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On the greatest stage, when the stakes are highest,
heroes are made.
This is as true for Marvel superheroes
as it is for global football's biggest stars, and both share
many similarities while inspiring
their legions of fans around the world.
EA Sports teamed up with Marvel to create a custom comic,
representing 21 unforgettable football legends
as Marvel-inspired heroes befitting the pages
of a Marvel comic book.
In time for the World Cup, Marvel comic artists
gave each player the heroic treatment in a piece of custom
art, celebrating their iconic performances
on the sport's greatest stage.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
For the artists who created these works,
translating these heroic personas
from the pitch to the page was an exciting journey.
The idea was to create a mix of ingredients related
to each player, your nationality, the flag,
landmarks, and also the colors of the football clubs
they have played for.
It was exciting because I discovered about some
of the personal stories.
They are really amazing stories.
For example, if someone was seen by his teammates as a leader,
someone feels to look to, I was trying to put the same feeling
in the character, in the design of the uniform,
in the set of power.
So I used the life and the personality
of each player as inspiration for the design itself.
I think football players and superheroes
embody an ideal that, especially young kids,
feel they can emulate.
The difference is that superheroes
are in the realm of fiction, but football players are real.
[CHEERING]
The fans that really look for someone to believe in.
I see the same amount of love, the same amount
of loyalty for the football players
and the Marvel characters.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
But when I have to create a piece of legislation,
like the ones I did for the Iraq persona,
I usually start with a digital pencil.
I start to do something really rough
just to try to impress on the digital paper
the energy, the feeling of the illustration.
I like drawing the process itself.
Like, tell me which way to go.
I just let myself go loose.
And, eventually, everything starts to come together.
I draw clean lines, shadows, details, that kind of thing.
What we are really doing is just giving the drawing
the black, strong line art quality
that is necessary for the book to be printed.
And then, I work on the background.
Sometimes, the background was just a sky, and anything else.
Other times, I tried to fix in some way something
of the region of the character, or something
about his personality in order to stress it.
Then, I send everything with separate layer
to the editor for the colorist.
So, basically the colorist takes the line art
that the artist has drawn, and he starts by making
a first layer of flat colors.
Once those flat colors are in place,
the colorist starts rendering the colors, which
means even volume, a 3D look, the shadows, the lines, that's
when the image becomes magical.
It's always very exciting to see your work through the lens
of another artist.
It's like seeing an old friend, someone you
know, but in a different light.
When I see the image for the first time colored,
I was really surprised.
At the same time, I was relieved because, as artists, I
will take care of every step of the work.
I will do everything from the first line art
until the last upload of everything done.
And I felt like all the works I did
was really made shinier and brighter
by the work of the colorist.
So I felt so happy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Larger-than-life status is already confirmed
for all EA Sports heroes.
But, for some, getting to see themselves
in the pages of a Marvel comic book as a hero
marked a special chapter in their storied careers.
It's amazing.
You can see all the expression on my face.
Look at that.
I look like a real Avenger, real hero, you know?
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
During New York Comic-Con, some lucky Marvel fans were
able to get their hands on copies of the custom
comic during a special stage presentation
at the Marvel booth.
Seeing how much the fans loved the art
was a thrilling moment for the artists.
The idea that they have the physical comic book with this
illustration during the New York Comic-Con is amazing,
and it's exciting for me is it's something that makes
me feel proud and really glad.
I honestly love heroes getting the Marvel treatment
because it combines two of my favorite things,
which is Marvel and FIFA.
It's just really cool to see that cool artistic comic style
come to a video game that I've loved
since I was six years old.
I hope that it inspires the younger generation,
and we get lots of younger players
picking up foot now because they get to see
the football as superheroes.
For the first time ever, the custom hero's art
is viewable in-game as part of the FIFA
23 World Cup Experience.
Much like the heroes, this art is groundbreaking,
as it's the first time that illustrated
FIFA Ultimate Team items have been introduced in-game.
I'm so happy knowing that my art
will go beyond traditional comics, and enter this dream.
It's a dream come true for any artist.
When the fans while they're playing FIFA,
see the major social media, I would love they
feel connected with the player.
They connected with these heroes, which
is the right persona, and that's some way to inspire them
to be a right persona themself.
To be the better version of themselves,
because I think it's important to try to be the best person
you can in the world.
Play FIFA 23 now, and bring football's superheroes back
to the pitch.