The Chitauri scene in The Avengers will go down as one of the worst CGI scenes in the MCU history

A plan for an Avengers movie was in Marvel’s books since 2005, and it was finally announced in 2008 after the successful run of Iron Man. The Avengers marked the beginning of the 4-part Avengers movies in the MCU, a series that grossed $7.7 billion for the superhero franchise. The film included 2,200 visual effects shots and spent most of its $220 million budget on CGI works. However, it did sloppy work on one of the most menacing villains in the MCU, the Chitauri.

The Chitauris in The Avengers
The Chitauri looked more like villains from a video game in the film. The Battle of New York was one of the prime attractions of the film in theaters, making the bad CGI a true eyesore to the viewers. Despite the sloppy work, the film made its impact on the audience, grossing $1.5 billion at the box office.

The Chitauri Scene In The Avengers May Have One Of The Worst Marvel CGIs

The Chitauri taking off their masks was one of the bad CGI scenes in The Avengers
Several scenes from The Avengers gave the audience chills in theaters, particularly the circle shot of the Avengers team in the final battle scene. But one major mistake in those iconic scenes stood out negatively, the depiction of the Chitauri. Loki brings Thanos’s army of menacing villains to unleash destruction upon New York. However, the mindless villains lacked the necessary detail to make them truly scary.

The Chitauri were made to look like robotic villains rather than living creatures. The CGI faces of the villains are especially bad, though shown only in a few scenes. However, considering the extensive effort that went into creating CGI representations for Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk, it is understandable why compromises had to be made with the Chitauri.

Nevertheless, not everyone regards the Chitauri as the worst CGI in the MCU. Many believe that The Avengers showcased some of the best CGI work, as the film continues to look amazing today even after a decade of technological advancements. Others also praised the brilliant fight choreography involving the Chitauri in the film. The animation supervisor of the film revealed that the choreography for the villain army drew inspiration from military and SWAT teams.

The Avengers Crew Did Not Have A Proper Source Material To Design The Chitauri

Leviathan, the Chitauri ship, in The Avengers
Visual development supervisor of the film, Ryan Meinerding, shared in an interview with Thrillist that the Chitauri lacked a strong visual representation in the comics. The entire visual design team undertook the task of creating the villainous creatures and came up with around 60 to 70 sketches. The costumes, weapons, and chariots were predominantly designed in golden color to give them a regal appearance, as they were considered the royal army of Thanos.

Marc Chu, the animation supervisor for ILM, added that they never intended to show the Chitauri’s faces in the film. However, Joss Whedon’s cut sent to ILM included some important shots where the Chitauri took off their masks. Chu revealed that they managed to create a limited range of face shapes for those specific shots in the movie.

While the Chitauri may not measure up to some of the later villains in terms of visual appeal, considering the constraints of the time and the intricate design effort, the mistake is forgivable. The Avengers and its sequels are now available for streaming on Disney+.