Alleged Eternals Concept Art Reveals Alternate Designs for Pip the Troll

Concept art allegedly created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Eternals reveals a vastly different look for Pip the Troll.

A collection of early concept art developed for Eternals showcases early designs for Pip the Troll that ultimately never made it into the movie.

Shared to X, the four images reveal drastically different takes on the character, including one wherein the cosmic hero sports what appears to be a leather vest, a braided beard, shoulder pads and a flagon of ale. The others pieces appear more in-line with how Pip was designed for Eternals albeit with minor differences to his face, stature and costume. It's worth noting that there's no word yet on who created these images so a grain of salt is recommended.

Eternals managed to surprise fans by introducing Pip the Troll during the film's post-credits scene as the jovial herald announced the arrival of Eros aka Starfox. Voiced by beloved comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, the moment was included in the final cut of the film because the concluding moments were deemed to be a bit too much of a downer for audiences. "[The ending] was still with Harry Styles actually, but it was in the spaceship with all the other Eternals," said WETA Digital VFX Supervisor Stephane Ceretti. "It was a little bit more sad, and not as exciting in a way, so it didn't kind of resonate. Chloé [Zhao, director] had that idea of bringing Pip, the troll, as his sidekick for the end of the movie. We did that pretty quick at the end."

Inspired By Star Wars

To further establish the kind of tone Zhao wanted Pip and Starfox to set upon their introduction into the MCU, the filmmaker pitched the galaxy-faring duo has Marvel's take on an iconic Star Wars partnership. "For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, 'I'm not doing this anymore.' So he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the Troll," Zhao elaborated. "They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, 'Here's the character. Let's find an actor.' For me, it was a package deal."