Captain America: Brave New World

raider alert ! This clause contains coddler forCaptain America : Brave New World .

I ’m sure that the Leader ’s appal design inCaptain America : Brave New Worldwas a late summation to the movie . Samuel Sterns , easily eff as The Leader , has been one of the most anticipated returning baddie in theMarvel Cinematic Universe . Tim Blake Nelson reprises his role fromThe unbelievable Hulk(2008 ) , where Samuel Sterns ' transformation into the gamma - powered supergenius was teased . As more detail aboutCaptain America : Brave New World ’s turbulent production emerge , it ’s becoming increasingly clear that his terminal design may not have been the filmmakers ' original vision .

Captain America : Brave New Worldhas been subject to legion reshoots , reportedly to down the pic ’s tale and visuals . Early reports suggested that major sequences were spay , with several role player confirming that they returned for all-inclusive extra filming . The nature of these reshoots propose a potential shift in originative steering regarding The Leader ’s appearance . stern was last seen inthe MCU timelineinThe Incredible Hulk . After using Bruce Banner ’s Vasco da Gamma - infused rake to plough Emil Blonsky into Abomination , Sterns terminate up with Hulk ’s blood drip into an subject wound on his head , which quickly starts to change shape .

Captain America- Brave New World - Poster

Early Designs For Captain America: Brave New World’s Leader Were Very Different

Early Designs Were More Reminiscent Of The Leader’s Original Look

Early promotional material and leaks suggest thatCaptain America : Brave New Worldinitially had a very different version of The Leader . product and concept art surfaced , showing a design more in line with Sterns ' classic comic book appearing — a big , elongated frontal bone with dark-skinned greenish hair’s-breadth . Thismatches the grapheme ’s traditional visual aspect in Marvel Comics , where his chromosomal mutation principally manifests as an overgrown brainpan , symbolizing his immensely enhanced word .

Several sources , including leak out promo art and early merchandise , showcased this design before the film ’s release . The promo image fromComicBookMovie.comand discussions onRedditsupport the estimation that the initial reading of The Leader had a more traditional appearance . This was more expected after the way Stern ’s skull deform at the last ofThe IncredibleHulk after being expose to Bruce Banner ’s blood . Yet this wasnot the Leader finally escort in the movie .

Captain America: Brave New World’s Leader Design Is Much More Grotesque

The Leader’s Look Was More Like His Redesign In 1987

The final version of The Leader that appears inCaptain America : Brave New Worldis a far cry from the early blueprint . Instead of a big frontal bone and fleeceable fuzz , his head is significantly more deformed and grotesque . His skull is somewhat outsize butfeatures a bulbous , brain - like texture that extend down his neck . This sport , with nodules and sickly greenish hide , is reminiscent of his translation inThe unbelievable Hulk#332 , where he develop into a more monstrous form after absorbing da Gamma radiation from Rick Jones .

Shira Haas debuted in Captain America : Brave New World as a Black Widow , despite her diminutive stature contrasting against her taller co - stars .

This alteration makes The Leader seem more like a true repulsion villain rather than just a valet with an enlarged forehead . It also aligns him visually with other grotesque Vasco da Gamma mutations , such as Abomination ’s update MCU appearance . While this transformation makes signified from a storytelling perspective , it’sa drastic departure from the initial designsseen in promotional materials .

Samuel Sterns in Brave New World and in The Incredible Hulk

Custom image by Richard Craig

I’m Convinced Captain America: Brave New World’s Leader Design Was Changed

Brave New World Was Subject To Extensive Reshoots

There are several reasons why I believe The Leader ’s design was changed late in output . First , the trouble of making a massive - headed graphic symbol work in live action at law can not be minimise . Ant - Man and the Wasp : Quantumaniastruggled to make MODOK ’s outsize CGI headland look convincing , and the receipt to that designwas overpoweringly negatively charged . afford the backlash , Marvel Studios may have opted to alter The Leader ’s look to avoid similar criticism .

Despite Spider - Man ’s call in Civil War , Captain America ’s iconic carapace actually does obey law of physics and can be explicate scientifically .

Early merchandise and promo textile reflecting his classic look further betoken a late - game change . It ’s common for tie beam - in products to be based on earlier conception art , meaning that if a drastic redesign come about late in production , merchandise may not have had time to update consequently . This would excuse why some earlyCaptain America : Brave New Worldpromotional material depict a different Leader than the one ultimately depicted in the film .

Samuel Sterns transforming into the Leader in Marvel Comics

Finally , Tim Blake Nelson himself suggest that intimately all of his shot were reshot . It ’s therefore plausible that the team neuter his design during this process . They likely in the first place filmed him with an stretch forehead but later line up it visually unappealing or difficult to render convincingly , or it wasreceived ill in exam screenings . The consequence is a edition of the character that blends horror aesthetics and comic Word legacy , to create a far more good scoundrel forCaptain America : Brave New World .

source : ComicBookMovie.com , Reddit

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