THOR: Rarely Seen Concept Art And Costume Test Photos Show Off A Vastly Different God Of Thunder

THOR: Rarely Seen Concept Art And Costume Test Photos Show Off A Vastly Different God Of Thunder

Newly surfaced concept art from 2011's THOR shows off some very cool alternate designs for the God of Thunder's big screen debut while costume tests show off a nearly unrecognisable Chris Hemsworth...

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - May 16, 2018 10:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Thor
Thor's hammer Mjolnir made its big screen debut before the God of Thunder himself and it's now been seven years since Chris Hemsworth first suited up as the Odinson. Since then, he's appeared in a number of movies and last year's Thor: Ragnarok finally established both the actor and character as an MVP of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as did the recently released epic, Avengers: Infinity War.

With that now in 
theaters, we're taking a look back at 2011's THOR and some of the alternate designs for how the God of Thunder could have looked in the movie which was directed by Kenneth Branagh.

There are some startlingly different designs in this rarely seen concept art but perhaps even more interesting are the behind the scenes photos of a much skinner Chris Hemsworth wearing very early versions of the costume he ended up with on screen. So, to check out the full list, all you need to do is click on the View List button below and then share your thoughts in the comments section. 




A very different take on the God of Thunder, here we see Thor with more of a warhammer version of Mjolnir, tattoos down his arm, and a suit which is arguably a lot more Nordic than what we got.
 


I love this more alien take on Thor's armour and the blue here works perfectly. Fans of the character will no doubt be glad to see the hero wearing his helmet, something which actually crops up a lot here.
 


This is quite close to what we ended up getting on screen but there are some key changes, particularly with the boots and cape (minor changes but ones which ultimately make a big difference).
 


Thor looks a lot bulkier here and while you can see how this design inspired what Kenneth Branagh ended up choosing for Chris Hemsworth, I like the extra bits of blue and purple here. 
 


A very, very early take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's God of Thunder, the Nordic influences are pretty obvious and he actually looks a little more like a Viking which isn't a bad look for him.
 


There's a lot more silver here, something which works surprisingly well. While greys have always been a big part of his costume, this works surprisingly well and really pops off the page here. 
 


I love how intricate the design choices are here, especially as it makes Thor's costume look a lot less basic. However, an argument could be made that it's a little too busy and a tad distracting. 
 


Thor looks like he's stepped straight out of the comic books in this shot but it's actually pretty surprising how close Chris Hemsworth has come to this look as he now fully embodies the characters. 
 


Another alien looking take on Thor's costume, here we once again get to see an increased amount of blue in the chest piece and it works really well (here's hoping Marvel one day returns to that).
 


This is a beautiful sketch and one which bears a striking resemblance to what ended up on screen. However, there are definitely some changes and it seems like this was a far more regal costume.
 


Thor only removed his cape once while in costume in the movie and here we get to see the thought which was put into giving the God of Thunder a more casual appearance despite being suited up.
 


Fans aren't happy that Thor has never really worn his helmet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the reason for why that is (beyond it being uncomfortable) hasn't actually been revealed. 
 

 


A couple more takes on the God of Thunder, these pieces clearly played a big role in what we ended up getting in the movie and throwing in the lightning helps bring the character to life. 
 


It's ironic that so much work was put into designing the perfect helmet for Thor because he wore it in all of one scene and it's pretty much not been seen since aside from once in Thor: Ragnarok last year.
 

 

 

 


These costume tests show just how much not only Thor's look evolved as time went on but the sheer amount of muscle Chris Hemsworth put on in order to truly become the God of Thunder.
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MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:07 AM
I watched Thor 1 before watching infinity wars the other day and man has that guy grown. Credit to Hemsworth and marvel but that guy has had some serious character growth. It's pretty cool how you can do that with each character in the universe.

