When there are millions of dollars riding on your film, producers make sure everything is pitch perfect before it is presented to the audience. So when Andy Park, Marvel Studios’ director of visual development, came up with early concept art for Thor: Ragnarok, some of his ideas were also shot down by the studios.
This weekend, Andy shared two pieces concept art for Thor from their early imaginings. Both the artworks are completely different from the final product.
The first piece is closer to Chris Hemsworth’s ‘Fat Thor’ look from Avengers:Endgame than anything else. He has long, shoulder-length hair, a scruffy beard and he looks chonkier than ever before. Andy said that director Taika Waititi has told him to imagine Thor as someone who had not been looking after himself much.
“Quarantined Thor? Old Man Thor? No, this is actually the most extreme concept version I came up with on how scruffy our Lord of Thunder could look like in Thor: Ragnarok. @taikawaititi wanted a different & road-worn looking Thor that hasn’t groomed himself in some time. I knew it was too far but that’s what you gotta do in concept art- give the director & producers the range of options so they could feel confident in the direction they choose. Sometimes they surprise you & pick the one you thought was “too far.” Thank God they didn’t pick this one,” he captioned his post.
{{/usCountry}}“Quarantined Thor? Old Man Thor? No, this is actually the most extreme concept version I came up with on how scruffy our Lord of Thunder could look like in Thor: Ragnarok. @taikawaititi wanted a different & road-worn looking Thor that hasn’t groomed himself in some time. I knew it was too far but that’s what you gotta do in concept art- give the director & producers the range of options so they could feel confident in the direction they choose. Sometimes they surprise you & pick the one you thought was “too far.” Thank God they didn’t pick this one,” he captioned his post.
{{/usCountry}}But fans were not as critical of the look. “I like this version much better! This look shows just how far Thor was wiling to go, all the time and energy spent to protect Asgard,” wrote one. “Bro they f**ked up, shoulda chosen this one,” wrote another.
The second picture is slightly more close to the final version. It shows Thor with a buzz cut, looking leaner than every with his jaw and the muscles on his throat popping out. He is wearing a steel armour and carries a mean look on his face. “And here’s the other extreme end of the spectrum! This is a haircut I did during preproduction of Thor: Ragnarok if @therealstanlee went even crazier with those knarly blades of his. #thor #thorragnarok #conceptart #design #painting #haircut #chrishemsworth @chrishemsworth,” Andy captioned the post.
Fans made their own requests in the comments. “We need a comic look for the next Thor! Helmet, locks, and clean shaven face. Anybody else,” read a comment. “Looks like someone from Game of Thrones,” read another comment.
Chris’ final look ended up being something more in between the two. He still brandished his eight-pack abs and toned body with shorter hair than any of the four MCU films he had appeared in before.
After Fat Thor fans are eagerly waiting for his look in Thor: Love and Thunder, which will star Chris and Natalie Portman. The film will also be directed by Taika.
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