Over the course of two movies, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame completely changed what people thought they knew about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the most surprising plot twists was the fate of Red Skull, who had gone from an adversary of Captain America to the reluctant keeper of the Soul Stone. The transformation from Red Skull into “Stonekeeper” was certainly a jarring one — and now we have a look at how it was initially conceived. Concept illustrator Rodney Fuentes recently shared one of the initial passes he did of Stonekeeper, which looks even more ethereal and creepy than the finished product.
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“Somebody had to be the gatekeeper to the Soul Stone.” co-director Joe Russo said of Red Skull in a 2018 interview. “And somebody had to distribute the rules to Thanos and Gamora who felt credible to the audience. And a character who has been trapped – the Red Skull has been turned into this wraith who now guards the Soul Stone and distributes the rules to whoever shows up their trying to obtain it. It felt like there was more credibility than just a random character.”
“Somebody who has a history with the stones may seem like they have a little more authority in terms of their experience.” Anthony Russo explained. “Especially a tragic experience.”
“He’s a changed man, and I don’t even know if he is a man anymore.” Ross Marquand, who provided the voice of Red Skull in Infinity War and Endgame, said in a previous interview. “He’s almost like this ghostlike deity, and he’s at the service of the Soul Stone now, and his sole purpose is to essentially guide people to this, but you have to wonder: Is there still a part of him that does have ambition? I don’t know. It would be really cool to see where that character goes. But that’s really a question for all the folks at Marvel and the Russo brothers and the writers. I certainly couldn’t speak to that.”
What do you think of this concept art for Red Skull’s “Stonekeeper” costume? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1st, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall of 2020, The Eternals on November 6th, WandaVision in 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022.
