Infinity War ditched two major star cameos — Endgame, of course, brought them back
In a recent interview, Robert Downey Jr. and Joe Russo say Avengers: Infinity War axed two star cameos — and they’ve named the actors.
Diving into the world of superhero cinema, there’s no film more crammed with capes and chaos than Avengers: Infinity War. You’d think with half of Hollywood already on screen, there wouldn’t be room for anyone else. Turns out, they actually left a few familiar faces on the bench, even after shooting entire scenes. If you’re the sort to wonder what nearly made it into the final cut, here’s a look at the surprising cameos that were dropped – and how both actors eventually made it back for Endgame.
Who Didn’t Make the Cut?
Recently, Robert Downey Jr. and co-director Joe Russo sat down with Comic Book Resources and unpacked some of the story behind those missing cameos. According to Downey Jr., one scene in Infinity War originally featured Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan, but things changed after reshoots:
Here’s how Downey Jr. explained it in the interview: "We had a Happy Hogan cameo in this scene that we reshot, then we 86'd it."
If you’re not versed in Hollywood lingo, '86’d' means the scene was dropped entirely. So, despite plans to have Favreau’s Happy show up, his moment ended up on the cutting room floor. That meant Favreau – who not only acts as Happy but also kickstarted this whole universe directing the first Iron Man – sat Infinity War out completely.
Then there’s Joe Russo himself. Apparently, the directors kept it in the family and had planned to sneak Joe into the opening act of Infinity War. His part? Playing a paparazzi pestering Tony Stark and Pepper Potts during a Central Park stroll, just before everything goes pear-shaped. But, like Happy, Russo’s frantic photographer didn’t survive the edit either.
Infinity War ended up with zero screen time for both Favreau and Russo — but Endgame brought them back in.
Their Triumphant Return (Sort Of)
It’s not all lost footage and wasted cameos, though. Both Favreau and Russo found their way back in Avengers: Endgame, each in scenes that actually matter. Favreau’s Happy returns for arguably his character’s most emotional scene yet: Tony Stark’s funeral. Russo, meanwhile, pops up as a grieving member of a post-Blip support group, having a chat with Steve Rogers about the world after Thanos’ snap.
The upshot is, while their Infinity War appearances wouldn’t have changed the story, both got much stronger scenes in the follow-up. Bit of a win, really.