10 Scrapped MCU Scenes We Desperately Wanted To See
6. Maya Hansen Is The Real Villain - Iron Man 3
Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) plays an undeniably pivotal role in Iron Man 3, being the creator of the Extremis virus which Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) intends to use to create an army of super-soldiers.
But the nature of her role was quite different in the original script, as Hansen wasn't the sympathetic-ish character she's depicted as in the final movie, but in fact an outright antagonist.
Shane Black's initial plan was to pull off another bait-and-switch by revealing that Hansen was the real mastermind behind Killian, but when Marvel execs felt that a female villain would harm toy sales, they mandated that Iron Man 3's antagonist be a man.
As such, Hall's role was changed late in the day, ending with her being shot dead by Killian.
Hall has been outspoken about her disappointment with how the role turned out, and considering her strong acting chops, the change feels like a massively missed opportunity.