Ms. Marvel cut MCU references to Tatiana Maslany's She-Hulk and Charlie Cox's Daredevil ahead of their Disney+ roles in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
The MCU has always had overarching government organizations that linger over the many heroes of the world and offers the means to more crossovers. A big example in the early going was SHIELD, but since that fell in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, there has been little sense of the governing body over the weird and wonderful.
That was until Phase 4 delivered both SWORD and the Department of Damage Control, the latter of which has already connected three projects. Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have all featured the superhero clean-up group, hinting at them taking on SHIELD's former role in the MCU.
Damage Control, and more specifically the rogue Agent Deever, proved to be the final threat in Ms. Marvel as the organization sought to bring in the super-powered youngsters. And it seems their role in the series almost opened the doors to a number of major MCU references to some fan-favorite characters.
Ms, Marvel Scrapped Daredevil and She-Hulk References
Production Designer Natasha Gerasimova shared images from Ms. Marvel's Damage Control office on her portfolio site that reveals a closer look at the hero Easter eggs that were packed into the finale - and several that were cut.
The office is packed with detail over every wall, but the most intriguing nods can be found when turning attention to the pinboards that are covered with heroes and villains from recent MCU outings.
A closer look at one board reveals several She-Hulk characters including Jennifer Walters, Titania, Donny Blaze, Mr. Immortal, Saracen, and El Águila.
Examining another board, fans can spot Echo, Kate Bishop, John Walker, aka US Agent, Abomination, Wong, Jane Foster's Mighty Thor, and Daredevil.
However, examining this board, as it appears in the finale behind Agent Cleary, both Daredevil and Mighty Thor have been removed from the wall.
As the camera pans around, the shot cuts before Jennifer Walters comes into view, although Mr. Immortal does make it into the episode ahead of his She-Hulk debut.
Another board features Flag Smashers leader Karli Morgenthau, Sam Wilson's Captain America, Echo, and Nick Fury's Skrull friend Talos.
Ms. Marvel Easter Eggs Raise MCU Canon Confusion
Disney+ lists Ms. Marvel as taking place after She-Hulk but before Thor: Love and Thunder. So, including references to the likes of Mr. Immortal and Titania makes sense, with Jennifer Walters' omission likely coming down to simple camera placement coincidence as opposed to a conscious decision to omit her.
Although that doesn't quite explain why Daredevil was specifically removed from the board for the episode, either digitally or ahead of shooting. Perhaps this particular scene was shot before deciding to reveal Charlie Cox's She-Hulk return ahead of release, and so the image was removed to maintain any surprise.
But that doesn't quite explain why Jane Foster's Mighty Thor had to be removed, given she had been shown for months before airing. Thor 4 is listed as taking place after Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk, which would make the removal of her image make sense if it weren't for her confusing namedrop in the legal comedy finale.
Whatever the reasoning behind this decision, the conscious decision to remove certain references and not another says a lot about the care Marvel Studios puts into preserving its canon. Perhaps this was even due to the work of the studio's newly-hired timeline keeper who watches over the order of MCU events.
Putting aside the canonicity questions, it's interesting to see Damage Control monitoring heroes, villains, and super-powered people across the board. Clearly, they will be taking on a position similar to that SHIELD once held, indicating there will be plenty more of Damage Control and Agent Cleary to come in Phase 5.
Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are streaming now on Disney+
