Much digital ink was spilled over Marvel and Taika Waititi’s decision to whack off Thor’s long, flowing locks, but it turns out Thor: Ragnarok almost featured another character with shoulder-length hair. And we’re not talking about a certain God of Mischief.
As renown Marvel artist Ryan Meinerding has revealed, the studio initially kicked around a few alternative hairdos for the Incredible Hulk, before settling on a cropped style that best resembled Mark Ruffalo.
Meinerding, who’s responsible for that jaw-dropping Infinity War banner and scores of other Marvel-related artwork, has been slowly peeling back the curtain on his Thor: Ragnarok collection – earlier today, for instance, we relayed his early sketch of Valkyrie, the ice-cool bounty hunter brought to life by Tessa Thompson.
But whereas Meinerding’s previous rendering drew attention to Valkyrie’s attire – not to mention that deadly arsenal – the pictures below are all about Hulk’s hairdo, including one particularly striking piece that imagines the Jade Giant with a beard.
While impressive, each piece is merely designed to lend viewers a visual representation of what could have been. Besides, had Waititi and his creative team sided with a more eccentric or eye-catching hairdo for the Hulk, it would’ve inevitably drawn attention away from Thor, the undisputed star of the show.
And what a show it was. Initially released at the start of November, Thor: Ragnarok has soared all the way to $848 million at the worldwide box office, placing it just ahead of Wonder Woman and It – two of 2017’s sleeper hits.
The MCU, on the other hand, will kick into high gear in May thanks to the arrival of Avengers: Infinity War. It’ll feature all of your Marvel favorites, too, including Hulk, Loki and the God of Thunder.