This week sees the release of Marvel Studios: The Art of Ryan Meinerding, a book showcasing the artist's singular and iconic vision, from his work-in-progress sketches to his finished illustrations (and how they've shaped the MCU).
Marvel Studios' Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding has been a key creative force in designing the look of the franchise since it launched in 2008 with Iron Man and ComicBook.com has shared a couple of preview pages from the book.
There are some amazing shots of Captain America rallying Earth's Mightiest Heroes to battle Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, but one shot, in particular, has been generating discussion among fans on social media.
As you can see below, there were once plans for The Hulk to get his rematch with the Mad Titan in the 2019 blockbuster. It's a great shame this didn't happen because the Jade Giant was never given the chance to get even with Thanos and to see this fight on screen would have been an undeniable highlight in a movie full of them.
Of course, this wasn't the only Thanos-related disappointment because Drax also never had a proper fight with the villain despite vowing to kill him in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Meinerding's book will also include:
- Character designs for Iron Man
- Keyframe and concept designs for Thor
- Concept designs for Captain America’s many suits
- Character designs for Marvel's The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, created in collaboration with Charlie Wen
- Suit and gear designs for Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The lavish book includes more than 500 illustrations and provides unprecedented insight into Meinerding's creative process and his view on the essential collaborations behind contemporary concept and character design.
The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the movie features an epic ensemble which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin.
For a time, Avengers: Endgame was the highest-grossing movie ever released with $2.799 billion at the worldwide box office. However, Avatar's re-release during the pandemic saw that return to the top spot.
Avengers: Endgame is now streaming on Disney+.