20 Insane MCU Moments Marvel Didn't Show
13. The First Female Supervillain (Iron Man 3)
Although the promotion and trailer of Iron Man 3 implied The Mandarin was the main villain, the film revealed he was simply a stooge. The real mastermind behind destroying Iron Man's legacy was Guy Pearce's character, Aldrich Killian.
Considering The Mandarin is Iron Man's nemesis and one of the most iconic Marvel villains, it's quite surprising that studio executives allowed the director, Shane Black, to write the character as nothing more than a red herring. Many die-hard fans were disappointed they didn't get to see the real Mandarin and found Black's decision to be disrespectful and controversial.
But Black caused more controversy than you realise since he wanted Killian to be played by a woman. At the time, there hadn't been a single female arch-villain in any MCU film and Black wanted to break the mould. Marvel CEO, Ike Perlmutter, vetoed this decision because he was under the impression female toys don't sell. (He also desperately fought against having Captain Marvel and Black Widow appearing in MCU films.)
Sadly, the MCU didn't get their first female arch-villain until Cate Blanchett played Hela in Thor: Ragnarok.