Marvel Cinematic Universe: 10 Biggest Retcons Made By Marvel Studios

Before Joss Whedon signed up to direct The Avengers, the movie boasted a screenplay penned by The Incredible Hulk writer Zak Penn, and it's pretty obvious that his plan was to pit Earth's Mightiest Heroes against The Hulk. The 2008 movie's two post-credits scenes confirmed that, with one showing a smirking Bruce Banner in control of the Jade Giant and the other revolving around a big meeting.

In that, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark approached a dejected General "Thunderbolt" Ross in a bar and filled him in on a team he was helping put together. However, this no longer made sense when Iron Man 2 showed that Nick Fury didn't want Iron Man to be an Avenger, while the 2012 superhero ensemble would put the focus on Loki as the big bad.

Marvel Studios cleverly managed to explain this away with a "One-Shot" short film called The Consultant. In that, it was revealed Fury manipulated Stark, sending him to speak to Ross to ensure the General wouldn't release the Abomination into the hands of the World Security Council, asthey were planning to use him as part of the Avengers Initiative.