Stunning art imagines Marvel and DC’s most notable heroes, in their comic-inspired designs, teaming-up in parodies of the iconic circle scene from 2012’s The Avengers. In the comics, the Justice League, which debuted in 1960, came before the Avengers in 1963, and its own predecessor, the Justice Society of America, came two decades earlier. Even though the Justice League came earlier, in live-action, the Avengers in the MCU have been a far more successful property, and have contributed to some of the most memorable moments in cinema history.
One of these moments was included in 2012’s The Avengers, the titular team’s first movie together. Banding together against Loki and his Chitauri army in New York, the MCU’s original Avengers team formed a tight circle, with the camera panning round them, forming this now-iconic team-up scene. This scene has been parodied in art shared by Kerry Cullen.
Not only parodying The Avengers‘ circle scene, Cullen’s art also puts the Avengers and the Justice League members in their original comic-inspired costumes, journeying back through over eight decades of superhero comic books.
Marvel Comics-Inspired Avengers Almost Appeared In Deadpool & Wolverine
Shortly after the 2024 release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios’ Director of Visual Development Andy Park revealed concept art from the Phase 5 movie that would have seen Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool team up with Marvel Comics-inspired Avengers in a recreation of this iconic circle scene. These heroes would have had their designs inspired by some of Marvel’s most notable artists. This would have introduced animated versions of Bob Layton’s Hulk and Iron Man, Jack Kirby’s Captain America, Walter Simonson’s Thor and Jim Lee’s Black Widow and Hawkeye to the MCU.
While it would have been fantastic to see Marvel Comics-inspired Avengers debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, Kerry Cullen’s art takes this one step further by putting the team in their original Marvel costumes. While Thor, Captain America and the Hulk are fairly similar to their persistent designs, Hawkeye only recently sported an adaptation of his purple costume in the MCU, and Black Widow and Iron Man are wildly different. Iron Man’s gold armor was soon elevated, while Black Widow’s black-and-blue costume and jet-black hair, which she donned since her debut in 1964, was replaced with her now-recognizable look in 1970.
DCU’s Justice League Are More Likely To Have Their Comic-Accurate Designs Now
The Avengers aren’t the only superhero team that has undergone huge changes from its comic origins, as this has been the case for the Justice League, too. However, it seems as though James Gunn is taking more care with the heroes of the newly-rebooted DC Universe, and his experience with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise suggests the DCU’s heroes could be significantly more comic-accurate. This means an upcoming Justice League movie, perhaps taking inspiration from the MCU’s The Avengers, will likely be a colorful and entertaining watch.
