Marvel’s highly anticipated film, Captain America: Brave New World, has made headlines not only for its storyline but for the extensive changes it underwent during production. The production faced multiple script changes and a number of subsequent reshoots. Fans were ultimately left wondering about the various cuts and what might have been.
After working on several set designs for the exhibit, artist Daniel Jennings shared a shocking surprise. He ended up painting three or four alternate cuts of the film! Little did anyone know that half of the elaborate and lavish nine sets would never even touch the big screen. As he mentioned, the designs that didn’t get paid for were equally top-notch. This led to internal conversations among the production team about the parallel universes that would have formed had they gone with those looks.
The rejected proposals featured a Slum of Manila and an Istanbul set. Included were the Adamantium Mining Facility (comic book reference!) and a shrimp boat that belonged to the Wilson family. This second combo is highlighted by a high-stakes poker game between three generations of Captain America — Isaiah Bradley, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson! It heavily suggests that a Steve Rogers cameo was planned in early pre-production.
Despite his iconic status, Steve Rogers notably did not appear in either The Falcon and The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Brave New World. The absence of this beloved character has sparked conversations about the direction of the franchise and what fans can expect moving forward.
In a recent interview, Jennings shared his thoughts on the artistic process that brought the work into being. He said he was proud of what he created, despite a lot not making it into the movie.
“Out of nine epic sets I did, only one made it to the screen.” – Daniel Jennings
He elaborated on the creative flexibility required for the shrimp boat set, stating:
“I moved onto Sam’s family shrimp boat from Winter Warrior. Winter Warrior used an actual shrimp boat, but as this featured a poker game between three generations of Captain America, we needed more flexibility.” – Daniel Jennings
Though some have found the movie’s storytelling lacking, many others have lauded the flick as one of the franchise’s most visually stunning installments. Jennings noted that its unusualness means it’s “weird” even by the standards of a normal Marvel production.
“Captain America: Brave New World was probably one of the most beautiful movies of the Marvel franchise I have seen (I may be a bit biased here), but it was odd.” – (no attribution)
Captain America News was kind enough to post my unused set designs on Twitter. This was enough to generate a ton of excitement and speculation from fans about what might have been! These sets became super important to the story. They really tied the characters together in a way that deepened the story.
As production wraps up on Captain America: Brave New World, its departure from conventional Marvel storytelling has both intrigued and puzzled audiences. These choices made in the editing room would have overshadowed everything and potentially ruined Captain America’s legacy forever. This significant shift could reverberate through the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years to come.