All The Avengers: Infinity War Deleted Scenes (& Why They Were Cut)

Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most packed MCU films to date, so it’s to be expected that it has several deleted scenes that were left on the editing room floor. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo with a script written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the 2018 Marvel Studios blockbuster started the two-part culmination of the Infinity Saga. Set two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, the movie brought together all pockets of the franchise as the heroes geared up for the arrival of Thanos.

Featuring almost all active characters in the MCU, Infinity War was one of the biggest ensemble projects in the franchise. But aside from focusing on the heroes, the movie was also tasked to properly debut the Mad Titan as the primary villain of the Infinity Saga. While Marvel Studios had started teasing the existence of Thanos as early as Phase 1, followed by various appearances in subsequent films, Infinity War marked his proper introduction to the universe. With that, it was burdened with establishing his motivations for wanting to collect the Infinity Stones and snap half of life out of existence.

For the most part, Infinity War pulled its massive story off, killing major characters such as Loki along the way. It also effectively set the stage for the events of Avengers: Endgame. But given the flick’s limited run time of two hours and 40 minutes, as well as other factors, some scenes and ideas had to be scrapped off from its theatrical cut.

Happy Nags About Tony Stark and Pepper Potts’ Wedding

Tony Stark’s first appearance in Infinity War took place in the park as he and Pepper Potts went for a jog while also subtly discussing their future as a married couple. In the film, Iron Man confessed to dreaming about having a kid named Morgan, though his fiancee shot down the possibility that they’re expecting. In an extended version of this scene, however, the pair go through a more animated conversation that mentions planning their wedding. Meanwhile, Happy Hogan drives by on his golf cart, suggesting that they just elope because the media circus regarding the occasion is driving him crazy. This was the only appearance of Jon Favreau in Infinity War, but in the end, it was cut, potentially due to time constraints.

Wanda and Vision Hide From The Black Order

The Scotland-set fight between Wanda and Vision, and Black Order members Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight in Infinity War was meant to be longer. Before Captain Rogers, Falcon, and Black Widow arrived on time to help their fellow Avengers, MCU’s star-crossed lovers were set to share a heart-pumping moment amidst the onslaught from Thanos’ minions. In the deleted scene, Wanda and Vision hide from their adversaries who are after the Mind Stone. Since nothing really significant was happening in the scene and it didn’t move the story forward, it was scrapped.

Thanos And Gamora’s Intense Confrontation

After Thanos successfully abducted Gamora in Knowhere, the pair were supposed to have a longer conversation about their complicated relationship as father and daughter. In the Infinity War deleted scene, the Mad Titan uses the Reality Stone to recreate a memory back when his adopted child was still his best soldier. But while Thanos seems to genuinely want to reach out to his favorite daughter, Gamora, she’s repulsed at the idea of helping him. She confronts him for being forced to do things she didn’t want to for the sake of his goals. Although this bit would’ve helped better establish the dynamic between the characters, it’s almost a repeat of their exchange in Infinity War‘s final cut, albeit with some changes in dialog. Given this, the filmmakers opted to nix this version to prevent any redundancy.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Finds Out About Titan’s Coordinates

Another deleted scene from Infinity War reveals the aftermath of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s failure in Knowhere. Disgruntled, Star-Lord confronts Drax who turned off his Zune player which was playing Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove.” This commotion runs longer as the pair continues to argue while moving around the Benatar. Their conflict is interrupted when Mantis accidentally points out they have an important secret coded message from the vengeance-seeking Nebula, informing them that Thanos is taking Gamora to Titan. As typically chaotic of the Guardians of the Galaxy as this scene is, much of it didn’t factor into Infinity War‘s story. The argument between Drax and Star-Lord drags a little bit longer, and while it would’ve been great to learn how they ended up in Titan, there’s no need to explicitly show it.

Iron Man and Doctor Strange Swap Costumes

While the Guardians of the Galaxy made their way to Titan, the New York-based Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man were aboard the Q-Ship from Earth in Infinity War. As they faced off with Ebony Maw, there’s a moment in the spacecraft where Iron Man and Doctor Strange switch suits. Tony Stark wears the Cloak of Levitation, while Stephen Strange dons an armor. Co-writer, Stephen McFeely even shared a behind-the-scenes image of Benedict Cumberbatch wearing a practical chest plate for this scene. This would’ve been a cool moment to see on the big screen, especially given the many similarities between the snarky heroes. No word, however, from the filmmakers why this moment was cut from the blockbuster, although chances are, the reason had something to do with making it as concise as possible.

Thanos Facing The Living Tribunal

Revealed by Infinity War writers, Markus and McFeely, the Living Tribunal was going to appear in the movie at one point. As it turns out, during Doctor Strange and the purple villain’s one-on-one in Titan, the sorcerer “blew Thanos’ mind and sent him through the mindscape.” There, the Mad Titan faced the Living Tribunal “who judged him guilty of his crimes.” A piece of concept art from Eleni Roussos’ “The Art of Avengers: Infinity War” depicts this scrapped moment from the movie as Doctor Strange essentially does to Thanos what the Ancient One did to him the first time he arrived at Kamar-Taj. Infinity War was already chock-full of characters, and introducing one while catering to its massive cast could prove disastrous. Additionally, Marvel Studios might want a significant player like The Living Tribunal to properly debut in the MCU, with his first appearance not going to simply be through a cameo.

Thanos Sucking The Avengers’ Souls In Titan

One of the most fun action sequences in Infinity War took place on Titan, where Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to take on Thanos. At one point during the fight, the Mad Titan was supposed to use the Soul Stone to separate the heroes’ souls from their physical bodies. Subsequently, Doctor Strange enters the Astral plane and reaches out to Peter Parker and Mantis to inform them about what just happened. He also warns them that if they don’t do anything about it quickly, the affected heroes can die. This would’ve been cool to see on the big screen since the Soul Stone was barely used in both Infinity War and Endgame. But, ultimately, it may have been deleted for run-time purposes.

Hulk Comes Out Of The Hulkbuster

The introduction of Smart Hulk took place during the five years between Infinity War’s ending and much of Endgame. However, originally, it was tipped to happen in the former film. Throughout the 2018 movie, the green-rage monster refused to come out following Thanos beating him at the start of the movie. This left Bruce Banner to fend on his own during the battle of Wakanda, and he remained in his human form going into Endgame. But, in a deleted scene, not only does the Hulk burst out of the Hulkbuster, but he was also supposed to have a quiet moment with Natasha Romanoff where she tries to calm him down. To Black Widow’s surprise though, the Hulk suddenly speaks in straight English. The scene is too comical considering what’s happening in Avengers: Infinity War at this point. Cutting it from the theatrical version worked for the best.

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