Brie Larson's Captain Marvel Is Unrecognizable In Early MCU Concept Art
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as Captain Marvel is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her iconic costume, ripped right from the comics, is likewise among the best-looking suits in live-action adaptations. While the MCU eventually went with one of her most recognizable looks that first debuted in the pages of the 2012 "Captain Marvel" series and was designed by Jamie McKelvie, Marvel considered another major design, with concept art showing a very different appearance for the character.
Aleksi Briclot, whose concept work as an artist includes several MCU films, including Thor: Love and Thunder," "Avengers: Endgame," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," took to Instagram and posted his take on Captain Marvel, explaining that some real-life and fictional pilots inspired the look. "As an elite fighter pilot with some hint of Kree tech. I was also inspired by the Jelly Rogers squad, especially their color scheme (B&W and yellow with a skull logo)," he wrote. "Which was also the obvious inspiration for the Valkyries fighter VF-1 in Macross. And some 'Top Gun' vibe."
The look is wildly different from the costumes the hero wore in "Captain Marvel," and she has noticeably shorter hair than her movie counterpart. However, despite that, Briclot's design still feels like something Danvers would wear during her earliest journeys.
Carol Danvers has sported very different looks over the years
Carol Danvers is no stranger to getting significant redesigns in the comics, going back to her earliest days under her past codename. When Danvers debuted as "Ms. Marvel" in "Ms. Marvel" #1 (by Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Marie Severin, and John Costanza), she wore a very risque costume that was a product of its time. Her first red and blue suit exposed her stomach, and she had bottoms that barely covered her from the waist down. In "Ms. Marvel" #20 (by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Bob Wiacek, Mary Ellen Beveridge, and Annette Kawecki), Danvers sported an even tighter ensemble with a lightning bolt across the front. However, Danvers would wear more covered-up looks during her stints as Binary and Warbird.
In 2012's "Captain Marvel" (by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Dexter Soy, Jamie McKelvie, and Joe Caramagna), she was redesigned with a red, yellow, and blue suit, with gold details throughout; she kept her iconic sash seen in her previous iterations. The classic look was the main suit of Brie Larson's Captain Marvel in "Captain Marvel," with the MCU doing a stellar job bringing the costume to life on the big screen. This has remained her most popular ensemble and one she regularly uses — even if Captain Marvel got redesigned with a new costume in her main comic series.
Given the considerable change in Captain Marvel's looks in the comics over the years, the concept design from Aleski Briclot would have made sense as it did fit the character. But it's hard to argue that Marvel didn't make the right choice with her live-action look.