Even by the standards of two-and-and-a-half-hour movies, Avengers: Infinity War packed a whole lot of plot into its runtime, but going by one illustration from the new artbook Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War – The Art of the Movie, the film almost managed to work a pair of giant, vicious snakes into the action.
While it’s unclear how such a sight could’ve fit into the story, the beasts were evidently supposed to spring up at some point on the journey of Thor and Rocket. One line of speculation is that these designs are inspired by the Midgard Serpent of Norse mythology, which was said to be wrapped around Earth through the surrounding ocean. Legend has it that this creature is gripping onto its own tail, and when it lets go, that’s when Ragnarök begins. Obviously, Thor: Ragnarok went a very different way with its titular event, but maybe these snakes had some unusual origins of their own.
In the last week, this same piece of concept art has also got some fan attention for its suggestion that Thor could’ve wielded the Jarnbjorn axe in his latest film. This weapon from the comics was forged on Nidavellir, and since this was the also where the God of Thunder’s actual Mjolnir replacement originated, it stands to reason that Jarnbjorn would’ve played much the same role in the movie that Stormbreaker did. This implies that a trip Nidavellir took place prior to this serpent encounter, which makes you wonder if Thor and Rocket were supposed to fight these enemies after arriving in Wakanda.
Perhaps we’ll never know, but there are plenty more suggestions for what could’ve been in this new Avengers: Infinity War artbook. And if you’d like to see what’s next for this popular pair, Thor and Rocket’s shared journey looks set to continue with Avengers 4, which hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
Published: Nov 9, 2018 03:46 pm