The Marvel Cinematic Universe is home to a lot of captivating heroes and villains, with many more incoming with the franchise's massive Phase 4 slate. Throughout the Infinity Saga, the franchise was jam-packed with storylines and MacGuffins that shaped the MCU's overall narrative. This led to the inclusion of even more side characters that proved vital to the plot of some films.
2013's Iron Man 3 first introduced the MCU's iteration of the President of the United States in the form of Matthew Ellis . The character was played by Star Trek and Die Hard 2 actor William Sadler. The involvement of Sadler's character was essential during Iron Man 3 since he was used by the film's villain, Aldrich Killain, as hostage to gain leverage against Tony Stark and James Rhodes. As expected, the President was saved and Killain's plan was thwarted by the Armored Avenger.
From that point on, the character was referenced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier , and he even appeared during several episodes of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD . And now, a new interview has surfaced, revealing that Ellis was supposed to appear in another MCU flick.
NEWS
Iron Man 3 's William Sadler recently sat down with David Thompson and Thomas Carter Rochester of Lights, Thunder, Action! for a special episode. During the interview, Sadler revealed that he "actually shot a thing" for 2015's Ant-Man , but it was ultimately scrapped:
"I actually shot a thing for Ant-Man. I shot a bit of President Matthew Ellis for Ant-Man but they decided to use a different President, I don't know. It was pretty silly."
WHAT THIS MEANS
Sadler's reveal about almost appearing during Ant-Man serves as another piece of evidence of the amusing connections within the films of the larger MCU. While Sadler didn't reveal much about his scrapped role from the film, it would've been interesting to see how President Matthew Ellis tied into the story of the Paul Rudd-led flick.
With Sadler playing the president of the MCU version of the United States, the character has a high chance of appearing in other films moving forward. This doesn't mean that he will play a pivotal role like in Iron Man 3 , but the character can continue to serve as a background presence that further establishes the political aspect of the MCU.
If Sadler returns to the franchise as President Matthew Ellis, there are a plethora of ways for the character to be incorporated once more into the narrative. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa is now serving as the King of Wakanda, and a scene revolving around him and Ellis could strengthen the ties of the African country and the United States. Ant-Man 3 is another intriguing entry since it could provide another chance for Sadler to reprise his role once more after being scrapped from the first Ant-Man film.
Part of the fun of being included in an interconnected narrative is the opportunity to return to the franchise, and it seems that Sadler's Matthew Ellis has the golden opportunity to do so since he is playing a significant character that can't be ignored.
MCU and STAR WARS Writer
