Marvel Studios had a very different plans for The Avengers with Zooey Deschanel playing a major Marvel character.

Kevin Feige and his team had big ambitions when they started the MCU back in 2008. The plan was to introduce key members of the Avengers including Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America in their solo films first to make audiences care about the characters. The solo storylines would ultimately culminate in a crossover film which became The Avengers in 2012.

The original six Avengers in 2012’s The Avengers
The big risk paid off as the MCU’s Avengers team incredibly resonated with audiences. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, The Hulk, and Hawkeye became the original 6 Avengers. However, director Joss Whedon almost included the Wasp in the film, played by Zooey Deschanel, who was supposed to have a major presence in the film.

Zooey Deschanel Almost Starred as The Wasp in The Avengers

500 Days of Summer‘s Zooey Deschanel almost played the Wasp in the MCU
The main aim of Phase 1 of the MCU was to establish the foundation of what the franchise was going to be. Kevin Feige started with interconnected solo films that teased a bigger universe. The interconnected narratives eventually came together with The Avengers, where, the original 6 Avengers defended Earth against Loki and the Chitauri army.

The only female Avenger in the team was Scarlett Johannsson‘s Black Widow who made her MCU debut in Iron Man 2. She had a pivotal role in The Avengers but it seems the studio wasn’t sure whether she would be available for the crossover film. They had a backup plan that involved the introduction of another female superhero in case Johannsson was not able to make it.

In the book, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, producer Jeremy Latcham revealed that director Joss Whedon was going to introduce the Wasp in The Avengers. Whedon further revealed that Zooey Deschanel was going to play the character and this decision was taken as there was a probability that Johannsson was not going to be able to do the film. The excerpt read (via Slashfilm),

“It was all about The Wasp. He wanted to cast Zooey Deschanel. [Wasp] was the funniest character in the whole movie, and well-written. The Wasp happened because there was a short period where it looked like we weren’t going to be able to get Scarlett [due to scheduling conflicts], so I was panicking.

I thought, ‘Hold on, we could do The Wasp.’ Then I fell in love with that. But we did get Scarlett, and then I realized I had written this entire movie about The Wasp. Oops. I overcompensated there.”

Deschanel would have been a fun addition to the MCU and the fact that her role as the Wasp was a major part of the story makes it a very interesting direction that fans did not get to see. The Wasp would be ultimately introduced in 2015’s Ant-Man, played by Evangeline Lilly. However, the anecdote is still exciting for fans to wonder what could have been if Deschanel had been in the MCU.

Kevin Feige Feels There Is a Lot To Be Explored in the MCU Even After 30+ Films

Marvel Studios is hoping that Deadpool & Wolverine changes the game for the studio
With 30+ films and several TV shows, the MCU has expanded in ways that audiences and even Kevin Feige didn’t envision when he started out building the franchise. The Marvel head honcho is arguably the most successful producer as the MCU is the most commercially successful franchise in the industry.

However, Feige does not remain boastful about the success of the franchise and still finds more creative ways to tell more stories about other Marvel characters and integrate them into the MCU. In an interview with Variety, Feige stated that there is a rich history of Marvel lore through the comics that have existed for 85 years.

He feels that he has only scratched the surface even with 30+ films and plans to expand the franchise further in innovative ways. Feige said,

“The great thing about Marvel truly is how many wonderful, interesting characters we have in the comics — they’ve been at it for 85 years. Even after 32 movies, it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface,”

As of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine is the only MCU theatrical release of the year (releasing on July 26). The studio seems to be fully confident of the film with Bob Iger stating that the film will be one of Marvel’s biggest hits in a while. The MCU is going full throttle next year with 4 theatrical releases including Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and Blade.