Why a comic accurate redesign of The Lizard was tossed in Spider-Man: No Way Home in favor of keeping his look from The Amazing Spider-Man.
The design of The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man proved to be somewhat unpopular, so when it was revealed that the character would be returning for Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans had hoped that Marvel would give the villain a comic-accurate redesign.
As we know, The Lizard looked pretty much the same in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Marvel Studios’ Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding explained why in Spider-Man: No Way Home – The Art of the Movie (via ComicBookMovie.com). “We’re looking to pull a character from another film and have this audience believe it’s that same character,” Meinerding said. “If we change it too much, if we’re changing bone structure, it doesn’t feel like it’s the character from that other movie, and we’ve lost the magic of The Multiverse.“
However, the design team did put together some concept art depicting a revamped take on the character. “Having said that, all the explorations that [Visual Development Supervisor Ian Joyner] did were incredible,” Meinerding added. “Incorporating more costume and ripped and torn pants or shirts or lab coats, was also part of the fun exploration that I’m glad we did, even if it didn’t end up serving the story.” Those designs were released last year and certainly looked like The Lizard that fans were expecting. While I understand the reasoning behind not changing The Lizard, they did give Jamie Foxx’s Electro a makeover.
Spider-Man won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, so perhaps one day… the torn lab coat and purple pants of The Lizard will make a triumphant return. The design of the character has shifted many times since his introduction in 1963, with the first appearance of The Lizard actually looking more like his design in The Amazing Spider-Man than the one fans have become used to.
Do you wish Marvel had redesigned The Lizard for Spider-Man: No Way Home?