Avengers: Endgame is full of memorable, jaw-dropping moments. However, what we see on screen isn’t always what was initially planned, as elements get changed or even completely removed during the filmmaking process.
In 2019, Marvel released The Art of Marvel Studios’ Avengers:Endgame, a book that shows the original designs for some of the film’s key moments and unused concepts that were ultimately scrapped, giving us insight into the creative process and allowing us to see what the film looked like when it was first being mapped out. So, here are ten ways that Avengers: Endgame could have been different according to concept art.
Fastball Special
![10 Ways Avengers: Endgame Could Have Been Different According To Concept Art](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Antman-and-Hulk-and-Spider-Man-Fastball-Special.jpg)
One piece of art shows Spider-Man getting ready to be thrown by Hulk who is getting ready to be thrown by Ant-Man. This move, known as the “Fastball Special,” was usually performed by Wolverine and Colossus in the comics and is one of the most popular tag-team moves in superhero media.
What Spider-Man and Hulk were going to be thrown at is unclear but if used, this moment would likely become iconic much like when Ant-Man rode on Hawkeye’s arrow in Civil War or Thor hitting Cap’s shield in Age of Ultron to create a shock wave.
Weapons Swap
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Another idea was a point during the final battle in which Okoye and Valkyrie would swap weapons while continuing to fight, with Valkyrie using Okoye’s spear and Okoye using Valkyrie’s sword. The idea was thought up as a way to demonstrate the two generals proficiency as fighters
Even though it’s a small change, it would have been amazing to see them fighting side by side. Character moments like these are what the MCU is essentially built on, so while it’s a minor enough difference for us to not miss too much, it’s also minor enough for us to question why it was removed at all.
Nakia
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After being introduced in Black Panther, Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o quickly gained popularity as she established herself as a skilled fighter and more than the usual MCU love interest with fans hoping to see her in future MCU installments. However, the character was noticeably absent in Infinity War leaving many to question whether or not she would appear in Endgame and leaving just as many disappointed when she didn’t.
According to concept art, it appears the writers intended to have her in the movie, specifically in the female team-up shot which was a nod at the A-force team from the comics. While it was never stated by anyone working on the films why the character didn’t show up, scheduling conflicts were likely to blame.
Vormir Battle
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In Endgame, we see Hawkeye and Black Widow travel to Vormir to acquire the soul stone, resulting in Black Widow sacrificing herself. Those scenes ended up being some of the slower ones of the movie with the only conflict coming from them arguing about who was going to be the one to jump. That was not always the case, Thanos was originally going arrive on the planet and attempt to stop them which would have added to the tension of the scene.
In the art, the two can be seen crouching behind rocks in an effort not to be spotted by Thanos and them facing off against his army of outriders when they are inevitably caught. While we would have appreciated an extra Thanos fight sequence, we are glad that Black Widow was given a more emotional send-off.
Giant Ants
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One of Ant-Man’s coolest powers is his ability to communicate with ants. We have seen the character make use of this numerous times in both of his solo movies. However, we could have seen Ant-Man utilize an army of giant ants to help in the battle against Thanos’ forces.
In one concept, Rocket can be seen on the back of one of the ants firing a mounted weapon and in another, a group of the enlarged insects can be seen attacking one of Thanos’ leviathans attempting to bring it down. While this was likely removed to keep the final battle from being too complicated, it would have been interesting for Scott’s allies to join the fight.
Hulk’s Rematch
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One of the first things Thanos does when he shows up in Infinity War is beat the Hulk in a fight without even having to resort to using the power stone, so it’s easy to understand why one of the major things fans wanted to see in Endgame was for Hulk to get a rematch. However, when it came out, many were disappointed that, despite other characters like Scarlet Witch getting their moment of revenge against Thanos, he and Hulk didn’t even interact.
Concept art shows Hulk punching Thanos during what seems to be the final battle of the film which would have provided the moment that fans were hoping for. Although Hulk wouldn’t have beaten Thanos, considering he couldn’t the first time, it would have been great to see him using some of the intelligence that he gained from merging with Bruce to have more calculated attacks and make the fight a little more even.
The Snap
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Nebula has one of the strongest arcs in the MCU. In 3 movies, we have seen her go from a villain hell-bent on killing her sister to a full-fledged member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It never felt forced or rushed but instead like the natural progression of a character whose actions were based on a search for approval and acceptance. Aside from Iron Man, she is probably the only other character in the movie who could have done the final snap and have it feel just as thematically rewarding. So, while we understand why it had to be Tony, it would have been a satisfying bookend to her story, seeing her go from blindly serving her father only to become the one that ultimately causes his destruction.
Tony And Pepper
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Like most things on this list, another one of the abandoned ideas comes from the film’s final battle. Originally, Tony and Pepper were going to share a kiss in the middle of it. Numerous other characters got their moments of reunion such as Starlord and Gamora. Tony even got a small moment with Peter so it feels strange that the last bit of real interaction between him and Pepper came so much earlier in the film. While we know it would kind of put the final battle on halt for a second as well as take away from the final moment the two share following the snap, it would have been nice if they could have had one more proper conversation before Tony died.
Time Travel
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Several pieces of concept art have indicated dozens of changes to the way time travel was handled in the film. Endgame shows the character zooming through the quantum realm and splitting off in different directions as if they were choosing specific tunnels to venture down.
The unused art depicts much more trippy, abstract effects similar to those in Doctor Strange, even showing what appears to be Captain America falling through time at one point and the characters seemingly being broken down molecule by molecule before a time jump. Some of the concepts for the machine used to activate the time travel show devices that are much smaller than the enormous platform that was used in the movie.
Different Opening
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At the beginning of Endgame, the remaining Avengers travel to Thanos’ garden in an attempt to ambush him and retrieve the stones. Concept art gives a variation of that moment, showing Thanos sitting peacefully with the gauntlet in front of him. The stones and Gauntlet itself seem to be in one piece and not fused to his hand which is much less damaged.
Also, in the art, Bruce is completely Hulked out and not in the Hulkbuster armor. Not to mention that Rhodey, Carol and Rocket are missing. Since it’s such a large departure from what we saw in the movie, it begs the question of what would the rest of it be about if they got the stones in the opening scene?