Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Alternate Razorfist Concept (2019)

This was my first pass at Razorfist for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As always when approaching a character, my first instinct is to reference as much of the original character as possible. In the comics Razorfist wears simple black pants and tank-top, a black wresting mask, and has two blade arms. I tried to reinterpret that silhouette as a hybrid of traditional chinese armor and modern tactical wear, and produced a range of layers toward a more traditional silhouette.

The blade arms were fun. I tried to come up with hands and forearms that could fold up into blades, with the fingers having a sharp V cross-section so they could nest over each other. It would have required a lot of VFX sleight-of-hand to make believable, but I think this concept makes it plausible enough for movie design.

The first pass is often the closest to the comic book reference...

The first pass is often the closest to the comic book reference...

Then getting a little bolder with the Chinese opera influence on the mask..

Then getting a little bolder with the Chinese opera influence on the mask..

Trying Chinese opera makeup directly...

Trying Chinese opera makeup directly...

Adding a shirt, but keeping the tank-top/pants silhouette...

Adding a shirt, but keeping the tank-top/pants silhouette...

Now starting to add more traditional decorative elements...

Now starting to add more traditional decorative elements...

Ah hell, just go for it!

Ah hell, just go for it!

...and then stripping it away again.

...and then stripping it away again.

Trying an alternate silhouette..

Trying an alternate silhouette..

Arm transformation stage 1

Arm transformation stage 1

Arm transformation stage 2

Arm transformation stage 2

Arm transformation stage 3

Arm transformation stage 3

Arm transformation stage 4

Arm transformation stage 4

Double bladed!

Double bladed!