AI Reimagines Marvel Heroes In The American Revolutionary War (And It's Amazing)
What if Marvel's famous heroes and villains received a "revolutionary" makeover? The YouTube channel Reimagining Films with AI, one of many that use artificial intelligence to reskin famous intellectual property for giggles and views, uploaded a video in early 2023 that reimagines everyone from Magneto to Gamora in outfits reminiscent of the American Revolution. There are 24 new designs to peruse, with more corsets and cloaks than the average Renaissance fair.
Some of these iterations, like the Incredible Hulk, are essentially unchanged — the big guy's just sporting a little patriotic chest paint and aggressive bedhead. Others, like the Green Goblin, are functionally new characters. Of course, the most interesting results occur when the original costume perfectly blends with the additional concept. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is best represented by Captain America, who looks ready to swim across the Delaware with the entire Continental Army at his back.
Aside from the skill of the creator, there's another reason why these designs work so well. Marvel loves to reinvent its heroes in new periods and new locales. While audiences might not see too much of it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the comics and the animated series "What If...?" play in the sandbox of constant change, which means that an American Revolution-era Spider-Man isn't impossible.
Marvel's history with altering history
Since Marvel Comics doesn't have a one-to-one equivalent of DC Elseworlds, most deviations from the norm are typically structured around time travel. For instance, "Marvel 1602," an eight-issue limited series written by Neil Gaiman, follows the publisher's famous heroes in the Elizabethan era. They don't just get new costumes either; they get new names too: Sir Nicholas Fury, Matthew Murdoch, Four from the Fantastick, and Count Otto von Doom, just to name a few. Two decades later, Marvel Studios adapted Gaiman's work in the Disney+ original series "What If...?" episode "What If... The Avengers Assembled in 1602?" Though it doesn't follow the same narrative, it does feature the same broad conceit.
In 1949, Marvel Comics published "Captain America" #73, a self-contained story that sees the Star-Spangled Avenger thrown first into 1780 and then into 1649. It's a short trip through history, but maybe Cap would've donned a more period-correct uniform had it lasted longer. Other Marvel comics that feature time travel include "Uncanny X-Men" #138–143, aka "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and "Iron Man" #149–150 and 249–250, aka "Iron Man: Doomquest." Movie-going audiences should be familiar with the former, but the latter sees Iron Man and Doctor Doom thrust into Arthurian legend. No, they don't get new gear to match the Knights of the Round Table, but how cool would that have been, right?