If you’re still having trouble coming to terms with the cataclysmic finale of Avengers: Infinity War – let’s face it, who isn’t? – those of you at San Diego Comic-Con are in luck. Although Marvel won’t officially be participating in the “largest convention of its kind in the world,” the studio behind the highest grossing film franchise of all-time hasn’t taken the weekend off.
According to /Film, Marvel has a pop-up event – located next to Petco Park – which is meant to serve as some sort of coping mechanism for a dispirited fanbase. The studio’s calling it Group Hug and it comes complete with motivational posters, saying things like “We are Groot” and “You are more than 12% of a plan,” a T-shirt and wristband declaring you were “Spared by Thanos,” and a photo op with the Incredible Hulk giving you and your friend “a big hug.”
Should you choose to wait in line for the group therapy session, you’ll apparently be rewarded with “some cool swag” and a never before seen deleted scene from the $2 billion-plus grossing feature. In case you’re not in San Diego, like me, /Film has generously provided the details, which you can find below.
Apparently, the scene centres on the Guardians of the Galaxy in the immediate aftermath of Thanos kidnapping Gamora. The mood’s pretty fractious among the gang (moreso than usual), as Drax tears off Star-Lord’s Zune from the command console, annoyed by hearing the same soft rock hits over and over again. The pair bicker for a while, until Star-Lord infuriates Drax by pointing out that he was the reason Gamora’s in Thanos’ clutches, to which Drax understandably points out that Star-Lord thought he was killing her.
Their argument is curtailed when they notice that their emergency message light is blinking. It turns out that while they’ve been arguing, Nebula’s been repeatedly messaging them, telling them that Gamora’s alive, where Thanos is taking her and wondering why the hell they aren’t picking up. They then proceed to set a course for Titan, which is where we catch up with them in the film proper.
It sounds like a funny scene that neatly captures the Guardians’ dynamic, though you can pretty much see why it ended up on the cutting room floor. After all, there’s a lot of narrative plates to spin in Infinity War, and inserting something like this stands a chance of spoiling the film’s finely judged momentum.
Still, it’s a nice bonus and leaves me optimistic as to what we’ll get on the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War home release. These editions will come with commentary tracks, behind the scenes featurettes and many deleted scenes, with the digital edition arriving on July 31st and the Blu-ray landing two weeks later on August 14th. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to pre-order it here.
