How 10 Cancelled MCU Deaths Would’ve Changed Phase 5 & Onwards

The Marvel Cinematic Universe could’ve been a very different-looking place if plans to kill off several major characters came to fruition. No stranger to death, Marvel Studios frequently kills off major players either to produce satisfying conclusions to their heroic journeys in the story or to work around events surrounding their actors in the real world. Some of the most impactful deaths include Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame, Vision in Avengers: Infinity War, and the death of The Black Panther in between his eponymous movies.

That being said, the MCU has frequently brought back killed-off characters, meaning death has somewhat less permanence in the world of the films. Still, all on-screen deaths Marvel Studios has chosen to use have been impactful, whether they really kill off the character in question or not. If the original ideas for many characters’ deaths throughout the franchise were allowed to go forward, the roster of the universe would look incredibly different today, and the impact felt by these deaths would drastically alter the course of the following movies and series.

10 Loki

Not only has Loki become a fan-favorite villain, he’s also one of the most iconic characters the series has produced to date. Thor’s less-than-heroic brother and the first proper Avengers villain, Loki’s story within the MCU was originally going to be much shorter. Loki was meant to meet his end at the hands of the Dark Elves in Thor 2: The Dark World, perishing in a climactic battle on Svartalfheim. Test audiences actually refused to believe this death (via Entertainment Weekly), undercutting the impact entirely and causing Marvel Studios to allow Loki to live another day.

Loki’s death this early on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would’ve had a profound effect that would still be felt today should it have gone through. For one, the Disney+ Loki series, which set up important future elements for Phase 5, such as the introduction of the multiverse and Kang the Conqueror, would’ve been much less likely to air. Additionally, the impact of Thanos killing Loki in Avengers: Infinity War would’ve been lost, a far more heartbreaking scene. Luckily, the death of an important character like Loki didn’t happen in what is largely considered a filler MCU film.

9 Hawkeye

Despite being a founding member of the original Avengers team, Hawkeye is the only one to have never received a standalone film. Fans of the character may have been frustrated with his longtime status as strictly a supporting cast member, a frustration that has been shared with his actor, Jeremy Renner. Though it was only his second on-screen appearance as Hawkeye, Renner himself asked for the character to be killed off in the first Avengers film (via RadioTimes), jokingly faking heart attacks on-set to goad the filmmakers into releasing him from the character.

As the directors didn’t relent to Renner’s suggestions, Hawkeye went on to appear in many films, even finally getting his time in the spotlight with the Hawkeye Disney+ series. Though seemingly a minor character compared to other Avengers, Hawkeye’s death would’ve prevented him from mentoring Kate Bishop, and would’ve diluted the importance of Black Widow’s death in Avengers: Endgame thanks to their close relationship. Hawkeye still has room to grow in the MCU, perhaps more so than any other Avenger, which audiences would’ve never had the chance to see should he have been prematurely killed.

8 Wong

Powerful sorcerer and Doctor Strange’s faithful partner in the mystic arts, Wong is a beloved character who has gone on to make many appearances scattered throughout the MCU. As of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Wong had actually become Sorcerer Supreme, surpassing Doctor Strange in title during the five years he was absent in the wake of Thanos’ snap. Though he lives in the current MCU canon, Wong was formerly supposed to be killed in The Scarlet Witch’s rampage in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Since that film, Wong went on to appear in She-Hulk, helping to establish the burgeoning superhero lawyer as both a witness and a client. Having frequently appeared in a supporting role in other characters’ standalone stories, such as Spider-Man and Shang Chi, it’s likely audiences will only be seeing more of him. While he has yet to take the spotlight himself, killing off Wong would’ve robbed audiences of this possibility, not to mention leaving the title of Sorcerer Supreme up for grabs.

7 Happy Hogan

Tony Stark’s personal bodyguard and longtime friend, Harold “Happy” Hogan, was one of those most affected by Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame. However, Happy himself was slated to perish in the explosion of an Extremis-infected soldier in Iron Man 3 (via Comicbook.com). The plans for this death were only scrapped when Happy Hogan’s actor, distinguished director John Favreau, personally wrote a letter to the chief of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, asking him to reconsider.

Thanks to John Favreau caring about the character just as much as audiences, Happy was able to live another day. His death would’ve prevented his appearances in other Marvel projects, namely the Spider-Man series, acting as a sort of surrogate mentor in Iron Man’s absence for Peter Parker, not to mention pursuing a somewhat one-sided romance with Aunt May. The role as a representative of Stark Industries after Tony’s death would be left sorely unfulfilled should Happy have been allowed to die as early as Iron Man 3.

