Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of 2021’s highlights, as the film combined the elements that made Marvel Studios the powerhouse that it is today. While telling a personal story about family, we also get a closer look at a new part of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ta Lo offered a peek into a new dimension where our protagonist embraced his heritage and future. Even better, he got a new look that was passed on to him and his sister by their mother. The design has become quite iconic but it may have looked quite a bit different at one point.
Marvel Studios director of visual development shared a first look at alternative designs for Simu Liu’s costume. The first includes a nice visual of the Great Protector in the background. This design is closer to what we got in the film, but had some urban elements included, such as a hoodie. The dragon skin element is still included which would become a mainstay in his final design.
The other design is quite a departure, which almost seems like it was plucked out of a Tron film. The design was inspired by a potential spy direction for the series given the characters’ history with MI-6. Park highlights that he had no idea what the story was going to be about, which is why he just tested out concepts. It also integrates the classic Bruce Lee jumpsuit into the overall design.
It highlights how many different angles there are with these characters. The team even enters production on the designs and brings these elements to life long before any story elements or scripts are finalized. We’ve learned that they support writers by bringing these concepts visually to life as they are developing scripts, which means there might be many others out there we haven’t seen yet.
Source: Instagram
