Avengers: Endgame - 10 Secrets We Just Learned From The Writers At Comic-Con
Captain America almost lost his head. Literally.
Though it was originally known for its focus on comic-books, San Diego's annual convention has long since been taken over by Hollywood's biggest movies.
The Marvel Studios panel is one of the most hyped film events of the year full-stop, and other genre franchises like Terminator and It also have a presence at this year's show, ensuring that SDCC will remain a primary go-to destination for blockbuster movie fans craving more information on their favourite properties.
But it isn't just upcoming movies that attend. Comic-Con is a celebration of nerd culture as a whole, and a lot of the folks who make our favourite movies, games, TV shows and comic-books host panels every single year, and in 2019, two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's veteran writers did just that.
Infinity War and Endgame scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely recently visited Hall H to discuss each film's creative process, reflecting on their time spent working in the MCU. The two men held an extensive discussion, revealing new details and behind-the-scenes secrets, giving us an insight into how the Infinity Saga's epic finale was constructed, and the various story points that almost made the cut.
10. Smart Hulk Scenes Were Actually Shot For Infinity War
Even though the trailers teased his appearance in the Battle of Wakanda, the last time we saw the "regular" version of the Hulk was in the opening scene of Infinity War, where he got his ass kicked by an armoured Thanos.
But originally, things were planned differently. Smart Hulk was, at one point, going to appear in the final moments of Infinity War, bursting out of the Hulkbuster to take part in the fight against Thanos and his goons. Markus and McFeely discussed this back when Endgame first came out, but now, they've gone one step further and confirmed that some of these scenes were actually shot.
"Smart Hulk was in the third act of Infinity War. We wrote it, we shot it, and went on to shoot most of Endgame, and he achieved union with the Hulk while inside the Hulkbuster. He kicked Cull Obsidian’s ass. But it didn’t work. It was the wrong tone for the movie. But we had already shot Endgame, where he was already Smart Hulk."
The problem with cutting those Infinity War scenes? Banner was already Smart Hulk in Endgame, which had already been shot. So, to explain the character's new look in a quick, to-the-point manner, the diner scene was created, wherein Smart Hulk gives a general overview of his origin to a bemused Scott Lang.