“There’s always a creative element for every film you do, but not to this massive extent, where you have multiple worlds, so many personalities and such a diverse cross-section of creative looks needed,” says Wendy Partridge, the costume designer for Thor: The Dark World.
Working with the director, production designer, prop designer and Charlie Wen, the head of Marvel’s visual development, Partridge developed the costumes and look for the characters.
The idea was to have the aged and weathered look and feel of the film come through in the costumes.
Partridge notes that in terms of armour, this wasn’t always easy, as you don’t know what sort of metal you are dealing with in the world of Asgard and the Nine Realms.
She states: “You didn’t want to think the gods were invincible, so there needed to be some sense of vulnerability, even for Thor.”
Actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) echoes these thoughts. “The sets, the costumes, the hair, the make-up – all of it was about making it look more realistic. Not having them so much like gods that they were unrelatable. There’s a human quality to them all.”
Partridge and her team did extensive research prior to designing the costumes, which started with the comic books and moved on to the mythology behind the comic book characters.
“I started with the earliest Celtic historical information I could find, about 3 000 years ago. Considering our Thor gods are 3 000 to 4 000 years old, that felt like a great place to start. I got entrenched in the art of that period, which is called Liten, and that’s what we based a great deal of our aesthetic on. There are circular motifs that are part of that ancient artwork and they show up in a way in the Kirby comic books.”
For the look of Thor, Partridge says: “Thor has his signature look, and for this we introduced a seamless, dark blue leather, casual cape. It’s cut very simply, but it drapes beautifully, so when he’s hanging out with the boys he has all of his Thor amour underneath, but he just has this beautiful, draped leather that is elegantly simple.”
Thor’s look wouldn’t be complete without his hammer, Mjolnir. Forged from the heart of a dying star, it can summon lightning, control the elements and give Thor the ability to fly. It is intrinsic to his power as well as the look of the character. It is a weapon and prop the film-makers discussed at length.
Director Alan Taylor liked elements of the hammer from Thor, and the size of the hammer in Marvel’s The Avengers, so the team looked at amalgamating the two.
Property master Barry Gibbs notes: “It’s about 10 percent bigger than in Thor.”
Hemsworth says: “The hammer has been roughed up and scratched, so it looks like it has been through thousands of years of battle.”
WIN! WIN! WIN!
Four lucky readers (one from Joburg, one from Pretoria, one from Durban, one from Cape Town) stand a chance to win a Marvel’s Avengers six-movie collection on Blu-Ray and IM3 on Blu-Ray! Simply answer the following question:
What is the name of Thor’s hammer? E-mail your correct answer, as well as your full name, contact number and physical address, to [email protected] with the subject line “Tonight/Thorsdays”.
• Terms and conditions:
Only winners will be contacted. Winners will be chosen at random. The judges’ decision is final. Employees of Marvel Studios, The Walt Disney Company, Independent Newspapers, their affiliates or relations are not eligible for entry.
Don’t forget to look out for our weekly Thorsday editorial and enter the weekly competitions to stand in line to win the ultimate prize: a trip for two to New York!
Only those who enter the weekly competitions will be entered into the draw for the trip to New York, which will include the following:
• A magnificent journey to nine different realms in New York, the |first of which will be the Hayden Planetarium where you will travel |into the darkest realms of the universe on a unique, once-in-a-lifetime tour.
With unrivalled private access to |the fantastic exhibits, you’ll be able|to enter the Hall of the Universe, accompanied by your own Heimdall; his duty is to be your gatekeeper to the stars.
As a memento of this amazing experience, you’ll get to take home |an incredible compilation of treasures that could very well be found in Odin’s Vault.
• The next realm offers a view that even a Viking god would bask in: ascend the Empire State Building |at lightning speed to the observation deck on the 102nd floor.
• The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are the next sights to see, both of which have welcomed visitors from distant lands for centuries.
• The voyage continues with a private city tour taking in the famous Big Apple realms of Times Square, Wall Street, Chinatown, Central Park and Broadway.
• Finally, this memorable journey will end with a traditional Nordic meal at Smörgås Chef located in Scandinavia House.