The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong for a decade, so cinephiles have seen plenty of heroes and villains clash throughout its long run in the theaters. But each iconic franchise started somewhere, and for Chris Evans' Captain America, it was 2008's The First Avenger. Steve Rogers jumped on the scene in a period piece where he battled Hugo Weaving's villainous Red Skull-- a character who has recently returned to the MCU's narrative. New concept art for the character recently hit the internet, and it shows a far more stylized and over the top look for Cap's first foe. Check it out below.
Yeah, this is awesome. While Red Skull's appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger was still iconic in its own right, this costume would have given Hugo Weaving's character an even more comic book inspired look. Ultimately the movie went for something more subtle, a move that can be debated by cinephiles and comic book fans alike.
This new image comes to us from artist Charlie Wen, who revealed how he originally created a bit more dramatic look for Red Skull. The MCU has been known to simplify its heroes and villain's looks, in order to make them a bit more believable in the modern world. You can look at Anthony Mackie's Falcon or Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch to see how the studio often tones things down. And Red Skull was certainly no exception.
Ultimately Red Skull's toned down costume helped make the reveal of his appearance surprising. Because when Steve Rogers finally landed the first punch against Schmidt, his mask was quickly taken off, revealing the character's true face. You can check it out the iconic sequence below, complete with Red Skull's more understated costume.
Ultimately Red Skull did get to return, and wear a far more dramatic new costume. He unexpectedly popped up in Avengers: Infinity War, guarding the Soul Stone as punishment for attempting to acquire the tesseract during The First Avenger. While he was recast in the role, it was awesome to see one of the Marvel's first villains return in the giant ensemble project. And with Avengers 4 still a mystery, we'll have to see if Red Skull comes back once more to complete Phase Three.
All will be revealed when Avengers 4 arrived in theaters on May 3rd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
