Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains atop the box office five weeks after first swinging into theaters, and it may not be done breaking records.
The "Art of" book recently went on sale, freeing the movie's many concept artists to share the work they did on the $2.3 billion blockbuster. Today, we have pieces from Wesley Burt and Ian Joyner. Those reveal how the Savage Hulk's MCU return was conceived, including some very interesting takes on a Grey Hulk.
We still don't know how close we came to seeing that version of Bruce Banner's alter ego. Early leaked trailers appeared to show a grey-skinned version of the Avenger, but we've since learned that Marvel Studios decided to stick with the far more familiar Green Goliath.
"Early on, the story beats called for Smart Hulk going full Savage Hulk again, more savage than ever? Maybe a grey Hulk? Maybe a face more reminiscent of comic versions?" Burt wrote. "It was fun to explore how all that could look, and then later mixing in the opportunity to have Smart Hulk shrink back down into normal Banner and have some oversized clothes at that point before going larger than ever."
The artist also shared a fun shot of Spider-Man and Detective Jean DeWolff catching up inside a cop car. That scene didn't make it into the movie, with many of their conversations taking place over the phone instead.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day finished with Jean still Peter Parker's closest ally in the NYPD, potentially setting the stage for the Sin-Eater storyline in a future movie. As for the Hulk, poor Bruce Banner has been institutionalised, likely taking him off the board for Avengers: Doomsday.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it's a Brand New Day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
In our review, we concluded by saying, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything fans could want. Emotional, hilarious, and heartfelt, it’s an action-packed love letter to the comics and one of Spidey’s best big-screen adventures. Spider-Man has never been more amazing."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.