The Cutting Room floor is home to many great moments audiences will never get to see. When a movie is being edited, it’s inevitable that some quality material is going to get trimmed with the fat. That is especially true when a huge blockbuster is getting put together. It might be something as simple as a cool special effect being lost or as big as leaving out the emotional core of someone’s performance. Things will get cut, and that goes double for any superhero movies.
Superhero Movies, having the benefit of decades of stories to draw from, often put in easter eggs and shout-outs to huge parts of their source material. Stories that fans know are a huge deal will get referenced, only for this extra stuff to get axed from the finished product. With the rise of cinematic universes, this phenomenon has only increased. However, in some cases, these cuts might have been a good thing.
We’ve tracked down 25 tantalizing deleted scenes from Superhero movie favorites. While we did take the obvious DCEU and MCU movies, there are a couple of other surprises in here for fans of all superhero films. If these scenes had stayed in the final cut of these movies, things would have gone way differently. Beloved characters would have lived, series lore would be upended, and sequel stories would get teased. Take a trip through the looking glass and imagine the world with these scenes intact.
Here are 25 Superhero Movie Deleted Scenes That Would Have Changed Everything.
The MCU Miles Morales - Spider-Man Homecoming
Since Marvel Studios got the rights to Spider-Man back, fans have been wondering if we might see the Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales, on screen. There was even a fan campaign to get comedian and rapper Donald Glover to play the character. Glover did get a part in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Miles’ criminal uncle Aaron Davis.
That seemed like all fans would get, but a deleted scene would have provided more. Not much happens in the scene, mostly just Davis struggling with being webbed to his car by Spidey, but one point he calls “Miles” to tell him he’s going to be late. Fans were one joke shy of having their favorite alternate Spider-Man confirmed in the MCU.
Lex Luthor Contacts Steppenwolf - Batman Vs. Superman
Batman Vs. Superman was originally intended to set up Justice League more than it did. The biggest push would have been this scene. An armed team finds Lex Luthor inside the Kryptonian ship and see him speaking with a large horned figure with three boxes.
This would be Steppenwolf and the Mother Boxes, the villain and McGuffin of Justice League. Director Zack Snyder called this scene his version of a Marvel post-credits scene and cut it from the movie to be released online later. While its inclusion probably wouldn’t have helped Batman Vs. Superman, the scene would have helped build hype for Justice League.
The Joker Subplot - Suicide Squad
Despite being a big deal in the film’s marketing, Jared Leto’s Joker was barely in Suicide Squad. What was in there angered fans by not showing how toxic his relationship with Harley Quinn was. The original cut didn’t hold back though, showing him subject her to electroshock torture and put the Joker’s sadism on display.
Fans may have been more willing to accept Leto’s take if these extended scenes had been left in. Director David Ayer’s original vision for the character was much closer to the comics. These scenes were likely cut during the studio’s re-edit of Suicide Squad. Given how dark and brutal they are, they didn’t fit the lighter tone Warner Bros. wanted.
The Hulk Accidentally Finds Captain America - The Incredible Hulk
It was only the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but The Incredible Hulk was already weaving the threads of movies to come. This alternate opening would have provided a big one. In the scene, Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) treks into the Arctic to take his own life.
The Hulk comes out before he can, causing a glacier to collapse and revealing, for a split-second, Captain America, who is frozen in the ice. If you blink, you’ll miss it. The attempt would later get a mention in The Avengers but it’s doubtful the Hulk’s encounter with Cap is still canon. Still, it’s cool to see Marvel plotting a bigger picture even back then.
Quicksilver Survives - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Quicksilver’s passing in Age of Ultron felt like a big deal. It was the first time one of the superheroes, one of the Avengers no less, passed during the movie. In one cut of the film though, the speedster actually survived to the movie’s end. Director Joss Whedon revealed during an interview that they’d shot an alternate version where Quicksilver would have been alongside his sister and the other new Avengers at the film’s end.
Whedon described another scene where Quicksilver simply woke up and announced he was fine, but from his tone, the director might have been joking. The character’s passing was ultimately left in to make the heroes’ victory feel more earned.
Thor’s Magic Hot Tub - Avengers: Age of Ultron
One of the more confusing parts of Age of Ultron was Thor going off to have an ominous dip in a cave pool. Then he comes back later really worried about Infinity Stones. What was going on there? This deleted scene helped explain things better.
