Ever experienced the Mandela Effect where you’re convinced a scene/character from a movie never existed, only to have your mind blown when you rewatch it? Blink and you’ll miss it – just like Jenna Ortega’s tiniest cameo in Iron Man 3. The actress, whose career skyrocketed after starring in Netflix’s Wednesday, had a brush with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that most fans don’t even . And honestly, no one can blame you for not ing.
Because Marvel Studios deleted it and took out all her lines.
In a sit-down with Entertainment Tonight, Ortega recounted her experience with the MCU, and let’s just say she was not thrilled looking back at such an upsetting outcome after playing her part in the franchise. During the interview, she was asked if there was any chance for fans to see her in the MCU, and Ortega surprisingly responded, “I [already] did it once.” Then, with a playful yet dismissive tone, she added, “It was one of the first jobs I ever did.”
Jenna Ortega doesn’t think she will ever play a major Marvel character in the MCU
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) March 14, 2025
"I did it once… [Iron Man 3] was one of the first jobs I ever did. They took all my lines out … they even took my name away … I count that, and then I move on”
(via @etnow) pic.twitter.com/8rPfw7GQur
Iron Man 3 came out in 2013, which means Ortega was around 10 or 11 when she filmed for the movie. The film became a blockbuster hit, grossing $1.2 billion worldwide. Unfortunately, it’s hard to recall that she was in it because she only did a small role. Moreover, Disney, for some reason, decided to reduce her appearance in the movie to the bare minimum — so much so that she became unnoticeable.
“They took all my lines out. I’m in Iron Man 3 for a quick second. I take up the frame. I have one leg, and I’m the vice president’s daughter,” Ortega explained.
Of course, one could argue that directors and producers always know what they are doing. But in this case, it seems neglecting Ortega and her potential as an actress left a sour taste in the actress’ mouth. We won’t be surprised if she’s sworn off the MCU for good after that.
Interestingly, Paul Rudd, who worked with Ortega on the new horror comedy Death of a Unicorn, seemingly downplayed the issue by suggesting that the actress’ minor role could be a hint at a bigger role in the MCU, especially now that Ortega’s won a lot of hearts after Wednesday, Scream VI, and her other recent projects. “Marvel is very good at kind of laying those breadcrumbs, so it might very well be that you come back. They’re gonna create something for you! ‘Cause they should be so lucky to have Jenna Ortega in their franchise,” Rudd said during the same interview.
Despite the actor’s enthusiastic pitch, Ortega was unimpressed, saying, “They even took my name away. I count that, then I move on.” Apparently, she still feels pretty betrayed by Disney’s move to simply credit her character in the movie as “Vice President’s daughter,” as if she was not worthy of being named in the film, which was supposed to be one of the most memorable moments in her career in Hollywood since it was among her first-ever projects.
Given her statement, I guess we can say that she’s keeping her distance from the MCU for good. In an era where Marvel can get all the Angelina Jolies and Pedro Pascals it wants, it seems like bagging Jenna Ortega’s forgiveness and then her presence would be MCU’s Everest.
Published: Mar 16, 2025 08:58 am