This alternate take on the Iron Man post-credits scene mentions mutants 14 years before the MCU actually did

Marvel has released an Infinity Saga boxset, bringing together everything from Iron Man all the way up to Avengers: Endgame in one luxurious package. Of course, there are bonus bells and whistles to gawp at – including an alternate take on the iconic Iron Man post-credits scene that saw Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) come face to face with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) for the first time.

The original stinger featured Fury telling Stark he’s part of a "much bigger universe." The alternate take has a similar premise, but slyly references a clutch of familiar comic book heroes.

"As if gamma accidents, radioactive bug bites, and assorted mutants weren’t enough, I have to deal with a spoiled brat who doesn’t play well with others and keeps all of his toys to himself," Fury snaps. If you're keeping count, that's Hulk, Spider-Man, and X-Men, all mentioned way back when.

Of course, there’s a very good reason why the latter two didn’t make the final cut: Sony – who own the film rights to Spider-Man – didn’t have the same working relationship as they do now with Marvel Studios, while Fox had its own X-Men universe to look after (Disney now owns Fox, which is why X-Men have started appearing in the MCU and Ms. Marvel namechecked mutants back in 2022).

The rest of the scene plays out similarly, but ends with Tony Stark questioning the Avengers Initiative.

"What are we avenging?" Stark asks. The reply? "Whatever the hell we want…" Maybe the hype for the eventual formation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might have been dampened somewhat by that too-cool-for-school one liner.

For the latest on the MCU, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 5.