Before a new superhero was officially introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe viaShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, artists at Marvel Comics were already visualizing what the character could look like in the live-action adaptation. The team led by Andy Park looked at all possible looks for the character in the pre-production phase, and the artist has now shared two of these looks on social media.
Earlier this month, an art book was released to honor the artwork created forMarvel Studios’Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Titled “The Art of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the book featuresShang-Chiconcept art from the team at the Marvel Studios’visual development department, art department, and costumes department. The images shared by Park of the alternate costume designs for Shang-Chi are also featured in this book.
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On his official Instagram account, Park shared images that showcase the “possibilities of what Shang-Chi could look like” during the film’s pre-production stage. “I did a full range from traditional to contemporary, from more comic accurate to comic adjacent as we do during this exploration stage,” he revealed. The artist seems to have had a lot of fun creating these looks. While they weren’t used for the film, sharing them with MCU fans meant a lot to him.
The images were createdbefore Simu Liu was cast for the role, and the artwork consists of versions of the character wearing an original look inspired by his comic book costume. Typically, when a visual development team begins their work, the film’s plot is either still being developed or kept under wraps. The two looks for Shang-Chi are unique and different from each other, but both seem to incorporate a lot of the character’s culture. The second image that Park revealed is closer to the look used in the film, which hints at it developing with the film’s story and being refined over time.
A sequel forShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringshas not been confirmed, but lead actor Liu is hopeful that fans might see the hero return soon. Rumors are swirling about theShang-Chisequel being added to the MCU’s slate, but it remains to be seen how accurate these stories are.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsis now available on Disney Plus.
