Avengers: Infinity War: Why We Didn't See Thanos' Epic 45-Minute-Long Deleted Scene
"Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame" were a culmination of a decade's worth of storytelling from Marvel Studios, finally paying off the Mad Titan Thanos as the big bad of the Infinity Saga. It makes sense Marvel went all in on these dual chapters, but as it turns out, there could've been more to "Infinity War" if the studio wasn't wary of a longer film.
"Infinity War" opens with Thanos taking over an Asgardian ship already possessing the Power Stone. The audience learns that Thanos kidnapped the gem, shown in "Guardians of the Galaxy," as being tucked away on Xandar and destroyed everything in his path to get it. Thanos comics creator Jim Starlin told Collider how Marvel actually shot the sequence of Thanos taking the stone but opted against adding VFX and cutting the thing entirely. Starlin said, "But about a month before the movie came out, I got an email or something from Joe saying, 'the 45 minutes of Thanos that we had at the beginning of Infinity War, we had it cut.' There was a whole sequence of him getting the first gem and they had to cut that out."
No doubt fans would've loved to see Thanos go absolutely mad on Xandar, and the reasoning for cutting it is interesting.
Did Marvel Studios really not think Infinity War would be a hit?
"Avengers: Endgame" remains the longest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at roughly three hours. "Infinity War" comes in at a more manageable 2.5 hours, but an additional 45-minute scene would've definitely taken it over the edge. It appears a main reason for the cut was Marvel Studios wanting to play things safe; as Starlin goes on to say, "They shot it, but they never wanted to spend the money on the effects and they didn't want the movie to be as long as the second one [Endgame] was. They didn't realize it was going to be quite the hit it was."
Marvel movies have long been profitable, but "Infinity War" definitely took things to another level. The film ended up grossing over $2 billion in theaters, only being bested by "Endgame" in the MCU. While an extra 45 minutes may have tested some audience members' bladders, no doubt hardcore Marvel fans would love to see it still, VFX and all. With the footage already shot, it would make sense for Marvel to finish it and release an extended cut of "Infinity War," but given all of the movies and TV shows Marvel has on deck, perhaps the company is already spread too thin.
While Thanos is already plenty intimidating, watching him destroy Xandar would've established him as a force to be reckoned with before he even comes into contact with any Avengers.