A lot has changed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its first installment Iron-Man way back in 2008. From character relationships and the state of the world along with the introduction of other characters, a series spanning nearly a decade would undoubtedly provide an interesting retrospect as to how things were earlier on. However, it seems that visual aesthetics and character designs have also changed as fans noticed a difference in the appearance of Mad Titan Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War than in previous films.
Introduced in 2012 during the post-credits scene in The Avengers, Thanos appearance was more reddish-purple in skin tone and sported a gold helmet and armor. In Infinity War, however, the armor and helmet were gone along with a slight hue change in regards to his skin, offering a more pink-ish appearance. Fans may have some problems with this change but Marvel claims they knew what they were doing.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Infinity War VFX supervisor Matt Aitken spoke of these changes:
“I think it’s one thing to have a Thanos who in those scenes was definitely more stylized, holed up for those short beats that he was in those films. But when he had to be the lead character and hold the film and appear in hundreds and hundreds of shots, it was great to have the latitude to refine his look, to make his facial appearance more natural, so he’s definitely more detailed and has a more natural shape to his face”
He further elaborated on the freedom given on the look of Thanos for Infinity War:
“If we’d been confined to those earlier iterations, it would have been too much of a limitation, I think, so that was never an issue. Right from the start, Marvel recognized the need to go to the next version of Thanos, and we were never asked to match that earlier version at all.”
This change may have been necessary and understandable as Josh Brolin’s motion capture undoubtedly played a part in the appearance, providing a likeness closer to him. Although continuity is an important factor in films, Thanos was required to carry the film in Infinity War unlike his previous short appearances in the other films. Granted, Thanos may have looked better in the previous films but if adhering to that design would be a detriment to the film, some changes are necessary.
Nonetheless, Infinity War is doing tremendously both critically and commercially despite this. Fans would have to get used to this appearance as Thanos is slated to return in the near future.
Source: Screen Rant
