Captain America 4 Test Photos Offer Best Look Yet At Marvel's Scrapped The Leader Design

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We now have a good glimpse at something that could have been in this year's "Captain America: Brave New World." Specifically, we have our best look yet at Tim Blake Nelson's The Leader in his practical makeup in the film. It is, to put it mildly, quite the departure from what we ended up with. We know a lot changed with this movie throughout its lengthy development process – even the original subtitle, "New World Order," was changed along the way. Nelson's look was evidently one of the big changes made during reshoots. Check it out for yourself:

The folks at Blue Whale Studios shared the above post on Instagram, showcasing the work they did to transform Nelson into The Leader using practical makeup effects. While the final product is a bit jarring, what they managed to pull off is unquestionably impressive. Bringing back Nelson after teasing his transformation in "The Incredible Hulk" way back in 2008 was one of the many MCU loose ends "Brave New World" tied up. How best to tie this particular end up changed a great deal along the way, it seems. The team at Blue Whale had this to say about it:

"The nature of filmmaking asks us to adapt — to respond with creativity rather than react with attachment. We were originally brought on to design and apply the practical makeup for The Leader on the incomparable Tim Blake Nelson in Captain America: Brave New World. As often happens in film, the story evolved, and during reshoots, the creative direction shifted. Our version was ultimately not used in the final cut. Still, we remain incredibly proud of the work we created."

For what it's worth, a behind the scenes look at Nelson as The Leader with this makeup leaked previously. But that look wasn't nearly as comprehensive as this post from the people who actually brought it to life.

"Drawing inspiration from the original comic book art, we developed a look that felt both grounded and iconic — true to the source while achieving a refined, natural realism," the team at Blue Whale added. "Technically, we were thrilled with how lightweight and comfortable the final makeup was for the actor — an achievement made possible by the dedication of an extraordinary team."

I can't speak to whether or not the CGI version we got in the final product was better or worse than what we would have seen here. What I can say is it's a shame, seeing this now, that all of that work from these artists went to waste. Not to mention all of that time Nelson had to spend in the chair to have this done to him.

Character designs often change a great deal from concept to screen at Marvel Studios. Groot, for example, went through quite a few different iterations before what ended up in "Guardians of the Galaxy." In this case though, it went way beyond sketches on a page. One can only imagine how much money was spent on this and other ideas that didn't wind up in the final movie.

Though not the lowest-grossing MCU movie, "Brave New World" was a box office disappointment, having earned just $415 million worldwide. Maybe the earlier version of the movie with this bold, bizarre version of The Leader might have resonated more with fans. Maybe it would have been a total disaster. We'll never know. Either way, the folks at Blue Whale handled the whole thing with class, given how they concluded the Instagram post: 

"Even when the work doesn't reach the screen, its impact lives on — in the process, the passion, and the people behind it. We're honored to have played a part in this chapter of the Marvel legacy." 

You can pre-order "Captain America: Brave New World" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.