Changes/Bonus Material
I decided to make a few changes and add some bonus material.
1. Throughout Season 1, the Hulk material builds as teasers and stingers. I used a lot of deleted scenes to help to build suspense for the Hulk’s eventual reveal, using the perspective of those around Bruce without ever showing Bruce himself, to avoid dealing with the casting change. My favorite addition was the stinger to S1E1, where we see Bruce in the arctic and his suicide attempt, along with brief glimpses of the pain and longing that have driven him there. I also LOVE the deleted/extended scenes with General Ross; they’re beautifully written. I think these scenes were deleted for fear of slowing the film down too much, but to me, allowing the characters to wax poetical about their world-views is so compelling that I just had to include them.
2. In S1E3, I cut the entire third act of Iron Man. This was a very radical change, but I made it for a good reason. Most origin stories pit the hero against a darker version of himself. While this was very clear with Iron Monger in Iron Man 1, this trope was basically repeated with Whiplash in Iron Man 2. Although the plot of Iron Man 2 was very crowded and did not give Whiplash his due, given how intertwined the plot lines were, and how the struggle to outsmart Whiplash is so instrumental in driving Tony to delve into his father’s past, I felt that it was more important to set him up as his first major villain. My hope is that the confrontation with the terrorists will suffice as Iron Man’s first victory, given the series format.
3. In S1E5-6, I added a few deleted scenes. After the Thor prologue as the teaser, I chose to begin the episode with the deleted scene of Thor & Loki talking before his coronation; I felt that it was important to establish the adult versions of these characters as brothers before the plot continued. I also added the extended conversation between Loki & Frigga at Odin’s bedside, as well as Loki’s coronation. The original ordering of the dialogue really seemed to flow much more smoothly, and to end it with the actual coronation moment gave Loki a bit more of a bridge from scheming brother to power-hungry tyrant. The brief conflict in Tom Hiddleston’s performance is breathtaking.
4. In S1E7-9, I added a few Cap deleted scenes. The first is his extended introduction to the present day. While this scene was unfinished, and the final product isn’t perfect, I felt that the extended dialogue between Cap and Nick Fury was important, as this scene now takes place later in the series. I also added the extended Cap sequences dealing with the present day, including much of his interactions with the waitress/saving her in the Battle of New York. While these scenes slowed the pacing in the film, I personally felt that we could use the character development for Cap here; his struggle to adjust to modern life, while expounded upon in Winter Soldier, needed more time to really sit with the viewer, as this was the season finale. I also loved how the waitress provided an everyman perspective and connection for the Avengers as a whole, with her “thank you” line at the end becoming a great payoff.
5. In S2E1-3, I used the brilliant “TDW: Hard Forged Edition” fan edit as my base for the Thor arc. This edit includes masterfully integrated deleted scenes that really flesh out the characters and soften some of the edges around the writing. A few of my favorite moments are Thor and Frigga’s brief interaction in the first act, and Thor and Jane’s interaction before her arrest in Episode 2.
However, I did add one moment myself. This fan edit moved the prologue from the beginning of the film to Odin’s discussion of the dark elves with Thor and Jane in the library (Episode 1). To drive home the theme of this season (dealing with demons), I reinserted an unused moment from the prologue. After Thor reminds Odin that he was told that the Aether was destroyed, we see a quick flashback from Odin where his father says to bury it where no one will ever find it. It’s really this decision from Thor’s grandfather that allows the Aether to reemerge during the Convergence in the first place, so I felt that it was important to clarify that moment as the original sin; Thor is now dealing with the consequences of that decision.
6. In S2E2, I added some Iron Man 3 deleted scenes involving EJ, the kid who bullies Harley. I’m still going back and forth on this one. I decided to include this scene for two reasons. First, it directly compares Harley with Tony, facing their personal bullies. Second, at the end of the extended sequence, Harley literally saves Tony’s life, giving more weight to their relationship and actual reason for Harley to say “I saved your life.”
7. In S2E3, I added in part of the alternate ending for Thor: The Dark World, found on the Infinity Saga Box Set bonus disc. Originally, this ending included scene with Odin on Earth and Thor taking his place as King of Asgard. However, to keep with continuity, I selected the middle part of this scene: when Jane breaks up with Thor. I added this conversation in for a couple of reasons. First, the dialogue is quite good, given the journey they’ve been on in this film, and since we never got any kind of heart to heart between the couple in the theatrical cut, I felt it was needed to give their relationship arc some closure. Second, I felt that it was important to set up Jane’s reasons for eventually actually breaking up with Thor, as it’s kind of shrugged off in Ragnarok. Following this scene, I continued with the theatrical ending of Thor giving up the throne. Even though it contradicts the conversation between Thor and Jane, in my head canon, Thor sees Jane’s reasons and at first, he agrees to go to Asgard. However, when he is in front of his father, he realizes that being king isn’t who he is anymore. He doesn’t know where his future will lead, but he chooses Jane in that moment. To me, it seemed natural, and it adds layers to Thor’s journey at this point in the series. The episode is then capped off with his implied return to Earth.
