A recently released art book for Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed a comic-accurate design for Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. The Lizard. Ryan Meinerding, Head of Visual Development for Marvel Studios, revealed why the design was scrapped.
While The Amazing Spider-Man films weren’t exactly the most celebrated, fans largely seemed to enjoy their villains, including Dr. Curt Connors. This led to a nice surprise when it was revealed Rhys Ifans would return as The Lizard for Spider-Man: No Way Home. While the character maintained his design from the film, a recently released art book showcased an alternate design for The Lizard that was much closer to the comics:
While perhaps not the version of The Lizard fans know from The Amazing Spider-Man, many likely would’ve preferred this design for Dr. Curt Connors in Spider-Man: No Way Home. When asked why Marvel Studios decide to scrap the direction of redesigning the character, Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding revealed it was to ensure fans could realize it was still Rhys Ifans’ take on the character:
“We’re looking to pull a character from another film and have this audience believe it’s that same character. If we change it too much, if we’re changing bone structure, it doesn’t feel like it’s the character from that other movie, and we’ve lost the magic of The Multiverse,” Meinderding explained. “Having said that, all the explorations that [Visual Development Supervisor Ian Joyner] did were incredible. Incorporating more costume and ripped and torn pants or shirts or lab coats, was also part of the fun exploration that I’m glad we did, even if it didn’t end up serving the story.”
Ryan Meinerding certainly raises a fair point. Especially since Spider-Man: No Way Home was meant to be a celebration of past Spider-Man heroes and villains, making it clear that this version of The Lizard was still the Dr. Curt Connors fans knew from The Amazing Spider-Man was likely far more important than improving on the design. Luckily, fans still get to see the amazing concept art still in the book.
What’s next for Spider-Man?
What does the future hold for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker? The success of Spider-Man: No Way Home has opened up a world of possibilities for the fan-favorite Marvel character. The movie ends with Peter erasing himself from the memories of his loved ones in order to protect them from his enemies. This sets up an interesting dynamic for future Spider-Man movies, as Peter will have to navigate a world in which he is not known as Spider-Man.
Rumor has it that Tom Holland has signed on for multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances after Spider-Man: No Way Home. The future of the Spider-Man series is currently unclear, but it is likely that Marvel will continue to explore the multiverse concept that was introduced in No Way Home.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available to own on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding Spider-Man’s Marvel Cinematic Universe future and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: ComicBookMovie.com
