Early Loki Concept Art For Marvel's Thor Movie Is the 'Looniest"

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MCU's Earliest Loki Concept Art Was Also the 'Looniest'

By Mira Jacobs

Published Aug 10, 2018

The earliest design for Tom Hiddleston's Loki in Marvel's Thor is admittedly wacky, and a far cry from what was seen in the 2011 film.

Loki has been a fan-favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his debut in 2011's Thor. Much of the credit for his popularity goes to his chaotic character arc and his portrayal by Tom Hiddleston, but newly unveiled concept art reminds us of how much consideration went into the design of the god of mischief before he ever graced movie screens.

Charlie Wen, the former head of visual development for Marvel Studios, posted his first pass of the character for Thor, which he describes as "Wacky Loki!" It highlights the character's streak of madness, with eyes popping and a dangerous leer. "There were other options, but this is the looniest one so I wanted to share," he wrote on Instagram.

Loki looks like a straight-up villain, which doesn't quite match up with his complex motives in the MCU. Wen noted as much, saying, "I put more character depth into his final version."

Another marked difference that separates the concept art from what appeared in Thor is Loki's outfit. In the movies, Loki packs some serious royal flair with his formal robes and horned helmet, but here he's dressed in high-tech armor that looks almost robotic. That was all part of the process, Wen explained: "At this time I also wanted to play with the idea that Asgard had magic based on science beyond human tech understanding."

While fans are probably fully contented with the Loki they got in the end, the insight into the creative process that made him is fascinating ... and a little bit wacky.