‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Concept Art Reveals How Cut Groot And Eitri Scene Played Out

It was one of the pivotal moments of Avengers: Infinity War and it could have ended up very […]

December 3, 2018, 5:22am

It was one of the pivotal moments of Avengers: Infinity War and it could have ended up very differently if one Marvel Studios concept artist got his way. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) traveled to the legendary Nidavellir with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) in search for a new weapon after he lost his beloved Mjolnir during the events of Thor: Ragnarok.

Eventually, the group arrived and helped Eitri (Peter Dinklage) form Stormbreaker, a weapon said to be one of the universe’s most dangerous. John Staub — a concept artist behind Infinity War, Black Panther, and the upcoming Captain Marvel — shared a set of pictures featuring a very different scene than what played out on screen.

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When Infinity War aired in theaters, Eitri used molten uru metal to forge Stormbreaker. Unable to find the handle, Groot took one for the team and sacrificed one of his arms to provide the handle. Eitri required the help because after he helped Thanos forge the Infinity Gauntlet, the Mad Titan poured uru over his hands, turning them to solid metal.

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Continuing from the #keyframe #concept from the last post. Here are some other roughs exploring the idea. I thought it would be cool if groot rode on eitris back like a backpack while he helped eitri do his work. Since groot still controls the new arms he would need to be close by and be able to talk to each other while they tag team the work. I imagine them bantering to each other through the process. #infinitywar #marvelstudios #avengersinfinitywar #conceptart #groot #eitri #disney #film #keyframe #composition #sketch #art #grootbackpack
A post shared by John Staub (@johnstaubart) on Dec 2, 2018 at 9:19am PST

Staub’s scene paints a much different picture. In his concept art, Groot can be seen acting as a backpack of sorts on Eitri’s back. Groot then extends branches around Eitri’s arm, eventually before they create hands in place of Eitri’s metal-ridden hands.

This is the second set of images Staub has released of this particular scene in question this week. The artist also spoke about the scene in the recently-released The Art of Avengers: Infinity War picture book.

“The original scene in the script just said ‘Groot helps Eitri,’ giving me a lot of freedom to come up with something interesting and unique,” Staub says in the book. “I was handed the script with the scene and was trusted to come up with something cool. Minimal direction was given to me, which left room for my ideas to come through.”

“We already know that Groot can extend and reshape his arms when he fights I thought it would be cool to see him use them in a more utilitarian manner, like to help pick things up or to build something.”

What do you think of Staub’s alternative ideas for the Nidavellir scene? Do you think it would have made for a better moment than what made the final cut of the movie? Let us know in the comments below!

Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers 4 on May 3, 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019.