6 Gamora

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy series was always running on a parallel track to the MCU, not entirely separated within the cannon. It wasn’t until Avengers: Infinity War that the guardians would interact with the rest of the established cast at large, though this film would have big implications for the series. Director James Gunn had originally planned for Gamora to die, rather than Yondu (via Comicbook.com), during the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

James Gunn only deviated from this plan when informed by Marvel Studios that Gamora was instead to be killed at the hands of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, a pivotal moment in the villain’s development and a heart-wrenching act of betrayal. Had Gamora been allowed to die earlier, Thanos’ ability to retrieve the Soul Stone would’ve been unclear, with no real affection for anyone else in his life worthy of the sacrifice the stone required. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would’ve also been affected, the entire sub-plot of Peter Quill grappling with his grief over the new Gamora displaced from an alternate timeline not being possible.

5 Nick Fury

Director of the Avengers Initiative and the man behind it all pulling the strings, Nick Fury is an indomitable force in the Marvel Universe. One of the most important characters in the series, without Nick Fury’s machinations, many of the key players of the MCU would likely have never met. Though Nick Fury had “died” twice, faking his death once in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and being resurrected after Thanos’ Snap in Avengers: Infinity War, Director Nick Fury almost met a permanent end shortly after.

Concept artist Steven Schirle revealed on Twitter in 2020 that art had been drafted depicting Nick Fury dying in a confrontation with Corvus Glaive, on of Thanos’ lieutenants. Fury’s permanent death would’ve done away with his own flagship series, Secret Invasion, and would’ve left Carol Danvers’ Captain Marvel without a familiar face to integrate her more cleanly into the rest of the Avengers. In addition to those reasons, depicting Nick Fury’s actual death so soon after his fakeout in Captain America: The Winter Soldier likely would’ve been too unbelievable for audiences to swallow.

4 Hank Pym

As a mentor to Scott Lang, genius scientist Hank Pym has passed down the mantle of Ant-Man. That doesn’t mean his days of heroics are over, however, as Pym has gone on to have major roles in every subsequent Ant-Man film. Hank Pym’s most recent appearance is Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was actually supposed to be his last, revealed by the film’s writer, Jeff Loveness (via Backstory Magazine).

This death wouldn’t have been completely permanent, with Hank Pym’s consciousness supposed to be transferred into his ant colony to live on another day, still able to communicate with his family. Though an interesting concept, this death’s lack of consequence lends credence to its ultimate removal from the film. Any future appearances from Hank Pym in the upcoming fight against Kang the Conqueror would’ve been made difficult as a sentient ant colony, and this death would’ve undercut the current possibility of Hank’s demise as a truly tragic event.

3 Thor

Few people have suffered from more loss in the MCU than Thor. Having lived through the deaths of his mother, father, brother, best friends, and former love, Jane Foster, Thor has perhaps been affected the most by character deaths within the MCU. But Thor himself almost didn’t make the cut in Avengers: Endgame, as the Russo brothers illuminated on Josh Horowitz’s Sand and Confused Podcast.

According to the Russo brothers, one of Kevin Feige’s original pitches for Avengers: Endgame resulted in the deaths of all of the “big 3”: Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. In Thor’s case, his compelling journey of self-discovery and battle with grief over the course of subsequent films like Thor: Love and Thunder would’ve been an impossibility, not to mention the power vacuum left in the wake of such a powerful hero. Most importantly, Thor’s adopted godly daughter, Love, would never be introduced, with no chance to shine in future MCU films.

2 Captain America

One of the staple characters that held the MCU together for many years, Captain America had one of the most bittersweet endings in the MCU. Though technically still alive, Steve Rogers was able to retire after the events of Avengers: Endgame, a fitting and well-deserved end to Chris Evans’ career as the character. But along with Thor and Iron Man, he was also nearly killed off in the same film in a shocking conclusion to the Infinity Saga.

So far, the only major character able to peacefully retire from their heroics without outright dying, Captain America’s actual end in Avengers: Endgame was decidedly more satisfying than any death could’ve been. The decision to limit the killing of flagship characters to Iron Man only enhanced the impact of it on audiences. Furthermore, Steve’s untimely death wouldn’t have given him time to name Sam Wilson, The Falcon, as his successor, which would’ve drastically influenced the events of Falcon and The Winter Soldier, with no clear heir to the title of Captain America.

1 Scarlet Witch

As one of Marvel studios’ most powerful characters, Scarlet Witch’s journey has had big implications for the universe at large. Able to rewrite reality at a whim, Elizabeth Olsen’s Wand Maximoff has been central to several storylines across the series. However, Olsen was in the unique position of having no obligation to return to the series after falling prey to Thanos’ snap, her three-picture contract with Marvel studios having been fulfilled (via New York Times).

Elizabeth Olsen remarked that the power to choose to come back for Avengers: Endgame and future projects or not was important agency for her to have. She ultimately did return, playing massive roles in her own focused series, WandaVision, as well as in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While it’s unclear when Elizabeth Olsen will return as Scarlet Witch going forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these critically important roles for her character would be totally defunct should she have been the only person who failed to be resurrected from the snap.