We nearly got a very different Captain Marvel debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron – but Kevin Feige shot it down

Oh, what could have been. We’re just days away from watching Captain Marvel make her MCU debut, but things may have been very different. Like, way different. How about an Avengers: Age of Ultron debut for Captain Marvel, one that could have seen Carol Danvers show up earlier than expected?

Yep, Captain Marvel nearly arrived on the MCU scene way back in 2015 instead of 2019. Birth.Movies.Death conducted an interview with head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige around Age of Ultron’s release and, inevitably, its cool reveal has seen the light of day again (H/T ComicBook.com) in light of the new Marvel movie hitting cinemas soon.

During the chat, Feige reveals there’s a Age of Ultron draft out there, which involves Captain Marvel turning up, but it just wouldn’t have worked. “[Captain Marvel] was in a draft,” Feige explains. “But to me, it would have done that character a disservice, to meet her fully formed, in a costume and part of the Avengers already when 99% of the audience would go, ‘Who is that?’ It’s just not the way we’ve done it before.”

We even know exactly when she was meant to turn up, though they hadn’t cast Brie Larson or anyone else at the time. Feige outlines: “The way we reveal Scarlet Witch [in costume] at the end of the movie? Those were Captain Marvel plate shots,” hinting that Scarlet Witch’s emergence in the MCU during the Sokovia battle was originally meant for Captain Marvel.

Thankfully, Kevin Feige is the one calling the shots – and not director Joss Whedon, who pushed for Captain Marvel to appear in Age of Ultron. Whedon said she’d be cast later and Feige was adamant: “We’re not putting her in there.”

Was that the right choice? Probably. Age of Ultron was bursting at the seams as it is, without taking into account the Black Panther tease and an Avengers: Infinity War setup. Marvel has always been about the slow burn build-up, and Captain Marvel is now given her own chance to shine because of it on March 8. That’s why Feige makes Marvel billions of dollars a year.

Want a primer before March 8? Here's everything you need to know about which Captain Marvel powers are making it to the big screen.

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I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.