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SUMMARY

Iron Man’s deleted scenes could have altered the MCU’s course, adding depth to his heroism and tragic arc.
Foreshadowing Tony Stark’s self-sacrifice, cut scenes showed his dedication to heroism until the end.
Deleted Iron Man scenes revealed Stark’s character depth and self-destructive nature, impacting his hero story.

Over the character’s history in the MCU, many deleted scenes featuring Iron Man had the potential to have changed the face of the franchise. As the character whose story once marked the beginning of the MCU’s movie timeline, Tony Stark – A.K.A. Iron Man – is undeniably one of the franchise’s most important heroes. With his heroic sacrifice proving the emotional crux of Phase 1 through 3’s Infinity Saga, Iron Man’s story remains one of the franchise’s most powerful due to his personal development over multiple movies.

However, across Iron Man’s appearance in several movies in the MCU, there were many scenes featuring the character that never made it into the franchise’s canon. Several of these deleted scenes had the potential to substantially change not just Iron Man’s own story but the very face of the MCU as well. With that in mind, here are 10 Iron Man deleted scenes that could have changed the MCU.

10Tony’s Party In Dubai

Stark’s Journey Of Self-Discovery Would Have Been Better Foreshadowed

2008’s Iron Man marked Tony Stark’s emphatic MCU debut and the beginning of the franchise itself. The movie also boasted a number of deleted scenes, many of which could have had huge implications for the movie universe had they been included. One such scene involves Tony throwing a large party in Dubai, during which he leaves to take three women to a more private setting. While doing so, he muses on his reputation and the ease with which one can be gained but the difficulty of shedding it. He then flies away in his Iron Man suit, leaving them behind.

The significance of the scene, had it been left in, is that it would have added depth to Stark’s decision to become a hero. It showed his newfound thoughtful approach to his life and his personal growth in pursuing heroic acts over selfish ones. It subtly foreshadowed his eventual death by outlining his entire pursuit of a better reputation.

9Tony Stark Saves A Bully

Iron Man’s Self-Sacrificing Nature Almost Appeared Long Before His Death

Iron Man’s personal journey sees him undergo some of the MCU’s best character development, but one deleted scene from Iron Man 3 could have significantly altered the nature of Stark’s eventual death. The scene in question shows Stark fleeing from Killian’s Extremis-enhanced villains with Harley Keener, only to have the young boy’s bully injured. In a split-second reaction, Stark uses his arc reactor to save the boy, almost killing himself in the process.

The deleted scene shows Stark’s dedication to heroism, but it also outlines that he intends to pursue it to the point of self-destruction. His decision to lay down his life for a complete stranger could have negatively impacted his hero story, as it would have made him seem closer to the end of his arc much earlier in the MCU. It also spoke to Stark’s self-destructive nature, which subtly would have made him seem more tragic and less heroic.

8The Avengers Take A Knee

Tony Stark Was Almost Made An MCU Martyr

The ending of Avengers: Endgame is perhaps the most iconic moment of Iron Man’s entire MCU story. The climax of the entire Infinity Saga sees the hero sacrifice his life in order to stop Thanos once and for all, dying after using the combined might of the Infinity Stones. An alternate death scene for the hero would have subtly changed his MCU status, potentially affecting the entire franchise with its implications.

The scene shows all of the MCU’s heroes taking a knee as Stark dies as a sign of respect. The gesture is an interesting one, as it seems to imply a certain amount of awe and reverence for Tony Stark, making him seem a saint-like figure to his fellow heroes. What’s more, the scene also shows Gamora walking away rather than paying her respects, confirming earlier that her role in the MCU post-Endgame is as an entirely different character due to her timeline shift.

7Iron Man 2’s Alternate Opening

Tony’s Advanced Palladium Poisoning Scene Would Have Reframed His Self-Destruction

2010’s Iron Man 2 followed on from the events of the hero’s first MCU outing, exploring the wider implications of his actions in the previous movie. One of the major plot threads involves Tony Stark slowly being killed by palladium poisoning due to the arc reactor in his chest. An alternate opening scene ultimately deleted from the movie more firmly established the effects of the illness, and it would have had significant implications for Stark’s character.

The scene showed Stark heavily vomiting and attempting to cancel his appearance at the Stark Expo. Though it’s a subtle difference, showing the apparent severity of his condition from the beginning of the movie and demonstrating how it was affecting his everyday life would have pointedly represented Stark’s self-destructive dedication to heroism. Later scenes in the movie touch on his reliance on alcohol, but the severity of his poisoning being established earlier would have better underlined the point.

6Black Widow Uses The Iron Man Gauntlet

Tony And Nastasha Would Likely Have Been Much Closer

Though Iron Man 2’s birthday party scene appears to be one of its most lighthearted, it’s actually far darker than it seems, exploring the extent to which Tony has apparently given up on his survival. A deleted portion of the scene actually included a somewhat touching moment, which ultimately feels at odds with its place in the story. The scene shows Stark allowing Natalie Rushman – actually Natasha Romanoff – to use his gauntlet to fire his repulsors, flirting with his future teammate.

