The new home video release for Avengers: Infinity War is packed with all kinds of fantastic special features, including an interesting selection of deleted scenes. While in some cases one can tell why the material was removed, it's still quite a lot of fun on its own - featuring stuff like Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan and an extended conversation between Thanos and Gamora. One of the best of the bunch, however, is a bonus sequence featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy - and co-director Anthony Russo recently told me that it was the hardest cut to make:
There's a Guardians scene that's on the DVD that was very hard to cut because it's so entertaining - but we just didn't need it for the thrust of the film at that moment.
Because of the Avengers: Infinity War home video release, I recently had the chance to correspond with directors Joe and Anthony Russo and ask about their work on the blockbuster. One of my questions concerned the most difficult scene to remove from the theatrical cut of the feature and Anthony Russo explained that a particular favorite of the removed footage features Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) on Knowhere after Thanos (Josh Brolin) kidnaps Gamora (Zoe Saldana).
Set right after Nebula (Karen Gillan) escapes her torturous bondage, the scene finds the aforementioned Guardians parked on Knowhere and trying to figure out what to do. Star-Lord is listening "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley in hopes of getting his head on straight, but Drax admonishes him for doing nothing. Mantis interrupts because she has become entranced by a blinking light, which Star-Lord reveals represents emergency messages from Nebula. The sequence explains how the Guardians got from Knowhere to Titan, ultimately leading to a face-off between them and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Sadly, though, it was seen as unnecessary to the story (it's not really a moment that requires a ton of explanation given that Titan is Thanos' home world), so it was axed.
Having watched the clip, it's definitely a funny scene - and while it's too bad that it's not a part of Avengers: Infinity War, it's nice that fans can still experience it outside the context of the movie. If you haven't already, you can pick up your own copy of the Marvel Studios film now, as it is now available for Digital HD, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD purchase. And, of course, thanks to the amazing cliffhanger at the end, we will continue to talk about the film and the lead up to its direct sequel, Avengers 4, a lot in the coming months. Be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend!
