The MCU almost perfectly predicted the Avengers: Secret Wars superhero roster in its first movie. The franchise has come a long way with its characters, from the first Avengers film only featuring a core team of six to tens of hundreds of heroes showing up to fight for Earth in Avengers: Endgame. With the Multiverse Saga literally spanning timelines and universes, there’s no doubt that the Avengers team roster in Secret Wars will be on its largest scale yet.

MCU fans since Phase 1 likely couldn’t have predicted just how much the Avengers have grown since their initial introduction, but Marvel Studios always had this vision in mind. During Phase 1, they had already been carefully planning the Multiverse Saga and beyond. However, an event they probably couldn’t predict was Disney’s acquisition of Fox, and as a result, Marvel regained the rights to properties like Spider-Man and the X-Men. Of course, they are great additions to the universe, and it means that one cut Iron Man moment gets to come full circle.

The MCU’s Cut Iron Man Lines Set Up Avengers 6’s Team Perfectly

In the official post-credits Iron Man scene, Nick Fury visits Tony Stark to tell him about a team he is putting together. The Avengers Initiative was born, with Fury intending to bring Earth’s strongest heroes together. He tells Tony, “Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe. You just don’t know it yet,” which was Marvel’s subtle way of hinting at their future plans. However, the original version of the scene was supposed to be even more specific, with Fury making direct references to potential future Avengers.

The deleted scene has Fury mentioning “gamma accidents, radioactive bug bites, and ᴀssorted mutants,” which were clear references to Hulk, Spider-Man, and the X-Men. Fury being aware of their presence meant that he had them on his radar, likely wanting to recruit them for the team. The studio cut the lines just to be safe. However, almost two decades later, the deleted Iron Man scene is finally coming to fruition as Hulk, Spider-Man, and the X-Men seem like the very likely candidates for the team roster of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.

Marvel’s Cut Iron Man Movie Lines Show Just How Far The MCU Has Come

The lines were ultimately cut from the scene because of Hulk, Spider-Man, and the X-Men’s rights being under Fox and Sony. At the time, it seemed like such a long sH๏τ that they would ever make it back into the MCU. Although Hulk had an upcoming film, it was unclear how much Marvel would be allowed to incorporate him into the main franchise, and Spider-Man and the X-Men seemed even more distant. Marvel took out Fury’s line just to be safe, yet it manages to make the MCU’s progress all these years later feel even more rewarding.

The franchise has obviously come a long way since Iron Man, setting up storylines that Marvel might’ve deemed impossible all those years ago. At this point, Spider-Man has been in the MCU for almost a decade, and mutants have slowly been making their debut throughout various projects. Avengers: Secret Wars can finally materialize the Avengers roster that Fury had seemingly always dreamed of, which is a feat the studio didn’t think they would ever be able to say in 2008.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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