10 Ways The MCU Was Almost Unrecognizable
7. Wasp Replacing Black Widow
There are a couple of things about the first Avengers movie that were going to be different. One of those things was the film's single female hero.
As we all know, Black Widow was sole woman on the team in 2012's The Avengers. Sure, Maria Hill was PRESENT, but she's no Avenger.
No, that honor went to Natasha Romanoff, and her role -- and fanbase -- was only expanded on in subsequent films. Finally, she's slated to get her own solo film, which looks absolutely incredible.
Whedon originally wanted the Wasp to fill the "female" slot on the team's roster, because he was worried that scheduling conflicts would prevent Johansson from appearing in the film. Had he replaced Black Widow with the Wasp, the movie may have ended up a bit clunkier. He would have had to focus on introducing an all-new character, whereas Black Widow had already established herself in the MCU with Iron Man 2.
Marvel may not have developed Widow's character like they have. Wasp wouldn't have made her much-anticipated debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Black Widow's sacrifice (had it happened at all) wouldn't have meant nearly as much, since she wouldn't have been a founding Avenger.