The moment could have marked the beginning of a partnership that never came. Despite their connection from Iron Man 2, Stark and Romanoff never become particularly close even after becoming Avengers, and their friendship is never explored in any depth. The pair sharing a moment in Iron Man 2 might have changed the landscape of both of their respective MCU stories had it not been deleted.

5Rhodey Saves Tony

Rhodey’s War Machine Transformation Would Have Made Much More Sense

A deleted scene from 2008’s Iron Man would have had massive implications not for its titular hero but for one of his supporting characters. During the film’s climactic battle, a deleted scene showed James “Rhodey” Rhodes supporting Iron Man by ramming the Iron Monger with his car during their fight. Though it doesn’t have a huge impact on the battle itself, the moment could have had huge significance for Rhodey’s own character.

Rhodey’s willingness to risk his own life to help Tony perfectly establishes the depth of their friendship. His drive to be a hero, even at the risk of his own life, also helps to establish exactly why Stark is happy for him to take and keep the War Machine armor, leading to Rhodey’s eventual induction into the Avengers. By giving Rhodey a brief moment of heroism long before getting a suit of armor, Iron Man could have perfectly set up his hero story.

4Tony Stark Does Laundry

Kevin Feige Thought Laundry Would Ruin Iron Man’s Credibility

Iron Man’s depiction of Tony Stark’s origins as a hero helped to establish him as one of the MCU’s most important figures, but one element of his captivity was removed from the finished film. The deleted scene showed Stark doing laundry while being held captive by the Ten Rings, slowly removing parts from the washing machine to help make his Mark I armor. However, Kevin Feige reportedly insisted the scene be removed from the film.

Feige’s staunch opposition to the scene’s inclusion is part of what makes it interesting. As he’s widely credited with the success of the MCU, it’s entirely possible that he knew exactly what he was doing by removing the laundry scene. Had it been left in, it may have affected Tony Stark’s image within the franchise, which may have led to his character and the wider MCU both ultimately being much less successful.

3Pepper Potts’ Pregnancy Hint

An Earlier Pregnancy Would Have Thrown Tony Stark’s Narrative Arc Out Of Alignment

Despite having appeared in a trilogy of solo movies, it’s Iron Man’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War that saw a deleted scene with a huge potential impact on his overall story. A scene removed from Civil War saw Tony specifically mention having missed his Lamaze class. Though it’s little more than a throwaway line, the deleted scene seems to imply that Pepper Potts was pregnant during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Not only would the revelation reframe Tony’s stance on the Sokovia Accords, but it would have majorly affected his story in relation to the MCU’s timeline. Stark and Potts’ child, Morgan, was ultimately born between the events of Infinity War and Endgame, but had Potts been pregnant in Civil War, she would have been much older. Having Tony become a father at a different point in the franchise would have had implications for the emotional impact of his heroic death, meaning that the scene could have changed the future of the MCU.

2Tony Stark’s Soul World Epilogue

Iron Man’s Ending Was Almost Much More Confusing

One of the most renowned deleted scenes featuring Iron Man was actually set after his death, and it would have hugely changed his MCU ending. Upon using the Infinity Stones and sacrificing himself to save the universe, the scene showed Stark meeting an older version of his daughter, Morgan, in the Soul World, sharing a final moment with her. The scene was reportedly removed as test audiences found it unnecessary and confusing, but it would have changed a lot.

Part of the impact of Stark’s death is that he simply never goes home to his family. The notion that his sacrifice involves leaving his child behind is a big part of what makes it such a selfless gesture, and giving Stark a Soul World reunion with an older Morgan would have negatively impacted his death. Interesting though the scene may be, Endgame’s ending is ultimately much better without it.

1Iron Man’s Original Post-Credits Scene

The MCU’s Early Shared Universe Tease Could Have Been Disastrous

The MCU’s post-credits scenes have become synonymous with its shared universe success, dating back to the franchise’s first movie, Iron Man. However, Iron Man’s post-credits was originally very different, with the alternate scene having huge implications for the MCU’s future that would have changed the landscape of the entire franchise. Most notably, the alternate post-credits teaser saw Nick Fury hint at the presence of Spider-Man and the X-Men within the MCU’s wider world.

Considering the two movies involving those characters in development at the time were X-Men: First Class and The Amazing Spider-Man, it’s possible that these would have been the versions introduced into the MCU. There’s also the possibility that the teaser would have gone nowhere due to the rights issues with the characters in question, thereby undermining the MCU’s credibility at the earliest possible instance. Ultimately, it’s much better that the post-credits scene from Iron Man was replaced with the one in the finished movie.