The Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony, have made some of Marvel's most successful movies, including The Avengers double-header that wrapped up the Infinity Stone saga. But what if those movies were made in 1980 and directed by indie auteur Wes Anderson? What If…?
The Russo Brothers dropped the idea into Midjourney and the AI art-generator popped out some startling images. At first glance the results, which were posted on the MCU Twitter, are actually kind of fun, we get 1940s era Captain America, a version of Thanos who seems more concerned with office work than galactic chaos and a Cold War era Ant-Man. It all looks fun and weird, but some details are a little terrifying.
Why, for example, can the AI art-generator Midjourney create natural and realistic hands for the robotic Iron Man but fails to paint humans with accurate fingers – spaghetti looks more natural. Scroll down for all the best images of the Russo-Brothers-Wes-Anderson-Avengers-Midjourney mashup. (The same thing is true of the recent fan-made AI Family Guy remake that divided fans… some loved it.)
(Image credit: Midjourney / Marvel)
This depiction of Guardians of the Galaxy features so much fur and multiple raccoons. But why does Rocket Raccoon have human eyes? And why are they in the back of a 1980s Toyota LiteAce? Is that Kevin Bacon as Peter Quill? So. Many. Questions.
(Image credit: Marvel / Midjourney)
A Cold War era Ant-Man is a thing of beauty, but we're also getting big Spaceballs vibes from that over-sized helmet.
(Image credit: Marvel / Midjourney)
Who wants to see an alternate The Avengers movie where the team sit around a dinner table discussing parenthood? Why does the ham look more realistic than Thor?
(Image credit: Marvel / Midjourney)
The depiction of Iron Man looks really good in a 1980s technology setting. There's a real sense of place about this piece, but also, weirdly, why can Midjourney create perfect robot hands but struggles with human fingers?
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(Image credit: Marvel / Midjourney)
All Ai art jokes aside, the depiction of Black Panther is very good. It feels like a 1940s Golden Era comic costume. Maybe Marvel should consider some Black Panther prequels?
If you're not familiar with AI art-generators, these are algorithms that can create digital art from text prompts. They are controversial as artists have found their work re-used by these AI art-generators and there's a danger the trend could devalue the talent and hard work of real artists. For more, here's how the best AI art generators compare and read how Adobe's AI art is trying to ease artist's fears.
Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
