Had things panned out differently, Black Widow and War Machine would have looked a lot different throughout the course of Iron Man 2.

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How do we know? The folks over at CBM have today unearthed a smattering of concept art from the Jon Favreau-directed sequel, and they place the focus squarely on Tony Stark’s newfound allies. One is an old friend, of course – you know, despite being played by a different actor – while the other hails from S.H.I.E.L.D. a super-secret organization that served as something of a launchpad for The Avengers.

And that’s just it; coming out of Iron Man 2‘s release, fans and critics alike bemoaned the fact that Favreau’s follow-up spent too much time teeing up The Avengers, and not enough time developing its core characters – “Demon in the Bottle” getting the short shrift was certainly enough for diehard Iron Man fans to turn their noses up.

Nevertheless, rather than lament the sequel’s shortcomings, let’s imagine what could have been, beginning with a deep dive into the alternative designs for Black Widow and War Machine.

Both characters are still alive and well – even after the calamitous events of Infinity War, which tells us that Marvel’s Phase One heroes will have a big role to play when it comes to defeating Thanos in Avengers 4.

Exactly how they achieve such a feat is another question entirely, though at least for now, the overriding theory appears to be that Tony Stark will spearhead a mission through time, as he attempts to acquire all six Infinity Stones before they fall into the hands of Thanos. It’s unconfirmed, but still plausible, as it would explain those curious set photos of Chris Evans et. al in their Phase One attire.

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