The marvel formula isn't comedy, it's progressing the characters.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 5/15/2018, 7:09 AM
@MyCoolYoung - Couldn't be better said. Many of these character arcs have been amazing to witness. Cap's has been my favourite.
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 5/15/2018, 7:11 AM
@MyCoolYoung - I just wish they didn’t dye his beard and eyebrows in the first one, looks so weird!
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:21 AM
@JonAwesome - feige said that's one of his biggest regrets. He said he watches that movie and said poor guy lol
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:25 AM
@BlindWedjat - cap is my favorite avenger by far, but I love Tony Stark's tortured soul. He was so sure of himself and full of himself in iron-man 1 and even though it still flashes it's head every now and then he's not that person anymore.

It was pretty neat to see him come face to face with his biggest fear and not only get soundly beaten and almost killed, but also people around him die. The way he embraced his own hand just makes me think of the journey.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 5/15/2018, 7:25 AM
@MyCoolYoung - I re-watched Thor 1 & 2 this week as well. Thor 2 was admittedly boring, but Thor as a character does grow in both the movies. And honestly, I didn't enjoy Ragnarok much. It was too much of a shift of tone for me. How Thor jumped from humble god to comedian was a little jarring for my taste. If Ragnarok was in the same time and feel as the other two movies, it would've been a really impactful movie. The story itself was really good, but the forced comedy sort of killed it for me, it lessened the impact of all the events that happened in the movie, like Odin's death, Thor's journey, destruction of Asgard.
YoloSwaggins812
YoloSwaggins812 - 5/15/2018, 7:31 AM
@RageDriver2401 - I think the biggest reason for the change in tone, was the fact that the first 2 movies didn't do that well. I think the changes made for Ragnorak actually made more people give a crap about Thor. Just my opinion. I can understand wanting less comedy, although I like Ragnorak, some things I didn't care for was how they did Korg. After reading World War Hulk, I was hoping for this badass...
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:32 AM
@RageDriver2401 - I wasn't as down on ragnarok, or the dark world for throat matter, as you. Upon watching it over It got better, but I do have some of the same issues as you.

In the dark world when Frigga dies they allowed Thor's emotions to come out and we saw how much she meant to everyone and in Ragnarok Odin's death was pretty much glossed over.

I liked that the Russo's gave Thor an emotional arc in infinity wars. His heart to heart with rabbit about how much he had lost was touching, yet displayed his determination.

You really see how much our heroes have lost on their heroes journeys. Cap has lost everyone from his past and so has Thor.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:34 AM
@YoloSwaggins812 - he kicked a wall attacking a ghost I mean does it get anymore badass than that?
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 5/15/2018, 7:37 AM
@YoloSwaggins812 - I have absolutely no problem with humour, the first two Thor movies also had humour, but it wasn't forced. I've always liked how Marvel eases up the more intense moments in their movies by following them up with a little humour, but in Ragnarok they didn't allow any tension to build at all.

The shift in tone was too radical, best explained by how the logo changed between announcement and release:

RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 5/15/2018, 7:40 AM
@MyCoolYoung - yea, I like how the Russo's handled Thor in Infinity War more than how he was in Ragnarok. He's still humourous, but not in a very loud obvious way. They allowed him to mourn, something which wasn't done when Odin died, or when Asgard was destroyed.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/15/2018, 7:47 AM
@RageDriver2401 - they definitely did, though in Ragnarok's defense I think Thor's realization that Asgard is the people and not the place kind of went into him not mourning it's destruction, especially when he made the call.
Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 5/15/2018, 7:51 AM
@RageDriver2401 - Asgard being destroyed was part of his plan, and he didnt really have time to mourn as Thanos shows up right after the planet is destoryed. Ragnarok made Thor 10000% better as a character
BlackPhillip
BlackPhillip - 5/15/2018, 8:03 AM
@Gizmoduck - It doesn't happen immediately. Thor is wearing different armor when Thanos shows to when Asgard is destroyed. He had plenty of time to mourn.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 5/15/2018, 8:46 AM
@MyCoolYoung @Gizmoduck - I get that, but it's still his home. And his dad just died, he almost chose to live in exile when he thought his dad was dead, they just move forward in this movie like nothing happened. I'm not saying it's a bad movie, it was okay for me. Had it been executed slightly more seriously I may have enjoyed it more.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/16/2018, 10:10 AM
@RageDriver2401 - Thor yelled and had tears when both Heimdall & Loki died and immediately after Thanos blew up the ship.

Then when Thor was talking to Rocket, he tried his very best to be strong hearted and brave and tears ran down his eye.

So he was mourning for brief moments but put that aside for the sake of the mission.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 5/16/2018, 10:37 AM
@SonOfAGif - yea that's why I said I like how he has been handled in Infinity War more than Ragnarok. Infinity War let's him mourn, Ragnarok didn't allow the tension build at all.
JonC
JonC - 5/16/2018, 10:41 AM
@MyCoolYoung - though the tone of the movies he has been involved in has changed he himself is still the thor of Thor 1 and is simply evolving true to his character and what he has seen.
- Starts out as the golden child, spoiled and raucous
- Gets a life lesson in the first one and has to learn what worthy means
- The Dark Elves simply became aware of the stone in the 2nd which started his adventure and then his would-be girlfriend is exposed and he has to deal with that
- Finds his father has lied to him massively, treacherous brother has locked away his father and he has a sister that has been imprisoned

In each case he has simply reacted how a growing person from that first spoiled child getting a life lesson would and has been true to character.
CrashOverride
CrashOverride - 5/16/2018, 2:30 PM
@RageDriver2401 - I think there are some aspects which should have been given more weight, like Odin as a big example, instead of glossed over for comedy. it’s almost like they should’ve saved that and most of the Hela stuff for a different movie because the story arc of Thor on Sakaar and the whole planet hulk thing definitely worked and the comedic tone was perfect for it.
CuddlyCereal
CuddlyCereal - 5/16/2018, 3:52 PM
@RageDriver2401 - We got 10 minutes of that first logo in the beginning and at the end. The second logo is the slapstick 2 hours between that.

One of my biggest problems with Ragnarok (Of many) 5 minutes of epic followed by 2 hours of goofy side quest and a hurried 5 minutes of epic at the end.
Dotanuki
Dotanuki - 5/15/2018, 7:07 AM
Again, with the awful formatting of pictures. What's your problem, @joshwilding?
ECH0SE7EN
ECH0SE7EN - 5/15/2018, 7:10 AM
@Dotanuki - Haha! Such a rude way to put it.
RaMan
RaMan - 5/15/2018, 7:10 AM
OMG! The helmets (any of them) look glorious!!!!

BRING ME BACK THE HELMET!!!!!
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/15/2018, 7:11 AM
The awful picture formatting speaks a lot about the editor rushing to post something than double checking if it's worthy of the slot it possesses.

On a brighter note. Target opened at 8am and I was in there at 8:15am to be the first one to buy the Target exclusive Black Panther. My King is home!
YoloSwaggins812
YoloSwaggins812 - 5/15/2018, 8:48 AM
@SonOfAGif - Wakanda Forever!!
ECH0SE7EN
ECH0SE7EN - 5/15/2018, 7:11 AM
That first picture looks more Evans than Hemsworth, no?
SpideyPuffsMJ
SpideyPuffsMJ - 5/15/2018, 7:12 AM
It's been a long road but I'm so happy with Thor's evolution in the MCU. Just watched Ragnarok the other night, hadn't seen it in awhile. That film is simply great. Hemsworth is Thor.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 5/15/2018, 7:13 AM
Chris Hemsworth has really grown into the role. During my MCU rewatch marathon I do think he had been good in the role from the beginning but you could see him start to get a little tired, especially in Thor 2. Thor: Ragnarok really was the energising spark Chris needed to take the character to a new and different height. The Russos found the right balance between that new Thor and the old Thor, and the the Thor from the comics.

Cap better watch out because he's slowly becoming my favourite Avenger.
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