The work of a production designer is wild. In one job, they could be looking through absolutely ordinary props and set pieces and on the next they could be deciding what an intergalactic prison will look like. This is the type of transition that Ramsey Avery had to do: The production designer came up with concepts for both Prime Video hit series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as well as the upcoming Marvel title Captain America 4 (Captain America: New World Order).

In a Q&A with Collider, Avery explained to our Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub that even though Middle Earth and the MCU seem far apart, the approach to them has some surprising similarities. During the interview, Avery revealed that since both projects are based on material that has been vastly explored since their release, a production designer has to rely on more than previous movies or series in order to come up with a perfect look:

“Much in the same way there's all this backstory for Tolkien, there's all this backstory for the MCU. Not only within the movies themselves now, but there's also still the parts and pieces that they choose from publishing to feed into all of that. […] But there's definitely the sense of being very cognizant of all that and looking for the places that can tie into it.”

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Image via Prime Video

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Avery Reveals Exciting New Approach to Captain America 4

Weintraub also took the opportunity to find out some information from Captain America 4, which stands tall as one of the most anticipated future Marvel releases. Avery revealed that the Cap franchise is keeping its more grounded and realistic approach (within the realm of the MCU, of course), but he’s also excited because “Marvel is trying some new stuff now.” Avery conceded that yes, it’s a Marvel story, but that the production team is trying to approach it in a “very forward-thinking” way.

“[T]he intent of this is to be very grounded, to make sure it has that sense of really happening in the world. So it's a different sense in a lot of ways than particularly some of the more recent pieces have been. And it's a very deliberate choice, and it's a fascinating choice and an exciting choice. And it comes with a whole host of different kinds of questions involved in that.”

Avery revealed that he’s very excited for Captain America 4, and part of that is because he’s been trying to work on a project together with director Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) for a decade. The production designer stated that Onah’s vision is exciting, and that he doesn’t have a “normal way of looking at Marvel,” which opens the door for new and interesting stories and interactions.

Captain America: New World Order – which is probably getting a title change – is set to premiere in theaters on May 3, 2024.

You can check out our interview with other Rings of Power team members below and look for more from our conversation with Avery soon.