Though signs generally indicate that the X-Men are still at least a few more years away from entering the MCU, Kevin Feige initially considered referencing the mutant team along with a certain famed web-slinger back when the cinematic universe was a mere one movie old. What’s more, we’ve got the footage to prove it, as the producer has just revealed an alternate post-credits scene for Iron Man, in which Nick Fury alludes to the two non-Marvel Studios properties.
The deleted scene was unveiled at last night’s Saturn Awards, and will reportedly be included as a bonus feature on the planned “Infinity Saga” box set. In the video below, Feige teases a wealth of unseen material in the Marvel Studios vault that fans may get a chance to witness very soon. We then transition to a deleted scene of Fury’s first encounter with Tony Stark.
At the Saturn Awards, Kevin Feige revealed an alternate version of the post-credits scene from ‘IRON MAN’ with Nick Fury mentioning “mutants” and “radioactive bug bites”. It will be included in the upcoming INFINITY SAGA boxset. (Source: @BRMarvelNews) pic.twitter.com/AqzTokEc67
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 14, 2019
Samuel L. Jackson’s character opens his speech by complaining about the new superhero he now has to deal with, remarking, “[a]s if gamma accidents, radioactive bug bites and assorted mutants weren’t enough.” In that one line, we hear clear references to Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men, suggesting that in this alternate ending, Iron Man occupied a world where Sony and Fox’s respective superheroes are already established.
Of course, given our current understanding of the MCU, there are a ton of reasons why these references don’t make sense. After all, it would be another eight years before Sony and Marvel managed to bring Spider-Man into the Infinity Saga, and again, we’re still waiting for the X-Men to make their debut. With that in mind, you have to wonder how Marvel Studios even hoped to follow through on their tease if Iron Man had ended up using this final scene, but perhaps that’s a question for Feige to address some other time.