Captain America’s MCU Debut Happened BEFORE The First Avenger
The first plan for the original Avengers film was supposed to have The Hulk as the main villain, just like he was in the first comic issue. Even an early deleted scene hints about the widely different way that the film series may have taken.
A Deleted Scene In The Incredible Hulk Had Cap’s Shield
This deleted scene can be seen in Marvel’s second film, The Incredible Hulk. While many MCU fans forget the film altogether on most occasions, this film went on to introduce some of the long-lasting concepts in the Universe, but it also marked the first time Marvel confirmed a shared universe with a Tony Stark cameo at the end. However, the film also teased Captain America’s origins. However, this deleted scene was supposed to give fans a full tease of the Avenger before it got cut during the final edits.
The comics see Bruce Banner as the victim of multiple disorders and personalities. While we all know that the Hulk is something that he physically manifests as one of his personalities, however, this has also caused him some depression.
In the scene that got deleted, Bruce travels to the Northern Regions, traveling as far in the north as he can. He is seen as plagued by the horrors of his past and he decides to end his life. He takes a revolver out and is about to finish himself before the Hulk comes out and destroys the gun. But here, in the icy rubble, that is surrounding the Hulk, one can see a brief glimpse of Captain America’s shield. This is also mentioned in the first Avengers film but is never discussed again.
The studio removed the scene as it felt it would be too dark for the fans and was hence, removed from the film. For many years, fans thought they would never see this scene, until it appeared in the film’s Blu-Ray cut, confirming the appearance. This decision could have been quite suitable as Captain America: The First Avenger went on to premiere three years later. However, at that point, the plan for Phase One for MCU was in action, as Captain America was put on ice and was discovered in a different manner.
It’s tough to imagine a Marvel Cinematic Universe where that scene is used and Cap gets found in a different way. It’s quite unclear if that version would have been for the better or worse, but the MCU looks much better and definitive for now, than it ever has.
