Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently in theaters making MCU history by featuring the first F-bomb in Marvel Studios’ ambitious storytelling project. While James Gunn’s last MCU movie can get extremely dark, the filmmaker couldn’t say goodbye without pushing the PG-13 rating to its brink, which means adding the single f-bomb he was allowed to. However, if we count deleted scenes left behind in the editing room, the MCU had its first F-bomb many years ago. That’s because Iron Man’s director Jon Favreau has recorded a version of Samuel L. Jackson’s post-credit scene in which Nick Fury introduces himself as a bad-mouthed spy.

RELATED: Who Is the Most Powerful MCU Character?
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Samuel L. Jackson’s F-bomb Was Cut from ‘Iron Man’

Image via Marvel Studios

While Iron Man is unquestionably one of the best movies Marvel Studios has ever released, in 2008 no one could really imagine how big the MCU would be. That’s why Iron Man’s chaotic production included many last-minute tweaks and additions, as Favreau and Marvel Studios did everything possible to ensure the movie’s success. Among these last-minute scenes was Jackson’s cameo as Nick Fury, the superspy that would eventually unite Marvel Studios’ first team of superheroes in The Avengers. There’s no arguing we got the best version of this post-credit scene in theaters, as Nick Fury introduces himself and asks to discuss the Avengers Initiative with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). After all, that moment kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, things could have looked very different, with an F-bomb possibly changing the tone of the MCU.

How the MCU’s First F-Bomb Made It on Camera

Image via Marvel Studios

To shoot the MCU’s first post-credit scene in secret, Jackson was called on set for a single day of shooting. As we recently discovered, comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis was tasked with creating as many dialogue options as possible in less than 24 hours. And considering Jackson’s knack for playing bad-mouthed characters, of course, some options included F-bombs. According to Bendis, one option even spoofed Snakes on a Plane by having Nick Fury say, “Get that motherfucking armor off your motherfucking…” Bendin F-bomb options were quickly discarded, and Marvel Studios decided to stick with the dialogue that best served the yet-to-be-born MCU. However, while Jackson was still on set, Favreau wanted to have fun and recorded a secret version of the post-credit scene in which Jackson cursed as only he can.

Iron Man was released fifteen years ago, but the movie’s F-bomb recently emerged during an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC in which Favreau was invited to discuss the secrets of the MCU. During the interview, Jimmy Kimmel even unveiled the post-credit scene. The footage shows Jackson standing in front of a blue screen that would later be replaced with the interior of Stark’s living room. In the post-credits scene that ended up in the movie’s final cut, Jackson scolds Stark for revealing his secret identity before inviting him to be part of the Avengers Initiative. In the alternate post-credit scene, Stark asks Jackson who the spy is and what he’s doing in his living room. Naturally, Jackson is ready to give the best answer possible: “I’m Nick Fury, motherfucker.”

It’s a shame that this post-credit scene has remained a secret for so long. Even though Marvel Studios probably made the right choice to keep out Iron Man, it would have been nice to see the MCU’s first F-bomb in the extra content of Iron Man’s home release instead of waiting fifteen years for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to steal Jackson’s glory.

Iron Man is available on Disney+, without Jackson’s F-bomb. You can catch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters for the MCU’s first official F-bomb. Jackson will return as Nick Fury for Secret Invasion, a Disney+ series premiering on June 21.

Read More About ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’