Also in this episode, I added the deleted scene where Maya Hansen sends the AIM data to Tony and is killed via the Extremis plant. To be honest, I felt this scene should have been in the movie. It gave more weight to Maya’s character arc and provided an ironic death; the very thing she worked so hard on took her life.
8. In S2E4-5, I used Bobson Dugnutt’s “WS: Defrosted Edition” as my base, adding in many of the deleted scenes from CA: Winter Soldier. To me, these scenes fleshed out important moments for these characters that better set them up for the future.
9. In S2E6-7, I used several fan edits as sources in order to add in several deleted scenes from the film to slow down the frantic pacing and to better set up future plot points. This includes Thor’s vision in the cave, to which I also made a subtle change to briefly include Thanos himself; this marks Thanos’ only appearance in Season 2 after the brief stinger in Season 1, and I felt it was important to establish him as a looming threat. The power stone is also deleted from this moment, as it has not yet been introduced in the series. I also added some moments for Bruce Banner’s vision before he goes on his rampage to tie him back to his origins in Season 1, and I cut most of Black Widow’s relationship moments with him, especially “the sun’s getting real low” stuff. My goal was to make their relationship much more subtle and to distinguish it from Bruce’s relationship with Betty.
However, I did decide to include their interaction in the bedroom at Hawkeye’s farm. I decided this scene was merited; in my head canon, Black Widow is shaken by her vision, so she reaches out to this other member of the team she’s slowly been connecting with in a moment of weakness/loneliness/desire. I also really struggled because of the controversy around Black Widow’s “monster” line. I eventually came to the conclusion that she’s referring to herself as a monster not because she can no longer have kids, but because she’s been mutilated so she can be a better killer. To her, that’s monstrous. While I do think the scene could have made that clearer, I really appreciated the sentiment she’s conveying here, so I chose to leave it in. Â
One final change I made with BW/Hulk: I re-edited the BW rescue scene so there’s no longer a kiss/push to make Bruce transform into the Hulk. I wanted to give Bruce as much control over his changing as possible so it was easier to track is growth since his origins and set his rage transformation from Scarlet Witch’s vision apart. In the theatrical cut, it’s implied that BW broke trust with Bruce because she needed Hulk. Now, Hulk decides to leave in the end because he can no longer trust Bruce; Bruce views Hulk as a monster and wants him out. Hulk doesn’t trust Black Widow to accept him either, as she hates the monster within herself, so she’s just like Bruce. In my head canon, when Hulk reaches out to touch Black Widow’s face on the screen, that’s Bruce, but then Hulk claims control, shuts off the screen, and sets out into space.
10. In S3E3, I added a brief deleted scene where Janet Van Dyne explains to Hank that the Quantum Realm was more complex than they imagined. I added this because I have a feeling the Quantum Realm will continue to play a larger role in future MCU plans, so I wanted to set up its importance a bit better.
11. In S3E8, I added the alternate ending for Doctor Strange, also found on the Infinity Saga Box Set bonus disc. Thanks to fan editor Bobson Dugnutt for his splendid reasoning in going with this ending. Since this film is centered around Doctor Strange, it made perfect sense to me that the final scene should come full circle, playing on Doctor Strange’s love of music and his playful relationship with Wong. To me, this is a much more character-centric ending. I moved the the theatrical ending to S3E10 as a stinger scene to emphasize the importance of the time stone.
12. In S4E1-2, I restructured Captain Marvel just a bit so that the audience discovers more about Carol’s identity with her. I moved most of her scenes pre-Earth to a brief flashback sequence. I also added a deleted scene where Yon-Rogg talks to the Supreme Intelligence in his own image. I felt that this was crucial to really SHOW, not TELL, how the Supreme Intelligence appears to the Kree. It also really adds some much-needed depth to Yon-Rogg.
13. In S4E3-6, I pruned some of the jokes/gags in both Guardians 2 and Thor: Ragnarok, just to space out the laugh moments and allow the scenes to breathe a bit more. I also had to edit around the “sun’s getting real low” gag, since I cut it in Season 2.
14. In S4E7, I chose to introduce the episode in the teaser with the Guardians’ perspective, when they first come upon the Asgardian shipwreck. This was mainly because we have been following the Guardians more consistently than Thor since last seasons’ finale.
15. Finally, in S4E10, I chose to include a small portion of Black Widow’s alternate death scene, specifically, a small piece of dialogue at the beginning of their conversation. Fact: this scene is one of many Endgame Deleted scenes that are exclusive to Disney Plus, so I had to use a number of methods to obtain HD footage. Unfortunately, the audio isn’t amazing, but it’s the best I could get. The reason I chose to use this opening bit of dialogue was because I felt it established very quickly the logic of Black Widow’s thinking. I felt like the conversation would flow more naturally from intellectual reason to their love for each other. Â
The reason I chose to stick with her theatrical death is because the creators chose to make that change, and I agree that maximum emotional impact is driving from character rather than plot. I feel like even though the scene has its problems, it’s the closest we have to this beautifully tragic scene that Black Widow deserved.