An early version of Ego the Living Planet’s look has emerged online via a concept art which is notably different from the final product that appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The piece shows what Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) long-lost father could have looked like if the idea was fleshed out on screen.

Just a couple of days ago, a different concept art showing Matthew McConaughey as Ego also emerged online. It is no secret that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director James Gunn tried to recruit the Academy Award winning actor to play the main villain of the film. However, he ultimately turned down the gig for a part in Neil Gaiman’s The Dark Tower film adaptation. The aforementioned role eventually landed in Kurt Russel’s hands and the rest is Marvel Cinematic Universe canon.

The photo came out courtesy of artist Andy Park, who created the image. He is the Supervisor at Marvel Studios Visual Development Division and is a famed concept artist for properties including  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War. Park posted the image on his official social media accounts for his followers to see, showcasing another stunning piece of work he’s done for Marvel. As Park notes, this is one of the first designs he came up with for the character, which obviously went through different variations before making the jump to the big screen. You can check it out for yourself in the space below:

One of the 1st designs I did for Ego on #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2 This was so fun to paint! #gotgvol2 #ego #starlord #father #conceptart #costume #design #characterdesign #digitalart #digitalpainting #크림 #painting #instaart #instaartist #marvel #marvelstudios A post shared by Andy Park (@andyparkart) on Jun 4, 2017 at 11:17am PDT

Looking at Park’s concept art, the photo looks very different with what Russel’s final aesthetics was in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The unused piece seems a bit more laid back, emphasized with him sporting a baggier set of clothes and without any footwear. The image also had the character perched on what looks like a throne made of rocks and holding a goblet of red wine.

The photo does not also resemble in any way to McConaughey’s proposed look for Ego. The rendition of the actor’s supposed look had him wearing a sleek black suit reminiscent of a chicer version space suit. However, it is obvious that Parker’s iteration of the Living Planet exudes the cool and suave that McConaughey would have pulled off easily.

In retrospect, Russel’s version turns out to be the best version of Ego. From his aesthetics to his demeanor, the actor perfectly gave off the fatherly-vibe that the character’s narrative in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 needed. 

Source: Andy Park

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