The Avengers franchise sky-rocketed the MCU’s dominance in the superhero verse. While Avengers: Endgame tops the list of highest-grossing Marvel movies ever, 2018’s Infinity War also ranks at the fourth highest rank, per IGN. Even though the films were massive blockbusters, potential tweaks and twists in the plotline often surface, urging fans to reconsider the entire scope of the film.
Therefore, a recent detail that surfaced in a conference with the writers of Avengers: Endgame bolstered the potential of Doctor Strange’s powers in the MCU. Sadly, the idea that could have introduced another mega MCU character was never incorporated into the theatrical cut.
Also read: Avengers: Endgame Director’s Biggest Strength Might Have Turned into a Weakness For MCU Movies
Deleted Avengers: Infinity War scene sparks buzz
2019’s San Diego Comic-Con International which was held in the summer hosted a special panel with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the writers of Endgame. The Hall H panel ensued with the discussion around a scene of Thanos meeting The Living Tribunal in Infinity War. The writers spoke of a deleted bit that would spin around Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange sending off Thanos across the cosmos, to be judged for his crimes by The Living Tribunal.
According to ScreenRant, Thanos would have fallen to the MCU entity’s feet only to be judged guilty. The snipped-out scene would have established two significant aspects, Doctor Strange’s mammoth powers that preceded Josh Brolin’s Thanos in the MCU and the official inclusion of the Marvel Universe’s second most powerful entity, The Living Tribunal. Hence, the writers revealed,
“It was partly inspired by Kevin Feige… he came into the conference room in Atlanta, where we were trapped for years, and he had brought a bunch of comics panels with him… we were pretty far down the road… and he wanted to make sure we didn’t lost the psychedelic nature of the [Jim] Starlin universe… and so we stuck the Living Tribunal in the movie. So, as Thanos and Doctor Strange came to blows, Doctor Strange blew Thanos’ mind and sent him through the mindscape.”
But the Mad Titan’s moment of judgment never made it to the final cut. And the following sequel, Avengers: Endgame spun around the heroes’ battle with the supervillain, focusing little on Thanos himself.
Also read: Chris Evans Explains Why He Fumbled the Iconic ‘Avengers Assemble’ Line in Endgame
Who is The Living Tribunal?
Only the One Above All precedes The Living Tribunal as the most powerful Marvel character in the MCU. Hence, fans had anticipated that Marvel heads might be keen on featuring the reality-manipulating deity in one of the films.
However, the expectation never materialized even though the character could have possibly made its entry in Infinity War. The Living Tribunal is entrusted with the duty of sustaining balance and order in the multiverse, per Marvel.com.
Appearing as a giant, three-faced, golden entity in the comics, he is regarded as the judge of the Marvel multiverse, acting impartially at all times to the events of the universe. Powerful entities like Eternity, Infinity, Death, and Oblivion also bow down to The Living Tribunal’s authority.
