The Real Reason These Characters Weren't In Your Favorite Superhero Movies

Once resigned to comic store lineups and the mildewed basement collections, superheroes are now a multi-billion dollar enterprise with global recognition and a massive fan base. As a result, countless classic and obscure heroes from Marvel, DC, and other illustrated worlds have now debuted on the big screen. Of course, some of our favorite comic heroes are still waiting for their chance to shine, while others were chopped out of popular features due to time or overcrowding. Usually these absences make sense, but not always.

One of Marvel's first breakout characters and strongest early female characters is Gwyneth Paltrow's Virginia "Pepper" Potts. Introduced in the first Iron Man, Pepper quickly outgrew her assistant role, becoming a true equal to Tony Stark. Sadly, in spite of receiving her own Rescue suit, Pepper never got a chance to shine beyond the Iron Man movies.

Many of us hoped she'd drop by for at least a moment during the clash of the titans of Captain America: Civil War. Alas, she was nowhere to be found, breaking up with Tony off-screen at the beginning of Civil War. In part, her absence was due to her three-film contract with Disney and Marvel running its course. But there was another reason Stark's beloved adviser was left out of the superhero fray: her role as Tony's voice of reason.

During the Civil War commentary, screenwriter Stephen McFeely and co-director Joe Russo dug into the rationale behind the dynamic duo's abrupt breakup. Tony needed a reason to be at-odds with the world so that when he learns Bucky Barnes is responsible for the death of his parents, he pops off. As Russo explained, Stark needed to be "off-balance" and "really emotionally vulnerable. So, Pepper is out of his life. It clearly is an issue for him." Pepper was a colossal positive influence on Stark. Without her presence, not only is Tony unstable, but has no one to talk him down from the rash, authoritarian, and very punchy actions that ensue.

Say what you will about Joss Whedon, but his stories are usually crisp, his movies and TV offerings are fandom-friendly and often next-level, and he champions strong women in media. When Whedon assembled the Avengers for their showdown with robo-James Spader in Age of Ultron, he faced any number of challenges, such as bringing Fox-Disney shared "mutant" darlings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch onto the roster. The inclusion and subsequent (spoiler) death of Quicksilver worked out well for Marvel, if a tad confusing. Whedon even got to bring his own vision for The Vision into focus, but there was one character he sought that didn't make the final cut: Captain Marvel.

Unlike Spider-Man, who Whedon also wanted but was a victim of those pesky property rights, until recently anyway, Captain Marvel had no such hitches. She was free and clear by Marvel Legal, but this time Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige put the brakes on. Far from hating-on Carol Danvers, Feige wanted to keep the ultra-powerful heroine in the wings, because he feared she'd become just another face in a sea of Avengers.

Feige instead felt the need to properly introduce Captain Marvel, rather than throwing her against the character wall and hoping she stuck. And while the Marvel Cinematic Universe is sorely lacking in super-heroines, we certainly agree that Ms. Danvers deserves a properly grandiose introduction.

With the exception of Marvel's dedicated cosmic readership, Guardians of the Galaxy came out of left field. The interstellar exploits of its ragtag crew also introduced movie-goers to a whole new wacky world of space cases, in addition to an new universe of quirky characters.

In the months leading up to the first Guardians, Marvel Cosmic aficionados were elated to learn that the Nova Corps would play a major role in it. Many assumed that meant the original Nova, Richard Rider, would drop by, at least for a cameo. When John C. Reilly's character was revealed as Rhomann Dey — who inducted Rider into the galactic police force — we assumed the costumers were already fitting Richard's gold spacesuit. Unfortunately, Rider never materialized in the movie, leaving many wondering if and when Marvel would bring the classic cosmic defender into the fold.

Director James Gunn clearly had his hands full with five main characters, in addition to a host of ancillary cast members. Although Rider made it into earlier drafts, he wound up cut from the final script, mostly because Marvel head Kevin Feige and Gunn decided to "eliminate Nova [Rider] and go full-on with Peter Quill's story." Seems they felt one roguish, Han Solo-esque Earthling was more than enough. Richard was also left on the sidelines for the Guardians sequel, but Gunn did mention the possibility of a Nova movie in future, although not directed by him. Perhaps he isn't much of a Rich Rider fan after all.

Captain America: Civil War was an exemplar when it came to superhero team-up movies. It blended the mild intrigue of the Cap's series thus far with the loosely adapted Civil War comic book story into a bang-up popcorn flick with some emotional teeth. The thirteenth MCU entry also introduced several characters, while recapturing the Avengers feel. Astute viewers and die-hards alike may have noticed something — or really, someone(s) — missing from the superhero scrapper. Mark Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk and Chris Hemsworth's mighty Thor were nowhere to be seen.

As it turns out, Hulk was originally involved in the film, as a post-credit sequence, but his spot in the script was chopped for time and relevance. Thor, on the other hand, was very busy networking, on the hunt for clues about his missing father, and investigating the mysterious identity of the "purple man in the floating chair." Semi-officially, the green-and-Norse one-two punch was also uninvited from the superhero party to set up their planned off-world adventures in Thor: Ragnarok.

There's also another, strictly practical reason that the Marvel heavy-hitters didn't make the cut. Civil War scripter Stephen McFeely notes, "you put those guys in a fight, it's over quickly. It's like, 'Well, we have the Hulk on our side.' Oh, fine, then." He makes a good point too: nothing swings the tide in your favor faster than an Asgardian god with a super-hammer or a nigh-invulnerable giant green rage-machine. While we missed Thor and Hulk's presence, their absence made the riotous Team Thor mockumentary shorts possible, which was totally worth it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, like its predecessor, is an undeniable cosmic smash. Director James Gunn sloughed off Marvel's sequel slump, crafting a poignant and entertaining follow up to his 2014 film. He brings back those lovable "a-holes" for another adventure, while also setting up the next wave of out-of-this-world Marvel films. The second entry also packed in several significant new characters, including Starhawk, Sovereign leader Ayesha, and obscure characters like Mainframe (voiced by Miley Cyrus) and Krugarr. But one old school Marvel favorite was missing: Adam Warlock.

Warlock is an interstellar hero with ties back on Earth. Created as a perfect being by a group of eugenic-loving jerks known as "The Enclave," he skipped out on his makers to check out the multiiverse, kick some Thanos butt, meet his evil doppelganger, and get sucked into the Soul Stone. Sadly, Gunn — who "adores" the character and included him in an early draft of Vol. 2 — was forced to cut "Him" from the overcrowded script. There is a consolation prize, though: in the sequel's second to last post-credit tag, Ayesha seeks revenge against the Guardians by creating a new being, one she dubs "Adam."

Exciting teaser aside, we'll have to be patient for Warlock's arrival. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Adam won't fulfill his comic book destiny and reprise his role from the "Infinity Gauntlet" story line in Avengers: Infinity War. We can scratch one classic Marvel tale from our super-fan radar for now — unless of course, Feige's just blowing smoke. Either way, there are plenty more tales to tell, since the cosmic era of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has only just begun.