Movies

5 MCU Movies Marvel Studios Axed: The Shocking Cancellations!

BBG News

Over the past 17 years, a few films that Marvel Studios intended to produce haven’t been able to move forward due to unfortunate circumstances and ultimately got scrapped.

By 2025, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will expand to include nine more installments, bringing the total number of movies, TV shows on Disney+ and Netflix, as well as Special Presentations, to almost 60. Yet, despite its impressive growth in enhancing the Marvel Studios legacy, it’s important to note that the studio is not infallible when it comes to delivering scheduled productions.

Every MCU Movie Marvel Studios Canceled

Runaways

After Phase 1 concluded, the subsequent Marvel Studios project was originally planned to be a movie based on the team called “The Runaways.” Derived from the comics of the same name, this film would revolve around five teenagers living in Los Angeles who uncover that their parents are actually a criminal organization (The Pride), masterminding the Californian underworld.

Among the characters featured within this group are Molly Hayes, Karolina Dean, Victor Mancha, Chase Stein, and Nico Minoru, who were showcased in the animated series “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”. The film was initially intended to be helmed by Peter Sollet with a script penned jointly by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona.

Keke Palmer disclosed that she’d received an offer for a part in the film, and it appears that Lucas Cruickshank was being considered for the cast too.

Unfortunately, the movie was put on hold in October 2010 (per Deadline). 

In the subsequent years, Marvel produced a television series titled “Runaways” for Hulu, which broadcasted from 2017 until 2019. For additional insights into Virginia Gardner’s involvement in this show, you can explore the linked article.

Hulk 2

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I must admit that so far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has only unleashed one project featuring its enraged green titan, marking the 2008 premiere of The Incredible Hulk. Following the MCU’s second feature film, the character of Bruce Banner has taken on more of a supporting role in various other MCU movies and Disney+ series.

2012 interview with The Huffington Post saw Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige discuss potential plans for a sequel to The Incredible Hulk.

Regrettably, it appeared he was confident that the primary objective was to incorporate him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for The Avengers. However, any additional opportunities beyond that weren’t definite. Despite his recognition of the adoration fans had for the Hulk in that film, prospects for another standalone movie were looking uncertain at best.

Indeed, this wasn’t the initial shot; rather, it was the third time Hulk made an appearance. All our efforts and resources that went into portraying Hulk in ‘Avengers’ were put to good use. It’s wonderful to see fans expressing their appreciation for Hulk, but we’ve achieved our goal at this point. As for what lies ahead, we’ll have to wait and see. But reaching this milestone was quite a journey. In fact, after the screening, I overheard different opinions about favorite characters and scenes. That’s one of my favorite things: debating over favorite moments or characters. And hearing so many people say they love Hulk really makes me happy. We’ll be cautious and thoughtful as we decide what comes next.

The likelihood of a standalone Hulk film has increased since 2010, but the complexities surrounding his film rights should be noted.

In simple terms, although The Hulk could show up in team-up or individual Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films without any problems at all, it’s tricky for Disney to produce a standalone Hulk movie because the rights to distribute such a film are owned by Universal. This means that Disney would earn much less if they were to make a solo Hulk film.

Due to this fact, it is unclear if or when another Hulk solo outing will be developed.

Inhumans

Back in 2014 at the El Capitan Theatre, Los Angeles, California, Marvel unveiled its Phase 3 lineup. Among these upcoming films, it was “Inhumans” that really got me excited. This movie promised to introduce characters like Black Bolt, Medusa, and the Attilan royal family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I couldn’t wait to see how their unique abilities and threats would unfold in the MCU!

Unfortunately, the inclusion of movies such as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” in Phase 3 caused significant delays for the original November 2018 release date of “Inhumans.” Ultimately, it was decided to scrap the project as a film and transform it into something new instead.

In the year 2017, Marvel Television debuted an eight-episode series titled “Inhumans” on ABC. This series aired prior to Season 5 of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and featured Anson Mount as Black Bolt (who subsequently reappeared in the role for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”), Serinda Swan as Medusa, Ken Leung as Karnak, among others.

Unfortunately, the show was discontinued following its first season due to poor ratings, indicating that it didn’t resonate with viewers as expected. As of now, there’s no clear indication about whether, when, or in what capacity the Inhumans might reappear within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Eternals 2

The third movie in Marvel Studios’ Phase 4 lineup is titled Eternals, a story that follows an immortal species of extraterrestrials who have resided on Earth for millennia, battling malevolent beings known as Deviants. Boasting an extensive ensemble of talented actors, the film concluded with several character deaths and the team disbanding before the arrival of Eros (Thanos’ sibling) and Pip the Troll were introduced.

As a follower, I found that the initial release of the film was met with a lot of disagreement, receiving a broad mix of reviews while struggling at the box office (which was partly affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic). Yet, whispers soon began about the possibility of Eternals 2 being produced.

For nearly four years now, discussions about a follow-up to the initial movie appear to have stagnated. The cast members from the original film haven’t received any recent news regarding development, and Kit Harington (as reported by Variety) admitted that he accepted the role for its association with Marvel’s brand recognition.

Given its earnings of approximately $400 million at the box office, it seems unlikely that there will be another film featuring the Eternals.

Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

The film titled “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” found itself in an unexpected predicament unlike any other canceled Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) productions previously. Originally slated as the fifth Avengers film following its unveiling at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, issues concerning star Jonathan Majors set off a chain reaction that negatively impacted this movie.

In March 2023, Majors was apprehended for reckless assault and harassment charges. After being convicted in court in December 2023, Disney terminated Majors from his position as Kang. Consequently, the studio decided to remove “The Kang Dynasty” from the title of Avengers 5.

Skipping ahead to San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel unveiled that the upcoming Avengers film, originally titled Avengers 5, will now be known as Avengers: Doomsday. The announcement also confirmed the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time portraying Victor Von Doom.

Despite the uncertainty about how drastically Doomsday might differ from what was initially planned during the Kang Dynasty, it is known that the latter was permanently discontinued because of Major’s legal issues.

Read More

2025-05-09 09:45

Previous post Georgia Love Spotted Looking Downcast After Lee Elliot’s Wild Boys’ Weekend Amid Split
Next post MONOPOLY GO! Star Wars Partners Event: All details and rewards explained