Marvel Studios
“Deadpool & Wolverine” have always been known for their unabashed criticism of Marvel Studios’ recent shortcomings. Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, doesn’t hesitate to inform Logan (Wolverine) that he’s joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe during a low period. Along with astute comments about “The Wizard of Oz,” Wade does his best to prevent the newly arrived Deadpool Corps. from causing havoc on Earth-10005, citing the disappointing chapters of The Multiverse Saga. Deadpool, brought to life by Ryan Reynolds, also characterizes the ongoing comic book franchise as a series of misses, a sentiment echoed by box office results and critical reviews.
Interestingly, “Deadpool & Wolverine” nearly featured an intriguing parallel universe that could have paved the way for a fresh wave of Marvel movies, potentially revitalizing the studio’s creative approach.
Andy Park, the head of visual development at Marvel Studios, recently shared a piece of concept art that reveals one of the alternate universes Wade might have traversed in his cosmic adventures. This universe would have been an entirely different MCU – a true Marvel Comics Universe where all the Avengers would have been depicted as different illustrated versions by various iconic comic book artists. Even Deadpool would have appeared as an animated comic version of himself in this universe. Let’s take a closer look at Andy Park’s concept!
Venturing into a Marvel Comics universe with animated characters
Marvel Studios / Andy Park
As evident in the image, Deadpool would have come across a gathering of The Avengers. While many of them are traditional versions of the characters from past decades, there’s at least one modern version among them. Andy Park encouraged fans to identify which artists inspired the versions of the characters seen above, and we believe we’ve solved the puzzle.
Deadpool is unmistakably in the style of Rob Liefeld, the character’s creator, and it’s no accident that his feet are hidden in this shot. He’s even got profanity censored by the Comics Code Authority. Additionally, we have John Romita’s rendition of The Incredible Hulk, Walt Simonson’s Thor, Mark Bright’s Silver Centurion Iron Man, and Hawkeye appears to be Jack Kirby’s creation. Besides Deadpool, the most recent hero here is Jim Lee’s Black Widow from the ’90s.
As for Captain America, we’re confident that’s Jack Kirby’s classic design as well, but the unique version of Captain America’s shield left us stumped. This must be a specific reference that Andy Park focused on, but we couldn’t identify where that shield appears in Marvel Comics history. Perhaps one of the more comic-savvy readers out there has the definitive answer.
Truthfully, it would have been fascinating to see this universe in action, and it begs the question of why Marvel Studios hasn’t ventured into animated movies yet, especially considering the success of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” An animated universe offers a plethora of exciting possibilities and creative opportunities, both visually and in terms of narrative. It would facilitate the exploration of more unconventional stories from Marvel Comics, as well as a range of striking adaptations of heroes and villains. Instead of merely expanding the MCU in live-action and relegating animation to television, Marvel should strategize on how to bring something animated like this to the big screen.
FAQs:
Q: Who is the creator of Deadpool?
A: Deadpool was created by Rob Liefeld.
Q: Who is Andy Park?
A: Andy Park is the leader of visual development at Marvel Studios.
Q: What is the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)?
A: The MCU is a media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
