Between them, Marvel Studios duo Jackson Sze and Aleksi Briclot have officially cracked open a treasure chest of Thor: Ragnarok concept art, revealing alternate looks for Loki and the God of Thunder, not to mention a handful of those aliens populating the far-flung planet of Sakaar.
Arriving just in time for the threequel’s Blu-ray release – March 6th is the date for your diaries – the gallery below features five stunning pieces of artwork that were rendered fairly early on in the creative process. Case in point: Thor’s Sakaar armor that wound up bearing the brunt of an enraged, incredible Hulk.
As Jackson Sze notes (via CBM), Taika Waititi wanted to draw inspiration from Sakaar’s rich culture – a melting pot of interstellar travelers that exists on the boundary between the known and the unknown – all the while playing on the whole fish-out-of-water dynamic that defines Thor’s journey.
Here’s a quote from Sze himself, courtesy of Instagram:
One of the earlier design directions for Thor on Sakaar was that his gladiator outfit would be made of parts he finds just before the battle. Given that Sakaar receives absolutely anything and everything from the universe through its many black holes, I came up with this extreme design for him as an option.
Meanwhile, Aleksi Briclot is responsible for the other four pieces – including that particularly striking image of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, God of Mischief. For the female gladiator, Bricolt explained her design as so:
A gladiator concept art for Thor: Ragnarok. This one is the female version of one I’ve already posted. Just change the anatomy but kept the same look and outfit. One of the warriors that should face other gladiators (and Hulk?) in the arena of the grandmaster in Saakar. I’ve based my first proposals on the usual gladiator types: this one being close to a Thracian or a Secutor.
Bound for Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th – February 20th for Digital HD – Thor: Ragnarok floored Chris Hemsworth in its journey to $850 million worldwide. The MCU veteran is now said to be bouncing ideas off Taika Waititi, indicating that a fourth Thor movie is still on the cards – even if it comes after Infinity War and Avengers 4.
