The Ultimates reinvented Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the ideas introduced in Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's series ultimately inspired much of what ended up on screen during Marvel Studios Phase One. While Thor's appearance was clearly inspired by the classic Marvel Comics, concept artist Charlie Wen has now shared an Ultimates-inspired take on the God of Thunder.
There are noteworthy changes to that design (the patterned tunic and leather pants, for example), but the overall design, lack of cape, and larger Mjolnir are all inspired by The Ultimates.
As Wen explains, this was "one of the few concepts of Thor without his cape, based on the Ultimates comic series." He describes the series as "incredible" and adds, "It was one of the first times I felt like superheroes felt like real people in real situations."
That was a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe early on, and it's great to see how that could have looked on the big screen. What we ended up with, though, was still pretty damn great.
Check out this Thor concept art below: