Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to Marvel Live here at the live stream lounge.
And I am very excited, very pleased,
because I am talking with the director of visual development
from Marvel Studios.
The one, the only, Andy Park.
How are you, my friend?
I'm good.
Thank you so much for having me, Langston.
So I have to ask, we're back in San Diego for the first time
in a long time.
How has the convention been for you?
Oh, my gosh.
The convention has been amazing.
So glad to be back after the long hiatus that is COVID,
of course.
But I've been a fan of Comic-con, San Diego Comic-con.
I've been going since, like, high school, 1992, I think,
is the first time I ever came here.
And I got my first job at 19 years old.
Portfolio in hand, meeting Rob Liefeld.
He gave me a job at Extreme Studios Image Comics.
So I had a long history with Comic-con.
That's awesome, yeah.
So I want to talk about, like, about your origin story.
So kind of take us through that.
How did you come into your current role at Marvel Studios?
Yeah, I kind of mentioned the comic books.
I drew comic books.
Marvel comic books, Image comic books for about 10 years.
I made a switch about 15 years ago into concept art.
Built a new portfolio.
I worked in video games on the God of War series.
And then around that time, I met a guy named Ryan Meinerding,
you might have heard of him. - Yes, I do.
Talked to him earlier, yeah.
And a guy named Charlie Wen, and they
were forming the newly--
the visual development team at Marvel Studios.
Kevin Feige, knowing that there's
going to be an interconnected group of movies moving forward
leading to the Avengers, they hired me to start
working on the Avengers.
So I've been working at Marvel Studios since 2010.
It's my 12th year there.
And we've been designing the characters,
doing keyframes, coming up with the look and feel of the films.
Working with Kevin, all the amazing directors for the past
dozen years, it's been a ride.
I can't imagine.
Speaking of that ride, these movies have grown
and it seems like every new Marvel series that comes out,
it's bigger and more vibrant and more awesome.
So what has it been like to see the Marvel films grow
and evolve over the years since you started illustrating
and now working with Studios?
Yeah, I mean, it's been amazing because I, again,
I was a fan, right?
I started off as a fan.
I remember I first started as an adolescent reading Iron Man.
That was the-- Iron Man number 200,
that's the one that got me.
Mark Bright, Bob Layton, the Silver Centurion Iron Man.
And then from that point on, I collected everything Marvel.
West Coast Avengers, the X-Men Avengers, everything, right?
Spider-man.
And then-- sorry, I lost my train of thought.
I just--
Remind me what your question was.
No, I wondered how you felt about the journey
seeing all of films grow. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. So--
I also get distracted when I think of the Silver Centurion.
Yeah.
Totally, totally, totally.
So I remember as a fan, watching Iron Man I, right?
And seeing Nick Fury come out.
I was in that theater just like everyone else that
were hardcore fans, and my hands raised in the air,
knowing exactly where they're leading to, right?
But it was something that I never thought would ever happen
as a fan, that you could have main heroes
all together in what can be a movie called The Avengers.
So to be a part of this, seeing the evolution
watching Iron Man I, watching Captain America, Thor.
I started working there on Captain America I.
And then on Thor, Avengers, and then from that point
on, every single film since then, right?
And I've seen the evolution.
I've been there.
I've watched the decision makers.
Worked with all the directors.
Kevin Feige and all the amazing artists
and the visual development department
and all the different directors from the original directors.
Kenneth Branagh to like the Russo brothers, Peyton Reed,
Destin Daniel Cretton, every single director
has a different vision, different flavor, right?
But it's still in the family of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yeah.
Essentially the same model as the comic books.
That's true, yeah.
You got Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, but you also have Jason
Aaron in a more modern, right?
Kelly Sue, the iconic.
So but it's all the same characters, same universe.
So we're seeing that exact same thing realized,
actualized in live action for the past, whatever, 12 years
or whatever?
30 films?
Yeah, and now we've arrived at a magnificent film, Marvel
Studios Thor, Love and Thunder.
Thunder.
I mean, talk about--
I mean, again, because this movie is
so vibrant, so a visual feast.
So please-- yeah, we're going to look at some art right now,
so please break it-- talk us through this amazing--
this is such-- it's amazing.
So please talk about the process of working on this movie
continuing the story of Thor.
Yeah, sure.
Like this is the second film I got to work with amazing Taika
Waititi, right?
He came into the studio, stormed into the rooms, right?
With his personality, so boisterous, so amazing,
very fresh take on Thor.
So being able to work on the second movie with Taika
was nothing but a pleasure.
I think leading the visual development team
on this with the amazing artists that we have, the vision that
is Taika Waititi, like, with Ragnarok he
wanted Thor to be very grounded, as far as his look, right?
So there's mainly leathers, that kind of stuff.
With Love and Thunder, he wanted to go to the other extreme.
So he wanted like, that's why he has the bright blues,
the golds, the big old helmet with the little eagle
head on the front.
So it's just coming with all these different designs
and concepts that are just really far--
just really pushed.
Taika is not playing it safe, right?
So I think working on this, basically the sequel
to the Taika initial movie, right?
Right.
It's just coming out these new ideas
and working with him every single day.
It's just-- it was nothing but a pleasure just to kind of really
explore what is Thor.
And in this one doing more of a romantic comedy
and bringing back Jane.
I love the love story between Thor and Jane.
And being able to design the Mighty Thor, with Jane
knowing that she's going to get taller.
Now she's like six feet, whatever,
with muscles and having that awesome costume
from the comics.
I think it was an Esad Ribic original design.
And then taking that and translating it for the MCU.
I mean, that's the fun of our job.
Taking the inspiration from the comic, looking at the story
that they're trying to tell in the MCU,
with Taika as a writer and a director.
And then translating that to a reality that is the MCU.
Nice.
And with the Mighty Thor, I mean,
it's continuing something you've said that your career
has been very female centric.
And it's something that you're very proud of
and the thing that you hold proud.
So talk about that and like, really developing--
I mean, again, seeing the Mighty Thor, again, on screen,
I remember seeing people losing their minds.
It was so great.
So please like, talk about that aspect of your career.
Like, the female centric stuff and helping
to develop these amazing female characters.
Yeah, I think I've been very fortunate throughout my career
because even when I drew comic books, for whatever reason,
I've been hired to draw and illustrate the stories
of strong female characters.
In the comic book world, I was more known for drawing
Tomb Raider, Lara Croft.
And then once I joined MCU, a lot of the characters
I got to-- have had the honor of designing, from Black Widow,
throughout all the films, to Scarlet Witch,
to help design Gomorrah and Mantis, Captain Marvel, Wasp,
and then more recently with the Mighty
Thor, Jane's Mighty Thor.
So it's something that I'm really proud of that I've
been able to help bring the story of these strong
female characters into the MCU.
Because each of them have their own aspect.
They're all different, right?
But then they, not only in their look, but in their
who they are as a character.
Like, I love the story of Wanda. - Yes.
Right?
She's such a tragic character, but she's just so powerful.
And then you have a character like Black Widow,
who doesn't have any powers, right?
But she's not less powerful as a character, right?
So being able to help come up with their look,
visually, to help portray their story for the filmmakers,
it's an amazing job that I get to--
Yeah, and so we're talking--
we see some of the amazing artwork for Wanda.
And we just recently seen Wanda come to full fruition
as the Scarlet Witch in Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange
and the Multiverse of Madness.
Briefly talk about really bringing
from where Wanda started to now, this amazing look.
Like please, just briefly talk about
like what has been like bringing the Scarlet Witch
through this journey, visually, as an artist.
Yeah, because again, I collected
the West Coast Avengers, right?
So Wanda was in-- or the Scarlet Witch was in there.
When I was first tasked to help design Wanda.
It was for Age of Ultron.
Back then, they told me she's not going to be
wearing her classic costume.
Of course, the fanboy in me is like, oh, man.
You know, she's going to be wearing
more real world clothes.
So leather jackets, you know, skirts, just anything real.
But nothing-- no superhero outfit.
Of course, I had to-- as a fan, do some initial designs
with the crown.
And but knowing that they're going to shut it down.
Nice try, right?
So you know, her first couple looks from there to Civil War
is more of a--
realistic, right, with the leather jacket.
So but then when Mary Livanos, the producer on WandaVision
approached me and said, Kevin Feige
has this new idea for WandaVision
and then eventually, she's going to turn into the Scarlet Witch,
right?
So then, of course, the fanboy in me is like, yes, finally.
You know, I'm going to be able to help
tackle the classic look without doing the swimsuit, exactly.
Exactly, yeah.
And also not knowing that they would do that in the Halloween
episode, right?
So I was going for like, the more,
what is her version of the superhero costume,
inspired by the comic.
And then, of course, playing with the crown, right?
During that time, they were kind of like,
is it going to be just an effect?
Is it going to be like, a solid crown?
Of course, I was always trying to push for like,
it's got to solidify.
Like, I want to see that solidify.
So you know, thank God, Matt Shakman and the leadership
agreed with that.
And then we got to see her come to full fruition
as the Scarlet Witch, right?
So I remember going to that final--
close to the final fitting with Elizabeth Olsen
and costume designer Mayes Rubeo and specialty
costumers in an Iron--
shoot, Iron head.
Iron head.
But and then being amazed.
Seeing it there, you know, Elizabeth Olsen putting
on the crown and the costume.
All of us were like, oohing and awing.
And then seeing the final result in WandaVision
was just like, watching with my family, the final version
at home on Disney Plus and just getting chills to see her come
to life as the Scarlet Witch.
I just got chills, you breaking that down.
Because it was such an incredible moment.
It's such an incredible visualization and realization
of that character.
Andy, thank you so much for joining us.
It's been an honor and a pleasure to pick your brain
and hear your story, working with Marvel Studios.
Hopefully, we'll get to talk again.
I just want to talk to you all the time
about all the cool designs that you've done over the years.
But we are going to take a break and we're going to come back.
But stay tuned for more here from Marvel,
here at San Diego Comic-con 2022.