There have been superhero movies of all different types leading up to this point, but nothing as ambitious or anywhere near as large in scale as what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been able to deliver, and in doing so, set the bar at an almost unachievable level.
Ever since the release of Iron Man in 2008, with Robert Downey Jr. proving he is the perfect Tony Stark, plus the teaser at the end hinting at things to come, we have all been hooked (and I’m guessing most of you now sit to the end of almost every movie to see if there are any Easter eggs hiding, like I do!)
But what is it that made these films so appealing to so many? I personally think it’s due to the characters and how they were portrayed. Everyone cast in these movies is perfect for their roles (they tried a few for Bruce Banner and Peter Parker!), and more than just acting out their roles as heroes, they made you love the person they were even without all the powers, money, gadgets, and magic.
A lot of us grew up with these people and characters. Almost a third of my life I’ve been watching everyone and everything grow and evolve in their universe. We've seen lives change, people evolve, relationships form and break down, love, and loss. For a lot of us, with every instalment, there has been an ever-building sense of excitement. When the saga concluded with Endgame, there was a strange sense of loss. But as any fan knows, they are going to continue to make movies based on their comic books, starting new storylines with different characters.
We all have our favourite characters and love them for our own reasons. As people do for loved ones, some have chosen to immortalise their favourites forever by having a tattoo of them—a permanent tribute to something that means so much to them. And when something makes people feel that strongly, you know it’s something very special.
The tattoos chosen by fans, like the characters themselves, come in all different shapes, sizes, and styles. Here at Monumental Ink, we have some amazing artists, and almost all of them have had the chance to put their own spin on an Avengers piece, as you can see throughout this blog.
Whatever the Marvel universe holds for us in the future, I know we will love it 3000! In the meantime, enjoy looking at some of our best Marvel-inspired tattoos.
1 - Thanos Tattoo
Colour realism tattoo of Thanos with all of the Infinity Stones in the gauntlet. This image is taken from the second to last instalment of the Avengers saga, Infinity War. Just before the finger click that wiped out half of all life in the universe—he should have aimed for the head! This piece is on the forearm, done over a two-day sitting by Aggie Vnek. Intended to be a standalone piece and not part of a larger full or partial sleeve at the moment. Never say never though…
2 – Iron Man and Spider-Man Tattoo
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of Iron Man and Spider-Man. The keen-eyed superfans among you will notice this is the Mk VII suit helmet. The Spider-Man is a little harder to judge as it’s more stylised. My money is on Tom Holland's Spider-Man from the Homecoming movie, the first suit Tony Stark gave to Peter Parker. Feel free to comment on the post if you feel it’s a different Spidey. This is on the client's forearm and was going to be a standalone piece, but they are now extending it into a full sleeve! We can’t wait to see it finished. By Louise Sargent.
3 – Groot Tattoo
Black and grey realism ‘I Am Groot’ tattoo of Baby Groot, personally my favourite Groot. For those of you that don’t know, at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot sacrificed himself to keep all of his friends safe as their ship was crashing towards Xandar. Groot is a living tree-like being from a species called Flora Colossus. He is able to grow and change shape into whatever he needs to be, so at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, he became a protective cocoon for his shipmates as they crashed. But as bad as this looked for Groot, they were able to take part of him they found after the crash and replant him, eventually growing into Baby Groot. This piece is on the upper thigh and is the second Groot tattoo this fan has. It was done start to finish in one full-day session by Scott White.
4 – Spider-Man Tattoo Sleeve
Black and grey realism Spider-Man tattoo. This picture was taken by the client after the tattoo had fully healed. Although this particular Spider-Man is not the one from the Avengers saga, he’s still part of the Marvel universe and looks right at home amongst the other Avengers. This Spider-Man is the one played by Tobey Maguire, and has a well-deserved place in any Marvel blog, as this portrayal brought the comic books alive in a way that had never been done on film before. It ushered in a new resurgence in the genre to a whole new generation, myself included. This piece is on the inner forearm, part of a larger sleeve you can see further down on the blog by Mike Sklaventis.
5 – Loki Tattoo
Colour realism tattoo of Loki on the forearm, part of a larger sleeve, but not a Marvel one. This sleeve is Norse mythology-based, and what better way to portray the God of Mischief than Tom Hiddleston’s epic depiction? In the movies, Loki lived up to his reputation perfectly; there was no bigger thorn in Thor's side than his half-brother. But after all the bad Loki did—leading the armies of Thanos in the assault on New York, taking the place of Odin, and shipping his stepfather to an old folks' home on Earth—Loki then redeemed himself in Infinity War by sacrificing himself to allow Thor to escape after Thanos and his generals assaulted the Asgardian refugee vessel in deep space. Tattoo by Aggie Vnek.
6 – Marvel Superhero Tattoo Sleeve
Black and grey full realism Marvel superhero sleeve. This was a labour of love for sure; the level of detail included in this finished sleeve is immense. Here we can see the outer part of the sleeve showing Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Captain America. On the inner arm, there is the Hulk and Spider-Man (you can see Spider-Man earlier in the blog). Just out of frame on the elbow is Mjolnir, Thor's mythical hammer that only someone pure of heart can wield. I think we all knew Captain America would end up using this at some point. We suspected this after seeing Mjolnir budge slightly in Age of Ultron when Steve Rogers tried to pick it up in front of a very worried-looking Thor during the after-party in Stark Tower. This is what led to the lightning on the sleeve between Captain America and Hawkeye. The characters themselves are taken from different points in the Marvel universe timeline. As mentioned before, the Spider-Man they chose for this piece is from the earlier Tobey Maguire trilogy. As I’m sure you can all agree, this inspired tattoo ticks all the right boxes for any superfan. Mike Sklaventis killed it!
7 – Odin Colour Portrait Tattoo
Full colour realism tattoo of Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, done by Aggie. Odin is a god in Norse mythology, and father of Thor and Loki. He is said to be one of the first Asgardians, rising to power to claim the Asgardian throne and the title ‘All-Father’. Although the comics have countless storylines in which Odin features heavily, in the Marvel cinematic universe, Odin is always a secondary character to both Thor and Loki. The Marvel movies do hint at Odin’s almost limitless power on occasion, which he got in part due to his brothers. They both died in battle before Odin took the throne, and passed on their power to him. It was a shame we didn’t see more of him in the movies; he was always one of my favourites (partly due to the legend that is Anthony Hopkins).
8 – Deadpool Black and Grey Tattoo
This amazing black and grey piece of Deadpool is by Scott. Here is another character that needs no introduction. The Deadpool movies were gigantic hits! Ryan Reynolds played the character perfectly, breaking the 4th wall and talking directly to the audience as he does in the comic books, as he is fully aware he is a fictional character. In the movies, Deadpool (real name Wade Wilson) starts off as a mercenary for hire who finds out he has terminal cancer. When searching for a cure, he comes across someone who says he can help. Long story short, they mutate Wade Wilson's DNA, cure the cancer, and end up giving Wade superpowers. There is a fire in the lab where this work is being done and Wade gets burnt before the powers kick in, which is the reason he’s so scarred and wears a full face mask. However, in the comics, Deadpool’s backstory is always changing; there is no set narrative on where Deadpool comes from. Even the name Wade Wilson might have been stolen? No matter how or why Deadpool came to be, we are glad that he did. The Deadpool films are outstanding, as is the tattoo.