Most movies go through dozens of different conceptual designs before production settles on the final look. This is especially true for blockbusters, which go through dozens upon dozens of designs for just about everything, each vastly different from the last. Guardians of the Galaxy was no different, which also had the responsibility of setting the whole look for the cosmic settings of the MCU. Everything from the sets to the costumes looks great, but today we have a glimpse at what could have been. Check out these early designs for Star-Lord and the Nova Corps.
These concept drawings come courtesy of Andy Park, Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor and Concept Artist. He's responsible for helping design some major Marvel movies like Doctor Strange and Captain America: Civil War, and today he's shared some early art for Guardians of the Galaxy to his Instagram. Park expressed that he had an "amazing time" trying to come up with the looks and feel of a whole new franchise in the MCU. Up until that point, it had mostly been Avengers stuff.
First up we have a design for the Nova Corps, which right from the start looks very different from what they eventually became on screen. This design is a lot more comic book-y, with more of a high-tech armored look. It also has a different color scheme with white and blue, and a helmet that doesn't look easy to see out of. It's a cool design that differs from the more grounded space cop uniform seen in the film. Park said they saw this movie as Marvel's Star Wars, and there is a bit of a Star Wars vibe in the illustration.
But this is where the Star Wars inspiration really kicks into gear, with an early illustration of Star-Lord's outfit. The concept illustration shares some surface similarities to the film version like the helmet and the trench coat, but that's where it ends. The early design has a lot more bells and whistles to it, and it's beautifully drawn. The most obvious difference is the color, which primarily relies on blue as opposed to red. This color is more in line the comic book outfits of the Guardians.
The team at Marvel really knocked it out of the park when it came to Star-Lord's -- and all the Guardians for that matter -- design. It's essentially become the de facto look of the character, appearing in all of his comic books and television shows.
All in all, these are two really cool designs, but I think production made the right choice with what ended up in the movie. You can check out more sweet Guardian costumes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, hitting theaters May 5, 2017.
