Road To INFINITY WAR: Check Out This Epic Concept Art From THE AVENGERS' Battle For New York
The first time Earth's Mightiest Heroes assembled, it was to go to war with Loki in New York. Hit the jump to check out some incredible concept art from that, including alternate designs and keyframes...
Can you believe it's been nearly six years since The Avengers was released? When the movie hit theaters, it was nothing short of groundbreaking but it seems almost tame by today's standards; just look at how many characters Avengers: Infinity War has in comparison! So, with that on the horizon, we've decided to take a look at the incredible concept art which made its predecessors a reality.
These rarely seen pieces provide a fascinating glimpse into just how different The Avengers could have been and we're kicking things off with an awesome look at the movie's epic final battle which saw Earth's Mightiest Heroes finally assemble against a common threat in the form of Loki and the Chitauri.
Below, you'll find a look at alternate designs for Iron Man, Loki's army, and Thanos' warship along with some great pieces showing us both how the Battle for New York was conceived and the many ways it could have played out differently. Many of these have never been seen online before now, so click either one of the buttons to check them out and then let us know your thoughts on them below.
Hulk Smash!
One of The Avengers's coolest moments came once Bruce Banner transformed into The Hulk to punch a Leviathan straight from the sky. This artwork shows us how that sequence was dreamt up.
Black Widow Takes Charge
Despite her being just a regular human, Joss Whedon managed to find a decent role for Black Widow in the movie's final battle and that included the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent piloting a Chitauri vessel.
Alternate Iron Man Armours
In the final battle, Tony Stark donned a brand new armour (the Mark VII) and these are just a couple of different versions of that. The one on the left is pretty chunky and looks Hulkbuster-esque.
Through The Portal
This looks like a still, right? Well, it's actually concept art of the moment Iron Man passes through the portal above New York and Joss Whedon clearly liked it enough to faithfully adapt this piece!
Alternate Chitauri Designs #1
The Chitauri may have been named after the Ultimate version of the Skrulls but they bore no resemblance to anyone or anything from the comics and neither to these alternate designs.
Alternate Chitauri Designs #2
More alternate takes on Loki's foot soldiers, it's clear the aliens could have looked a lot different and a few of these wouldn't have looked out of place in a horror movie. They are very cool, though.
Invasion!
So, yeah, The Avengers could have looked very different! We're used to Ryan Meinerding coming up with the look and feel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but this is a far cry from his normal work.
The War Begins
With Stark Tower far below, the Leviathans and Chitauri continue pouring in in this aerial view of the Battle of New York and it's a moment which was faithfully recreated on the big screen.
Ultimate Iron Man
Iron Man's armour didn't really dramatically alter in appearance until Iron Man 3 but this version is quite a bit different to what Whedon ended up using and it bears a resemblance to his Ultimate duds.
A Doorway To Another World
Stark Tower was an appropriate place for the Battle of New York to revolve around and this piece of concept art shows how Marvel's artists imagined the doorway would be opened to another world.
Feel The Thunder
In a bid to slow down the Chitauri, Thor flies to the top of the Chrysler Building and unleashes the full force of Mjolnir on the aliens. Before that, though, he had to summon the lightning!
Hawkeye Takes Aim
Jeremy Renner wasn't happy with his role in The Avengers as he spent most of the movie being controlled by Loki. He did, however, get to do a lot of very cool stuff during the movie's epic climax.
Destruction On An Epic Scale
With the Chitauri hoards invading New York City, it's up to The Avengers to hold the line and this piece of artwork shows them struggling to contain the threat and protect the island of Manhattan.
Boom
Using the Chrysler Building as a conductor, the God of Thunder lets loose and zaps the aliens just as quickly as they're able to travel through the portal. Of course, that only lasted so long!
"I'm Always Angry"
An alternate shot of The Hulk preparing to KO a Leviathan, this gorgeous piece of artwork shows the scale of the massive aliens and just how strong the Jade Giant was to be able to take one down.
Iron Man Kicks Ass
Remember that awesome tracking shot from The Avengers? One of the highlights came when Iron Man unleashed his full arsenal on the Chitauri and here's a look at how that was brought to life.
Loki's Ride
Until he was taken down by The Hulk, Loki spent most of the final battle riding around on a chariot of sorts which had been given to him by the Chitauri. This is one of many designs for that.
The Hulk Tears Into The Chitauri
This piece provides an interesting look at how a sketch becomes a piece of concept art and how that ultimately winds up on screen. This was actually one of the trailer's coolest looking shots.
The Portal Opens
In this rather moody shot from The Avengers, Iron Man and Thor look on as the Chitauri army pours out of the portal above Stark Tower and run down the site of the skyscraper. It's a great visual!
Inside Stark Tower
"We have a Hulk." Loki's confrontation with Tony Stark was a highlight and our first glimpse inside what would ultimately become Avengers Tower clearly went through a few different designs.
Hulk Hitches A Ride
The Hulk piloting a very different looking Leviathan would have been fun to see and it seems it took Marvel a while to find the right balance between creature and tech based on this piece.
Thanos' Warship
When Iron Man travelled through the portal, he caught a glimpse of Thanos' army but going into Infinity War, we have no idea whether or not the Chitauri will remain at his command.