenhall, Tom Hardy, Colin Farrell, Ethan Hawke, Jack Huston, Oscar Isaac, Keanu Reeves, Matthew McConaughey, Ewan McGregor and Justin Theroux were approached to play the role before filming was delayed to accomodate Cumberbatch's schedule.

>Ken Watanabe, Morgan Freeman and Bill Nighy were approached for the Ancient One before Tilda Swinton was cast.

>Tony Todd was approached to voice Dormammu, but was ultimately replaced by Cumberbatch himself.

>In early drafts, the Ancient One was a Asian man and Wong was not featured. When the Ancient One was made into a Celtic woman, Wong was added to the story as one of Strange's mentors.

>Early drafts revealed that Strange went through the loop thousands of times before Dormammu decided to accept his bargain, and that he remembers each and every time he died.

>Early cuts featured a subplot about Strange's sister, Donna, who falls into a river while they're playing together and drowns despite his attempts to save her, motivating Strange to study medicine. Lulu Wilson played Donna, but all of her scenes were cut.

>Early cuts featured more parallels between science and magic that were cut from the movie so magic would remain shrouded in mystery.

>Early cuts had a slightly darker tone that didn't ressonate very well with test-audiences. Dan Harmon was then hired to revise the script and more lighthearted beats were added in reshoots.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

>Director James Gunn added Ego as Star-Lord's father before learning that the characters rights belonged to 20th Century Fox. The studio eventually traded Ego to Marvel Studios in exchange for changing Negasonic Teenage Warhead's powers in DEADPOOL.

>Gunn was advised against including a particular alien race, the Sneeps, because their name resembles the Icelandic slang for female genitalia. The studio eventually relented to their appearance.

>Early drafts included the Nova Empire. John C. Reilly and Glenn Close were approached to return as Daenerian Rhoman Dey and Nova Prime Irani Rael, but Reilly was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts, and was ultimately written out alongside Rael.

>Early drafts included the Collector, but Benicio Del Toro couldn't return to scheduling conflicts.

>Early drafts featured Adam Warlock as the Sovereigns' secret weapon, but the character was ultimately cut as he was superfluous to the narrative.

>Early cuts featured a longer segment on Earth including cameo appearances from Nathan Fillion as fictional actor Simon Williams and Gregg Henry as Grandpa Quill, but both were ultimately cut from the movie.

>Early cuts featured a sixth post-credits scene in which Gamora and Mantis hearing the screams of one of the Ravagers who were pierced by Yondu's arrow and has presumably been forgotten and screaming in agony throughout the third act of the movie. This was deleted as test-audiences didn't get the joke.

>Early cuts featured a minor scene of Drax loudly slurping soup to his teammates' annoyance which was cut for time.

>Matthew McConaughey was approached to play Ego, but ultimately declined, and Kurt Russell was cast at Chris Pratt's suggestion. Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman were also considered.

>David Bowie was slated for a cameo as one of the Ravager commanders before his death in 2016.

The amount of autism required to seriously believe your little NEET outsider opinion has more weight than an entire industry's multimillion dollar decisions and managements is something I've never seen before.

Be ashamed, please.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

>Ted Melfi was in talks to direct the movie, but dropped out to direct HIDDEN FIGURES and was replaced by Jon Watts. Drew Goddard and John M. Daley & Jonathan Goldstein were also approached.

>Michael Keaton initially declined the role of Adrian Toomes due to scheduling conflicts, but Marvel Studios was able to accomodate to his schedule. Michael Shannon was briefly approached for the role, but declined. Mark Hamill was also interested.

>Watts originally envisioned Nick Fury as Peter's mentor.

>In early drafts, Zendaya's character Michelle was also Peter's apartment neighbor. Further revisions made them just classmates.

>In early drafts, Tony Revolori's character was named "Manuel". Further revisions made him into Flash Thompson.

>In early drafts, Toomes would've been one of Peter's teachers and not Liz's father.

>In early drafts, War Machine and Vision would make appearances, helping Iron Man save the collapsing Staten Island ferry.

>In early drafts, Happy would tell Peter that Tony told him to tell Peter something about how "with great powers comes great... Whatever" when they meet in the bathroom.

>In early drafts, Peter would accept Stark's offer and reveal his secret identity to the world.

>Early cuts featured an extended sequence of Aunt May rescuing a young girl in peril while secretly being observed by Peter.

I think you misunderstand the purpose of this thread.

Grandpa Quill was in the movie you retard

Neat stuff.

In a cameo.

what? did you even read the thread?

I always really like these threads but have never read through an entire one. I plan on doing so one of these days. Maybe for Infinity War.

>Leterrier pitched an cameo appearance by Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, bumping into Banner at Empire State University, but Sony Pictures rejected the idea.

FUCK

To this day I still wish Blunt played Widow

>a shitter with chinese cartoons

surprise, surprise

>Drew Goddard
What the fuck is Sony's obsession with this guy?

Every studio has their in-house talent.