The finale of Avengers: Endgame is one of the most crowd-pleasingly thrilling sequences in modern blockbuster movie history, so it is surprising to learn it could have been even more action-packed. The film's editor, Jeff Ford, has recently revealed details of a deleted scene that pit Black Panther against Thanos' telekinetic henchman, Ebony Maw.

"We didn't really shuffle it around a lot. I remember we did have a much more elaborate sequence with [Thanos's henchman, Ebony] Maw. His battle with Black Panther was longer. I remember we took it down because when they come through the portals, they kind of introduce all these characters into the story that haven't been in the movie yet...Panther and Maw felt like, that's not the story that we're tracking, so maybe we reduce that stuff."

The reasoning for cutting the sequence and shuffling it around is pretty solid, considering the sheer amount of characters, punch-ups and laser blasting that ricocheted across the screen. Ford continued to elaborate on why Black Panther's involvement in the finale was somewhat minimised, stating that everything that occurred in the climactic Endgame battle needed to lead to a very specific place.

"We ended up making sure we had a cool shot of Panther, but it was like, 'Let's make sure that every moment we engage in that section needs to lead us to that final confrontation with Tony and Thanos.'So there were a few things we reduced there for that reason."

Despite cutting down his role in the final fight with Thanos and his army, Ford was quick to highlight the 'cool shot' that they made sure was given to Black Panther as he entered the fray with his Wakandan soldiers to assist a battle-beaten, Mjölnir-wielding Captain America. The lack of a battle of wits, claws and telekinesis between Black Panther and Ebony Maw may disappoint a few fans (who somehow felt that the Endgame finale was not quite enough) but fear not, as we are due to get much more of the Wakandan King in the MCU's future.

A stand-alone sequel, Black Panther 2 has already been announced, with the release date having been revealed at the D23 Expo as May 6, 2022, landing the film either in Phase 5 or as the final film of Phase 4. Though the plot to the sequel is still a heavily guarded secret, rumours abound that the film will feature the introduction of Marvel icon and fellow royalty, Namor The Sub-Mariner.

Until then, Avengers: Endgame is now available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD and was directed by the brotherly team of Joe and Anthony Russo. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Josh Brolin as Thanos and, of course, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. This news arrives from /film.