After Marvel Studios had confirmed Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and Spider-Man for Captain America: Civil War, many speculated whether the movie would feature the villainous Red Hulk and Tom Holland's webslinger in his Iron Spider armor. Neither appeared on screen in the end, but there was a point at which both were considered.
Yes, that's true, and that's what the Russo Brothers themselves have revealed in a recent interview with Comic Book. Joe Russo explains:
We had so many characters in that movie as it was. We consider everything, obviously, but with so many characters in that movie as it was to try and entertain adding another character and to get to the Red Hulk, you have to add a back story. You have to substantiate the narrative to get to that.
According to Joe, on their list of priorities, William Hurt's Thunderbolt Ross was in Captain America: Civil War as "the government's agenda", and not to introduce "another complicated superpowered character to the mix".
While Red Hulk didn't eventually make it to the May 5, 2016 release, the Russo Brothers wouldn't rule out the possibility of his bursting onto the screen in a future Marvel Cinematic Universe installment (don't forget that the filmmaking duo is directing the next two Avengers movies).
Joe claims that when they started the process of the movies, they had a board with the characters that they have used and the ones they have at their disposal that are yet to appear. He adds:
We spent the last six to eight months crafting stories around the cornucopia of characters at our disposal, so anything is possible.
And here's what Joe Russo says about considering the Iron Spider suit:
Again, that falls in that category of anything’s possible. We consider everything.
I, for one, support the decision of not introducing Red Hulk and Spider-Man in his Iron Spider armor. Those two would have required a lot more screen time for both Hurt and Holland's character. You need to provide them enough narrative space.
But since it is a Captain America movie, and not an Avengers movie, you can't allow that. I believe it wouldn't have been as balanced a movie with Red Hulk and Iron Spider.
