After 11 years and 22 movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “Infinity Saga” has come to a close. However, in that time, countless rumors about everything from casting to plot points to major character deaths have emerged, some of which were true and some of which were far from it.
That being said, we here at Epicstream wanted to commemorate the end of the “Infinity Saga” by revisiting 10 MCU rumors that turned out to be false:
Avengers vs. Skrulls
In the lead-up to the MCU’s first big team film, 2012’s The Avengers, it was believed that the main antagonists would be the shape-shifting Skrulls. Not only that, but the rumor also posited that the aliens would brainwash the Hulk and use him against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Soon after this rumor surfaced, though, director Joss Whedon shot it down, and as we now know, the aliens used in the final film ended up being the Chitauri.
Iron Man Meets the Guardians of the Galaxy
At one point in the comics, Iron Man built a suit capable of space travel and as such, he set off to the cosmos and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. Naturally, that, along with a deep-space Iron Man action figure, helped fuel a rumor that Iron Man 3 would end with Tony Stark going off-planet and meeting the Guardians ahead of the team’s 2014 debut film. As it turns out, though, the rumor was just that: a rumor.
Infinity War and Endgame Cameos
No MCU films spawned more rumors than Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. However, outside of character deaths, the most popular rumors centered on who would make cameo appearances in one, or both, of the films. Some of the more popular names that were thrown around were Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver, Lee Pace’s Ronan the Accuser, Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, Michael Rooker’s Yondu, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross and Cate Blanchett’s Hela. Furthermore, there was a time when it was believed that characters from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Defenders and Inhumans might make the jump to the big screen. And let’s not forget characters who aren’t in the MCU proper yet, such as Silver Surfer, Death, Adam Warlock, Richard Rider/Nova, Thane, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, etc.
Red Hulk Is in Civil War
When fans learned William Hurt would reprise his role as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, it didn’t take long for rumors of him taking on his comic book alter ego of Red Hulk to surface. After all, the Green Goliath took off at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which meant there was a significant Hulk shortage. However, while directors Joe and Anthony Russo considered the possibility of a Red Hulk appearance, it never came to be.
The Death of Captain America
Heading into Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, rumors that Captain America would bite the bullet were in no short supply. In the case of Civil War, it stemmed from Cap dying at the end of the comic book event the film was loosely based on. For Infinity War, some believed he’d be one of the heroes who was snapped away by Thanos, only to return in Endgame. And, for Endgame, it was expected that Steve Rogers would make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. In the end, though, Captain America finally got the happy ending he deserved.
Nathan Fillion as Nova
Fans have been patiently waiting for Richard Rider, aka Nova, to make his MCU debut for years now. In fact, many thought it would happen as far back as 2014 when it was revealed that Firefly star Nathan Fillion had a mystery role in Guardians of the Galaxy, a film that would feature the Nova Corps. Sadly, Fillion merely played the blue alien prisoner who gets a pair of branches shoved up his nose by Groot.
Mar-Vell Is Star-Lord’s Dad
Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, the revelation that Peter Quill/Star-Lord was only half Terran led many to believe he was the son of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. Instead, though, we learned he was the son of Ego the Living Planet, which is actually far less believable than the rumor itself.
The Soul Stone Is in Wakanda
It didn’t take long for five of the six Infinity Stones to appear in the MCU. However, after Doctor Strange, which introduced the Time Stone, fans were left wondering where the sixth and final MacGuffin, the Soul Stone, was located. After Thor: Ragnarok came and went without introducing it, it seemed only natural that the Soul Stone was in Wakanda. After all, Black Panther was the final film before Avengers: Infinity War and it featured the ancestral plane known as the Djalia, which seemed like the perfect place to hide the Soul Stone. In fact, that brings us to the next rumor on our list…
The Decimated Are in the Soul World
After Avengers: Infinity War, fans were left wondering what exactly happened to the victims of Thanos’ snap. Were they dead? Were they in the Quantum Realm? Or, as one widely popular rumor posited, were they trapped in the Soul Stone? After all, that’s where Thanos found a young Gamora immediately after the snap. However, as we learned in Avengers: Endgame, the decimated truly were dead.
Avengers: Endgame Sets Up the MCU’s Next Big Bad
Before Avengers: Endgame hit theaters, the Russo Brothers confirmed it would be the end of the “Infinity Saga.” However, given the serialized nature of the MCU films thus far, many believed Endgame would not only close out one chapter of the MCU but also set up the next by introducing, or at the very least teasing, a new threat for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to face. As we learned, though, there was no Doctor Doom; no Galactus; no Kang the Conqueror. Instead, Endgame was a fitting conclusion to 11 years of films, and we’ll likely have to wait until Phase 4 to see where the MCU is headed next.