Marvel fans were recently given a behind-the-scenes glance at some art from concept designer Phil Saunders, revealing a glimpse at a prior proposal for the Chitauri soldier's design. This early Marvel Cinematic Universe concept art revealed a very different initial look at The Avengers movie antagonists.
According to Saunders, the overall aesthetic direction was primarily influenced by Justin Sweet and Ryan Meinerding. Whilst the design was characteristically similar to the final form displayed in The Avengers, there are some notable distinctions. Saunders went on to state his intentions by claiming he "wanted to integrate the armor/tech into the anatomy as well as coming up with a different gun layout."
The Instagram post from Saunders is not too dissimilar to what we eventually got in the film. Whilst the design projects the image of a soldier simply through the armor and weaponry, Saunders added further alien details. Behind the helmet is an unexpected visage, presenting a mouth instead of eyes. Regarding this, the artist stated he also "liked the reveal that where there should be eyes we find an extension of the oddly articulated mouth."
The Chitauri soldiers made their MCU debut in 2012's The Avengers. These grunts were the first threat, alongside their leader Loki, to unite the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Whilst they served Loki during their attack on New York, their true allegiance was to Thanos, as shown in the movie's post-credits scene.
As their complex designs infer, the Chitauri were cybernetically altered beings. During their battle for the Tesseract, it was also established that they operated under a hive mind. They had clearly been under Thanos' control for a long time, due to their presence during the Massacre of the Zehoberei in Avengers: Infinity War which saw the decimation of Gamora's people.
Although this concept did not make it into the final cut, it remains a glimpse into what could have been. Concept art has commonly held some lost potential, serving as a window into what almost was or could be. In fact, Marvel has already made plans to capitalize on such missed opportunities in the upcoming What If...? series. Even so, the Chitauri were seemingly eradicated from MCU during their latest defeat in Avengers: Endgame.
Source: Instagram