Where Are Those Unused Avengers: Infinity War Set Photos From?
Avengers: Infinity War may not feel like it could have been any bigger, but a string of set photos and filming locations point towards an unused scene. However, was it actually scrapped or could this be a wrinkle in the back-to-back production of Avengers 3 & 4, with the scene instead set for next year's movie?
Originally announced and prepped as Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 & 2, Marvel Studios and directors Joe and Anthony Russo later decided to split up the films a bit more. Their production was still connected, but all involved were keen to stress that the films are standalone in nature. Of course, Avengers: Infinity War ends on a big cliffhanger, so that's not quite true. In fact, it looks possible there may have been even more misdirection looking forward to Avengers 4.
The marketing for Infinity War already included several moments that were not in the movie, and the Russos have admitted they handed out fake scripts on the set and even filmed alternate versions of scenes. But, there's one sequence shot during production of Avengers 3 that doesn't appear to be in the movie. So what's the deal with the filming at Durham Cathedral?
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT AVENGERS' DURHAM SHOOT
Last April, it was revealed that the cast and crew of Avengers were planning on heading to Durham Cathedral to shoot key scenes. The news came as Infinity War was in full swing, shortly after the Edinburgh leg of production (quite clearly seen in Infinity War). Fans were instantly excited for the film to utilize the location, best known as the backdrop for some of Hogwarts in the early Harry Potter films, and was assumed to be a stand in for something classical.
Once filming did begin there a few days after the confirmation, the first images started to surface, with one that featured the stand-in for Rocket Raccoon (there were never reports of Sean Gunn - who plays Kraglin in the MCU but also does the on-set performance for Rocket - showing up for these scenes) and Chris Hemsworth was confirmed to be in the city. The only other actual clue we have about the Durham shoot is a tease from the Russo brothers themselves. Prior to wiping their social media accounts, they posted an image at Durham with Mjolnir. This is a big deal considering Mjolnir was destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok leading to Thor, Rocket, and Groot going on an adventure to craft Stormbreaker.
Mjolnir's presence around may actually provide more details and possibly confusion. Marvel filmed a major sequence for Avengers: Infinity War in Edinburgh that saw Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Team Cap battle the Black Order. However, there were also instances of several other cast members reporting to set out that way; Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson and others were all seen. Edinburgh and Durham are a few hours apart from each other (one's in Scotland, the other England), but as none of those actors are in the Black Order sequence in Infinity War (and there's no obvious reason for the team to return to the Scottish capital in the next film), there's clearly something bigger going on.
WAS THE DURHAM SCENE FOR AVENGERS 3 OR 4?
The sequence shot at Durham could be part of Avengers 4, but let's first discuss the possibility that it could've been in Infinity War already. The inside of Durham from the set photos had patches of green screen so the VFX team can alter the location in post. Thanks to the Cathedral's towering interior, it could be that this was a stand-in for Nidavellir. Rocket is involved in that scene and so is Thor. The reason for Mjolnir isn't clear unless the Russos were just having fun with the internet and adding more misdirection. Crucially, Nidavellir is where Thor crafts Stormbreaker and it looks like they cut some sequences based on the trailers, so there is a chance Durham is in Avengers: Infinity War after all and is just impossible to distinguish.
The more plausible solution, though, is that the scene in Durham is actually for Avengers 4. Marvel Studios has talked ad nauseam about how difficult it was to align the schedules for all of the actors, so it's conceivable it may have worked best to film this sequence for Avengers 4 during the production of the previous movie. Indeed, given they were already in the UK, it's logistically much easier for the crew.
There is still the unlikely scenario a sequence was shot at Durham that didn't make it into the final cut, although of the scant information we have, not much adds up. Set photos showed Asgardian designs, there's not clear gap for another location to fit, and the presence of other actors lines up with unseen elements we're expecting in the sequel, like Hulk and Rocket working together...
HOW COULD THEY FACTOR INTO AVENGERS 4
If this Durham scene is part of Avengers 4, there's some telling reasons that it could be part of a key subplot. We suspect the scene includes at least Rocket, Thor, Hulk, and Valkyrie, with it also suggested Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Fury heading to this set too. Neither Jackson or Downey were ever actually spotted in Durham, however so their involvement is not a certainty. Just going by the definitively spotted characters, though, this makes a lot of sense. All of these heroes are on the cosmic side, so would fit together without much difficulty, and Valkyrie is clearly being held back for Avengers 4 given her absence in Avengers: Infinity War.
As to what specific use this scene could have in the currently-untitled Avengers 4, the best guess is its part of a new quest for Thor. These characters all center around him, and if the film will once again split the heroes off in sub-groups to better balance personality and tone they're a pretty great team. We know Avengers 4 will be dabbling with time travel, so the presence of Asgard and Mjolnir could definitely factor into that: could this actually be a scene of the film's heroes visiting Hel and seeing their fallen comrades?
