Captain America: Civil War Almost Had a Very Different Ending

Captain America: Civil War featured an intense battle between Captain America and Iron Man during its climax and it was considered as one of the key moments in the MCU that would lead to the eventual temporary disbandment of Earth's mightiest heroes. But as it turns out, that almost did not happen.

Per Slash Film, according to the newly-released book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, the Marvel Creative Committee did not want Captain America and Iron Man to fight during the film's climax, Instead, they wanted the Avengers to reunite and battle the super soldiers in a secret Hydra facility in Siberia that Baron Zemo led them to.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, co-writer Stephen McFeely, and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige were against the idea. "We had to do a draft where they had a fight in a submarine base with five super soldiers," McFeely recalled. Joe Russo added, "We kept saying, 'There's nothing interesting about that film. We're not here to make that movie. We're not interested in telling another superhero story.'"

The clash between the filmmakers and the committee went all the way to Disney Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn, who sided with Marvel Studios at the end. Just a little later, the corporate structure at Marvel changed when Feige was no longer required to answer to the committee anymore and instead reported directly to Horn.

Also Read: The Story of Marvel Studios Book Confirms Agent Carter is Canon, Author Says Agents of SHIELD is Not

We can pretty much say that we're relieved that the film actually ended the way it did. If they went on the ending that the creative committee wanted, the "civil war" would have just been pointless and you can also say that the MCU itself would have been very different. The disbandment of the Avengers at the end was a huge factor in why Avengers: Infinity War ended with the heroes failing to save the world. If the Avengers made up by the end of Civil War, as Joe Russo indicated, it would just be yet again another typical superhero story.