Thor's 'Avengers: Infinity War' Journey Was Almost Much Different

The events of Avengers: Infinity War may have massively impacted the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it looks like they almost took a different shape.

A piece of concept art from the Art of Avengers: Infinity War book has made the rounds online, and it showcases a potential sequence of Thor "finding" Stormbreaker in what appears to be a corpse of a giant creature as opposed to forging it at Nidavellir.

Thor finds Stormbreaker - Art of Avengers: Infinity War Concept Art by Rodney Fuentebella

Granted, previous comments from the film's cast and crew have hinted at how different the Stormbreaker plotline almost was, but seeing what the aesthetic of that could have looked like is something else altogether.

"We explored a lot of different ideas of where Thor could go for that weapon," co-director Joe Russo said earlier this year. "We even had versions of the story at one time where he was going to visit this sort of ghost of his dead grandfather - which was one version we were playing with that we didn't end up using. I am happy where we had settled."

"[Thor] really goes on kind of a like a classic hero's journey," Russo explained. "We wanted to create the feeling in the film that Thor was actually going to save the day. So, him going to get this weapon that could kill Thanos was a critical part of the story and we had to give a lot of screen time and a lot of strong dramatic interest because we really wanted people invested in that - so that they would be coming into the climax of the film with that feeling."

It's certainly interesting that Thor's quest almost took that different shape, in part because it would have entirely cut the MCU's largest appearance of Nidavellir as well as Eitri (Peter Dinklage). And ultimately, there's no telling how that change could have affected the film's final act, where Thor attempts, but doesn't succeed, to kill Thanos (Josh Brolin).

"I would argue that the fan base could be equally upset with Thor, who chose to throw that ax into Thanos chest and not his head," Joe Russo told ComicBook.com soon after the film was released. "Because he wanted to tell Thanos that he got his revenge."

"Had he gone for a kill shot, that snap would not have happened," Russo continued. "These are choices that characters who are feeling immense pain make and hopefully, the audience can learn to empathize with those characters because they can grow through stories. Stories can teach us things and that we should try to see every choice from the perspective of the character that made the choice."

Would you have wanted to see Thor's Avengers: Infinity War storyline head this direction? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp are now available on digital platforms, DVD, and Blu-ray. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.