In the scene, Thor and Dr. Selvig visit the Norn pool, where spirits who can see the future possess you, to figure out how to stop Ultron. Not only did the scene explain the Infinity Stones, but it also foreshadowed both Quicksilver’s passing and the growing threat of Thanos. Upon seeing it, many fans said the scene should have been left in because it made the convoluted plot make more sense.
Loki’s Meeting with The Other - The Avengers
Thanos’ appearance in the Avengers’ stinger was a cool surprise, but given how important he’d become it would have been nice to get some setup. Setup is exactly what this deleted scene provides. While the big purple dude doesn’t appear himself, Loki has a meeting with Thanos’ servant the Other who lays out pretty clearly what will happen if the God of Mischief fails.
It also establishes Thanos as a more cosmic threat. If included, it would have made the stinger pop even more. It also would have given greater impact on Loki’s meeting with Thanos in Infinity War and explain why he spent two Thor movies hiding out from the Mad Titan.
Wolverine Meets Spider-Man - Spider-Man
Way back in 2002, the idea of a cinematic universe was a crazy dream. Crossovers were rare and superheroes stuck to their own continuity. However, for one brief shining moment, there was almost a Spider-Man and X-Men crossover. Sort of. During the production of Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man, 20th Century Fox approved of Hugh Jackman doing a cameo as Wolverine in the movie.
That’s all it would have been, but it would still have been awesome back then. Unfortunately, it never came together. According to Jackman, it was because they couldn’t get the Wolverine costume out to him during the brief time he’d be in New York. Oh well.
The Mandarin Is Still Out There - Ant-Man
Many fans are still salty over the Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3, where Ben Kingsley’s take on the classic villain was revealed as a hoax. Marvel Studios even used the All Hail The King short film to retcon the existence of a real Mandarin. There haven’t been many hints of the elusive villain and his organization since, but Ant-Man almost gave fans some.
While Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross discusses his shrinking tech to potential buyers, one of them has a large Ten Rings tattoo on his neck. This is pointed out on commentary for the scene. Three years later, and there is still nothing from the Mandarin.
The Existence Of SWORD - Thor
Thor was the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first step into a bigger, cosmic world. If this alternate ending had been included, that step would have been even bigger. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) are shown working with SHIELD now, and using their resources. Selvig tells the agents to cross-reference data with the SWORD database.
SWORD, in the comics, was SHIELD’S space-based counterpart. They dealt with aliens. While this little mention isn’t much, it would have been interesting to see the larger organization. Given the cosmic scale of Infinity War, we may still in the future.
Wolverine Gets His Comics Costume - The Wolverine
The X-Men movies have always been criticized for their costumes. They never look anything like their comics counterparts, especially Wolverine. It’s a shame that audiences never had a chance to see Hugh Jackman in his classic duds. Well, it was almost going to happen.
In an alternate ending to The Wolverine, Yukio hands Logan a suitcase. Inside is his classic yellow & brown 80s costume, complete with Wolverine’s iconic mask. Director James Mangold said the scene was included to please fans who wanted to see the costume on screen. Those fans would stay disappointed though, as the scene was cut to avoid continuity issues with Days of Future Past.
Stryker Kidnaps Wolverine - X-Men Days of Future Past
Things seemed to be going well for Wolverine at the end of Days of Future Past. His awful future had been prevented and his past self were saved from Weapon X by Mystique impersonating Col. Stryker. Yet he’s back at Weapon X in X-Men: Apocalypse. What happened? An alternate version of the ending, where it really was Stryker and not Mystique, was filmed but not used.
Including that version would have smoothed over the continuity errors, but the Mystique ending was probably used to give Days of Future Past a happy ending. Still, that’s a pretty big plot hole the filmmakers created for themselves. Was Wolverine not supposed to be in Apocalypse?
Bruce Wayne and The Giant Bat - Batman Forever
Fairly or not, Batman Forever is considered a very silly movie. One thing the film does have going for it is an exploration of Bruce Wayne’s psychology. That exploration almost got a spectacular payoff. Late in the film, Bruce Wayne would have forgotten he was Batman only for Alfred to lead him into a deep cave.
