IRON MAN: The Villainous Iron Monger Is Unrecognisable In This Cool Concept Art From The 2008 Classic
Iron Monger was the MCU's first villain and while he was far from the best, he made a mark and this incredible concept art shows off some downright mind-blowing alternate takes on Obidiah Stane's suit.
Believe it or not, it's now been ten years since Iron Man hit theaters. The movie essentially gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while we didn't know it at the time, it created a multi-billion dollar franchise which has produced hit after hit and a world so large that it's hard to keep track of just how many iconic superheroes now call it home. Needless to say, the movie is nothing short of historic.
With Avengers: Infinity War currently breaking records, we're going back to where it all began with the 2008 movie and the first villain who then plagued the MCU - Jeff Bridges' villainous Iron Monger.
While he wasn't the best bad guy this world has seen (in fact, he kicked off a frustrating tradition of Marvel wasting its villains and killing them off after a single movie), he definitely made an impact and it was fun seeing Tony Stark go to war with him. Below, you'll find a variety of alternate designs for the villain which show that he could have looked a whole lot different to what ended up on screen.
So, to check out the full list of rarely seen concept art, simply click on the "View List" button below.
Seeing as Obidiah Stane struggled to recreate Iron Man's suit, it probably wouldn't have made sense for him to be decked out in such an advanced looking suit of armour but this is still very cool.
Similar to the version above, this looks almost like what Iron Monger could have become had he one day returned but the use of red definitely works and makes Stane look like a true bad guy.
Was Stane going to be much younger at one point or are we looking at the man who would one day become The Mandarin in the suit here? Bear in mind that he was originally this movie's villain!
This is very cool and while the body is very much the same as what we ended up getting on screen, the mask is a tad more villainous and would have made Iron Monger quite a bit more frightening.
I like these designs a lot. They're not too different to what ended up on screen as both are bulky but there are some subtle changes here which arguably make the armour a lot more memorable.
Once again, the colour red works brilliantly and it's a shame Marvel chose not to run with that to a greater extent. It's also interesting seeing how Stane would have climbed in and out.
Here, we see some designs from fairly late in the pre-production stage as Iron Monger finally starts taking shape. I've been a little critical of his mask here but it does actually look fairly formidable.
These images provide an interesting insight into the weapons wielded by Iron Monger and the thought process which went into bringing that to the big screen so he could take the fight to Iron Man.
This very cool behind the scenes shot shows Jeff Bridges being fitted for the armour. Many fans weren't keen on how it looked on screen but I think Marvel ultimately did a pretty solid job with the suit.
Showing just how much thought Marvel put into where Obadiah Stane would fit into the suit, this gorgeous piece of concept art shows a slightly different take as the mid-section opens up.
Adi Granov's final designs for Iron Monger, him joining this franchise might just be the best thing that ever happened to Marvel Studios because his takes on these armours are downright amazing.
A very early mould of the armour, it just goes to show that as great as this concept art is, there's an equally talented team who then need to take it and bring it to life in a live-action setting.
Just how much thought have you put into how a suit like this would work? Well, one artist provided an in-depth take on that as we get to see the armour's inner workings and even a seat!
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