Guardians of the Galaxy Concept Art Reveals Unseen Sakaarans Designs

Guardians of the Galaxy Concept Art Reveals Unseen Sakaarans Designs

New concept art from Guardians of the Galaxy shows unused designs for aliens, including the Sakaarans. Guardians released in 2014 and kicked off a new era of Marvel entertainment. Director James Gunn took an "anything goes" approach to the comics, sending the MCU into wacky new territory. As a result, Guardians of the Galaxy paved the way for movies like Thor: Ragnarok and Doctor Strange. It was considered a big win for Gunn, who went on to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Despite being fired from the upcoming sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn will return to the franchise. Originally let go for offensive tweets, Marvel hired Gunn back last year.

Alien creatures are a big part of the first movie, as the present-day story takes place in space. Guardians introduced fans to many alien species, including the Sakaarans. They also play a large role in Thor: Ragnarok, as Sakaar is the planet Thor and Hulk are trapped on by the Grandmaster. The Sakaarans typically interact with the Guardians and other Avengers as henchmen for larger threats. They've worked for Thanos and Ronan the Accuser, oftentimes alongside the Kree.

Now, Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park shares unused alien concept art on Instagram. The first image shows a completely new, unnamed alien that never made its way onscreen. In his caption, Park reveals this creature "connects to their alien iPad via their own goo." His second image shows the unused Sakaaran design, which bears a resemblance to the final product seen in the film. However, Park's concept art of the aliens shows spikes on the Sakaarans that are missing in Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out both images below:

Though Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to release sometime in the next few years, that could very well change due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Marvel TV shows and movies are already feeling the effects, as many have shut down production. The upcoming Disney+ shows will play a big role in the MCU and postponing them could have an impact on the movie timeline as well. Black Widow, which was supposed to come out in May, has been delayed indefinitely. This could have a ripple effect on scheduling for Phase 4 and potentially even affect the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It's always interesting to see concept art from movies, especially as it gives fans insight into the design process. For creatures like the Sakaarans, clearly a lot of thought went into it, as the original design is quite different from what ended up on screen. In the MCU, getting creatures right is especially important, as they're often seen in multiple movies like the Sakaarans were. Hopefully, fans enjoy this insight into how two different aliens were created for Guardians of the Galaxy.