There Bruce would have encountered a giant bat, beautifully rendered in practical effects, and reaffirmed his identity as Batman. The scene gives the film some needed depth and pays off the visions of the huge bat Bruce was having throughout. Why was it cut then? Many believe the studio was worried the scene was too dark for kids.
The Mother Box - Wonder Woman
Given the negative response to Batman Vs. Superman, it’s understandable Warner Bros. didn’t push the DCEU connections too much in Wonder Woman. That did mean cutting another tease for Justice League though. A Marvel-style stinger, the unused epilogue shows Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) talking with Wonder Woman’s allies from the film about a new mission.
They’re to transport something ancient and powerful out of Europe, and a document shows that to be a Mother Box. This scene would have been an effective teaser. Audiences would have gotten an idea of what the Mother Box was ahead of Justice League, where they kind of just show up. It could have built some hype.
The Joker’s Face On The Money - Batman
The Joker tossing out money from a parade float is one of the most iconic scenes of the 1989 classic. It’s the perfect kind of theatrical prank for the character to pull right before gassing Gotham with Joker Toxin, but the punchline was unfortunately cut from the movie.
During the scene, it was supposed to be revealed that the money the Joker was tossing out was fake. His face was on all the bills. This was actually foreshadowed by a line of dialogue earlier in the movie. Though cut, this detail remained in both the film’s comic book adaptation and novelizations. The prop Joker money can still be found on auction sites and at Planet Hollywoods.
The Original Nuclear Man - Superman 4: The Quest For Peace
The Nuclear Man is one of the few redeeming qualities of this turkey. An evil clone (sort of) of Superman, he at least looks fun and creates some campy fight scenes. But originally there were going to be two Nuclear Men. The blonde one audiences know would have been Lex Luthor’s second attempt.
His first would create a bumbling oaf in black, played by Game of Thrones actor Clive Mantle. Looking like a sequined Frankenstein, this Nuclear Man would get into one fight with Superman before being destroyed. The character was cut after bad test screenings. If he’d been included, it would have only made the film sillier.
Jor-El passes away Again - Superman 2
Superman’s relationship with his powers is weird in Superman 2. He gives them up so he can be with Lois Lane and then gets them back so he can fight General Zod and co. Well, this decision was going to have more impact in Director Richard Donner’s original version.
In that version, when Superman needs his powers back, the big floating head of Superman’s dad Jor-El tells him that he can only do so at the cost of his own existence. To get his powers, Superman must move forward without his father’s guidance. This version would have added some emotional depth to the story. However, pay disputes with Jor-El’s actor Marlon Brando kept it from happening.
THE SKULL COWBOY - THE CROW
One of the strengths of this independent comic adaptation is how the mythology is kept vague. It’s never really explained how or why Eric Draven comes back from the afterlife, just that it has something to do with his crow companion.
An earlier version of the film was a bit more spelled out though. Director Alex Proyas shot several scenes with a character called the Skull Cowboy, played by The Hills Have Eyes’, Michael Berryman. The Cowboy would have been Eric’s supernatural guide instead of the crow, which would have been a servant of his. Proyas ultimately scrapped the idea, but the unfinished footage can be found online.
The Mary Jane Subplot - Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was already juggling a lot with three different villains. That they tried to throw a second love interest in there was crazy. There was much fan speculation and discourse when it was announced that Shailene Woodley (Divergent, The Fault In Our Stars) had been cast as Mary-Jane Watson in the superhero sequel.
When her entire character was cut from the movie, there was even more. Some believed a fan backlash may have been responsible, but Director Marc Webb explained that the film was just too stuffed. Something had to go and Mary Jane was the least essential. She was mostly there to create friction between Spidey and Gwen Stacy.
THE ORIGIN OF BANE - THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
People were split on whether Tom Hardy’s Bane was faithful to the comics, but he was certainly memorable. Part of that was the mystery of him. Where did he come from? Why did he need the mask? Well, Director Christopher Nolan planned on giving some answers.
The film’s costume designer revealed there was a sequence early on that would have revealed Bane’s origins. It would have shown the young villain chained up like an animal and beaten by the League of Shadows. Audiences also would have seen the injuries to his face and early versions of Bane’s mask. No footage has been released, but it would have provided more insight into an enigmatic character.
