Credit: Marvel StudiosEvery movie goes through various changes through the production process, so it’s fun to see what could have been. And for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), early concept art shows that we could have gotten an entirely different version of the High Evolutionary.
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as Groot, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Will Poulter as Adam Warlock.
However, one of the most exciting additions was Chukwudi Iwuji as Rocket’s creator, the High Evolutionary. His performance was excellent, making him one of the most memorable villains in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, if this concept art is anything to go by, this almost wasn’t the case.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Was Much More Traditional
Related: Two ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Cast Members Almost Played Pennywise from ‘It’
On his Twitter account, artist Andy Park shared early concept art for the High Evolutionary, saying, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 CONCEPT ART! The fun part of concept art is exploring the possibilities. This was one of my 1st passes at High Evolutionary many years ago during preproduction. Much fun was had in these explorations.”
In this art, you can definitely see the more traditional comic book elements for the character, including the more mechanical face and the brighter purple. It certainly makes for an imposing figure.
Related: Marvel Confirmed a Big’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′ Secret That Everyone Missed
However, you can’t help but think that director James Gunn and the rest of the creative team made the right choice by letting Chukwudi Iwuji keep his physical face. Not only did this allow for one of the coolest and most terrifying moments in the movie, but audiences also got to experience Iwuji’s expressive performance. It was much easier to experience the character’s emotions.
Either way, it’s still interesting to see what could have been. Also, Andy Park is an incredible artist, so getting to see more artwork from him is always a good thing.
Do you prefer the more traditional appearance of the High Evolutionary or the version seen in the movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!