Because the
Marvel Cinematic Universe is so large, it almost seems as though the studio will approve anything. When you factor in the Marvel films that aren't part of the MCU and Sony's Spider-Man Universe, it's hard to think the studios passed on anything. A lot of insane ideas were tossed around, which eventually led to Marvel's massive popularity that we see today.
There are, however, exceptions to every rule. Many great-sounding ideas are canceled before they reach our television screens. There are a variety of reasons for their cancellation, including disagreements amongst filmmakers, scheduling issues, or a script that isn't suitable for a wide audience. Here are 10 Marvel movies and TV series that were on the verge of being released.
#1 Spider-Man 4
In 2010, Marvel stated that a Spider-Man 4 will be made based on the Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man trilogy. Unfortunately, just as filming was about to begin, the team got an email informing them that they would be postponing the shoot because "Sam Raimi has plot difficulties that need to be sorted before we are ready."
Raimi was waiting for a fresh draft of the story from Alvin Sargent, who scripted Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, after going through multiple screenwriters. They also intended Anne Hathaway to join the ensemble, but her fee was reportedly too expensive for the company to bear. Raimi eventually realized that he couldn't both achieve the studio's summer release date and keep his creative integrity, so he left the project. Rather than find a new director to replace Raimi, the company chose to scrap Spider-Man 4 in favor of a reboot (The Amazing Spider-Man).
#2 The Amazing Spider-Man 3
At a Sony gala in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, Andrew Garfield and Sony's then-CEO Kaz Hirai were supposed to reveal The Amazing Spider-Man 3's 2016 launch. Garfield, on the other hand, arrived late in Brazil and was not feeling well, so he had to withdraw only a few hours before the tournament. The huge event had to be drastically altered, and Sony executives were so furious that they dismissed Garfield and shelved the project, as revealed by the 2014 Sony email leak.
#3 What If...? spinoff
Director Bryan Andrews mentioned that Marvel plans to develop a spinoff starring the Star-Lord version of T'Challa after the ending of the animated series What If...? on Disney+. Unfortunately, Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther in the miniseries, passed away just months after recording his final words. Andrews isn't sure if Boseman was aware of the spinoff ideas, but he believes "he would have loved it, too."
#4 Black Widow movie (2004)
In 2004, Lionsgate allegedly struck an agreement with Marvel to produce a Black Widow film, with X-Men author David Hayter penning the script and directing the film. However, Lionsgate dropped out of the project in 2006, blaming the failure of female-led action films like Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet at the box office. Natasha Romanoff made her MCU debut six years later in Iron Man 2, although Hayter's idea of her solo feature was never released.
#5 Damage Control
Damage Control, an ABC sitcom about the squad in charge of cleaning up the wreckage left behind by Marvel's heroes, was announced in 2015. Ben Karlin, who executive produced The Daily Show, created the show.In Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Department of Damage Control was introduced as "a cooperative enterprise between Stark Industries and the federal government." However, Marvel Television was incorporated into the bigger Marvel Studios organization in 2019, and the show's development was terminated.
#6 Gambit
Channing Tatum was supposed to feature in Gambit, a solo X-Men spinoff, in 2014. He also planned to codirect the film with his producing partner, Reid Carolin, but the company "wanted anybody but them because they had never directed anything." The idea was shelved after
Disney and Fox combined in 2019, leaving Tatum so "traumatized" that he quit watching Marvel movies entirely.
#7 Drax and Mantis spinoff
James Gunn, the filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy, proposed a spinoff film featuring Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff as Drax and Mantis. According to Bautista, who spoke to Digital Spy, " He laid it out to me. I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven't heard any follow-up from the studio.". He went on to say, " I don't think they're very interested, or it doesn't fit into the way they have things mapped out. But other than that, no. I mean, as far as my obligations, I've got Guardians 3, and that's probably going to be the end of Drax.". He also stated that if Disney+ offered him a Drax series, he would decline because of the "makeup nightmare" he would face.
#8 Most Wanted
Marvel Television stated in 2011 that it was developing a Mockingbird show, which would portray Bobbi Morse's Hannah Montana-style dual identity as a dorky college student by day and a S.H.I.E.L.D. secret agent by night. The show was put on hold until season 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. featured an older version of Bobbi Morse, played by Adrianne Palicki. Marvel then shot a pilot for an AOS spinoff called Most Wanted, which followed Bobbi Morse and her fellow agent/ex-husband Lance Hunter (played by Nick Blood). Unfortunately, ABC declined to renew the new show in 2015, and the characters stayed on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
#9 X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Deadpool, and Daredevil Crossover
Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller, then-screenwriting collaborators on X-Men: First Class, were covertly working on a massive crossover feature for Fox in 2011 while working on X-Men: First Class. All of Fox's Marvel franchises, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool, and Daredevil, were included in the film. Paul Greengrass was approached by Fox to direct the big feature, but he was preoccupied with another project at the moment. Unfortunately for Fox, the crossover film did not turn out to be a success.
#10 Animated Deadpool series
FX stated in 2017 that an adult animated Deadpool miniseries will be produced by Donald Glover and his brother, Stephen. The series, however, was canceled in 2018 due to "creative conflicts" between the Glover brothers and the network. Following that, Donald Glover posted a parody of his screenplay, in which Deadpool attacked Marvel and the show's termination. Stephen Glover gave his idea about why the show was canceled on Twitter. He stated, "There really was a
Taylor Swift episode... It was HILARIOUS. And it definitely was the last straw lol."