In both Inglourious Basterds and Fury, Brad Pitt’s characters sport unexplained scars that add a touch of mystery to their backstories. While it isn’t the genre most people think of when his name comes up, Pitt has appeared in many war movies. Some of the most notable Brad Pitt movies in the genre include Allied, the 2004 blockbuster Troy and Netflix’s misfiring comedy War Machine. What’s notable about that lineup is how each film has a subgenre of its own, be it a romantic drama, historical epic or satire.

The most famous Brad Pitt war movies would go to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and David Ayer’s Fury. They might both be set during World War 2 and cast Pitt as the leader of a ragtag group of soldiers, but tonally, they’re quite different. Fury is a gritty action drama, whereas Inglourious Basterds mashes up several genres, and is just as funny as it is shockingly violent. Pitt plays very different characters in both too, with Fury’s Wardaddy being brooding and intense, while Inglourious Basterds‘ Aldo Raine is oddly cheerful and upbeat – especially when carving swastikas into Nazi foreheads.

Brad Pitt’s Most Acclaimed World War 2 Movies Give His Characters Unexplained Scars

Aldo and Wardaddy’s scars hint at their backstories

Aldo is introduced briefing his тιтular Basterds during the movie’s second chapter, and his most notable physical feature is the large scar on his neck. Despite being so prominent, the scar is not mentioned in dialogue and Tarantino himself refuses to explain how Aldo received it. In fact, the Inglourious Basterds‘ screenplay (via imsdb) points out the scar, and that it will never be brought up during the story.

Lt.Aldo has one defining physical characteristic, a ROPE BURN around his neck. As if once upon a time, he survived a LYNCHING. The scar will never once be mentioned.

Tarantino’s mention of a possible lynching is the only hint at what happened to Raine in the past, suggesting he survived an attack by the KKK. The fact nobody ever asks him about it during the story only adds to his mystique, but it’s curious that Fury repeated this detail five years later. Fury reveals that Pitt’s Wardaddy has third-degree burn scars all over his back. This is presumably due to fighting the Nazis, but it’s another character detail that’s left ambiguous.

Like a lot of movie stars, Pitt has some specific habits he’s formed over the years. He tends to touch his face a lot, and most famously, many of his characters love to eat. Having two war movies in a row where his characters have mysterious scars was obviously an unintentional move on the actor’s part, but it’s interesting to note, regardless.

Fury Originally Explained Wardaddy’s Scars During A Deleted Scene

Wardaddy’s cut backstory explains a lot

Fury is largely told from the perspective of rookie soldier Norman (Logan Lerman), who learns some tough lessons about becoming a soldier from Wardaddy. Norman is the one who spots Wardaddy’s burn scars, though he doesn’t ask about them. However, a scene was filmed between the two where Wardaddy not only explains the burns, but also how he became a soldier. He tells the tragic tale of the night he took his girlfriend Rose and his young brother out to a dance, with the alcoholic Wardaddy getting into trouble and starting a fight.

After the sheriff is called, Wardaddy pushed his girlfriend and brother into the car to make a quick getaway. However, the car skidded on some ice, killing Wardaddy’s brother and Rose. In the aftermath, Wardaddy was given the choice to either serve time or join the military and “die for my country.” He took option number two and feels it’s his fate to die in combat. Pitt’s Fury character also reveals to Norman that his ᴅᴇᴀᴅ brother had the same name as him.

This scene and any explanation for the scarring were cut to give Wardaddy to give him an air of mystery. This is a shame, because not only is Pitt very good in this deleted scene, but it’s another example of Wardaddy opening up to Norman in a way he can’t even do with the rest of his crew. It added another layer to one of Pitt’s more complicated characters, though given that Fury already runs a little long, it was an easy scene to remove.

Source: imsdb