Usually released soon after theatrical debuts and season finales, concept art for projects frequently reveals early editions’ subtle deviations. For Thor: Love and Thunder, it appears that they have let fans witness a few of the movie’s deleted scenes, including one involving abandoned plot elements that involved Asgardian children. More information on that potential story component has been revealed in recently published concept art.
Concept artist George Hull posted concept paintings on Instagram from Thor: Love and Thunder that were “for the director & team as they considered different options for the final act in the film.” The first painting depicts an early version of the Gates of Eternity, as Thor, still holding Stormbreaker, witnesses hundreds of children being brought to Gorr. Hull also revealed that “the early script had the children’s souls as necessary to enter Eden,” but that director Taika Waititi decided to streamline the story instead, limiting Gorr to just needing Stormbreaker.
However, the final piece depicts Stormbreaker being used in a manner similar to the film’s final cut, but this time a child is in the path of the beam, possibly to depict Gorr’s need for the children’s souls to enter Eternity’s realm. Gorr’s need for their souls was clearly not present or even alluded to in the final film.
For some, this raises the question of why Gorr even needed the children at all in the final film. Given the possibility and likelihood that a lot of material was taken out of the final cut of Love and Thunder, there may or may not be a satisfying answer to that question. One thing is certain: avoiding sacrificing the souls of children undoubtedly limited how dark the film became.
You can check out the concept art below:
Thor: Love and Thunder begins streaming on Disney+ on September 8, 2022.
Source: Instagram
