Why Loki Was Cut From Avengers 2

Avengers: Age of Ultron was Marvel's most superhero laden film yet. The second iteration of the studios' flagship franchise brought together nearly every member of the Marvel roster up until that point and added newcomers Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision for good measure.

Whether the supersized cast list resulted in a better narrative is another debate entirely, but a new revelation from Cinema Blend reveals that Age of Ultron might have had even more star power behind it.

The website had a chance to sit down with Tom Hiddleston, the man behind the Norse trickster god Loki. The character was the chief antagonist of the first Avengers film and his last appearance on screen during 2013's Thor: The Dark World hinted that bigger things were afoot. His presence was Age: Of Ultron's most glaring omission; given his history with the team and his position in the overall Marvel universe.

Hiddleston says that Loki was originally penciled in for a small appearance in the film, but Marvel boss Kevin Feige decided to axe the sequence due to a negative reaction during test screenings.

When they screened it, audiences somehow believed that Loki was controlling Ultron, and [Kevin Feige] thought that was unbalancing the film. Said Hiddleston to Cinema Blend.

Feige is taking a similar approach to Marvel's next film, Captain America: Civil War. Last month it was revealed that Mark Ruffalo's character Dr. Bruce Banner, would be absent from the film.

Ruffalo explained his absence as:

"The reason is too great to be revealed in this movie (Civil War), I was in the script but then they removed my character. They don't want to reveal where is he and why. I don't even know if Hulk will be back soon."

Is Marvel right to trim down the size of its casts? Or do fans want all the heroes they can get? Let us know in the comments below.

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