Brand new collector's editions of concept art books will be released by Marvel to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Infinity Saga.
The MCU may be in the midst of its Multiverse saga, but the current storyline has a ways to go before it can reach the importance of the Infinity Saga.
Phases 1-3 showcased how the Avengers were formed, the backstories of many different characters, and ultimately how Thanos was defeated after using the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life.
Due to the connectivity between projects within the MCU, it is impossible to give credit to certain movies.
With that being said, Marvel has elected to continuously show respect for the entirety of the Infinity Saga numerous times in the past due to its importance to the MCU as a whole.
Marvel Announces Infinity Saga Art Books
Marvel officially announced that it will be teaming up with Titan Books to periodically release concept art books from every movie in the Infinity Saga.
These books will be part of a special "revised collector's edition set" with "The Infinity Saga" branded at the top of each book to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the beginning of the saga, which began with Iron Man in 2008.
The books themselves are reissued special edition copies of concept art books that were released alongside each film in the Infinity Saga. For example, when Iron Man was released in 2008, a book called The Art of Iron Man the Movie was published as well.
The release order of each book will follow the order that the original art books were published, starting with Iron Man: The Art of the Movie coming out first in June, and Avengers: Endgame: The Art of the Movie finishing the series sometime in 2025.
Marvel provided specific release dates for the first three books in the upcoming series, which will be Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor.
Iron Man is set to hit shelves on June 27, with Iron Man 2 coming the following month on July 25, and the book for Thor releasing on August 29.
Marvel also provided a description for Iron Man: The Art of the Book, teasing that it will be "a fully illustrated tome" that will give readers an idea of "the creative process behind" the MCU's first film:
"Reissued to mark 15 years since Marvel Studios’ 'Iron Man' launched the Infinity Saga chapter of the MCU, 'Iron Man: The Art of the Movie' is a fully illustrated tome packed with exclusive content that will treat fans to a comprehensive, unique, and privileged behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind the state-of-the-art technology used in the blockbuster motion picture."
The art book will also feature exclusive details from "key players" such as Iron Man director Jon Favreau, "special effects gurus," and more:
"Follow the film’s complete artistic evolution, from initial concept through armor design and on to the final rendering seen on screen. Here is everything you need to know about the making of the movie from all the key players—including director Jon Favreau; the special-effects gurus at Stan Winston Studios; and the award-winning concept illustrators, visual-effects designers and storyboard artists who worked on the set and behind the scenes to create the art of 'Iron Man.'"
Why the Infinity Saga is Still Important
This new book series isn't the first time that Marvel has commemorated the Infinity Saga, and it likely won't be the last.
In September 2022, it was announced that new collector items from the Infinity Saga would be going on sale, and then in 2020, a huge special edition collection of all 24 Infinity Saga movies was released.
It seems as though a common theme within Marvel is to pay homage to the Infinity Saga, but why is it so important?
When Iron Man was released in 2008, almost no one could have predicted just how much of an impact the MCU would have on the film industry.
The concept of having such a large-scale interconnected universe had never been accomplished before on-screen, and the Infinity Saga as a whole really pushed superhero movies into a bigger spotlight.
The Infinity Saga may have officially ended four years ago, but its effects are still being felt in the MCU to this day.
Over the span of 24 movies, the story of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Infinity Stones truly shaped what has become a nearly $30 billion dollar franchise. With the release of this new art book series, Marvel is yet again just showing appreciation for what is responsible for its success.
