Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512433
68 • THE ARTISAN WINTER 2024 High Evolutionary Stage Two HIGH EVOLUTIONARY e Guardians' villain, High Evolutionary, portrayed by Chukwudi Iwuji, had three distinctive looks to help tell his tale of perfecting evolution. Make-up by Alexei Dmitriew and Scott Stoddard, hair design by Cassie Russek. STAGE ONE: THE FLASHBACK LOOK • When designing High Evolutionary's haircut for flashback scenes, we faced three key challenges: It had to seamlessly integrate with the prosthetics and accommodate his bald cap. It had to be a style that Chuk could live with in real life for nine months and be completely unique from other villains we've encountered on the big screen. We chose a bald fade, which allowed us to retain his natural curl and length while working harmoniously with the prosthetics. is choice not only solved the technical issues but also set High Evolutionary apart from other Marvel villains. e haircut was expertly executed by Tommy "TJ" Dudley for the duration of the film. • For make-up, Chuk wore two silicone tech appliances on his temples, a color-correction foundation is applied, and we filled in his eyebrows. STAGE TWO: HIGH EVOLUTIONARY'S PRIMARY LOOK • Achieving this look involved flattening the front of Chuk's hair to create a smooth surface for the application of a bald cap, a silicone forehead piece, and a chin strap. e chin strap and mechanical helmet were craed from foam latex, skillfully painted at Legacy to resemble metal. e most demanding aspect of this make-up process was ensuring the precise alignment and keying in of each prosthetic component as accuracy in placement was critical. STAGE THREE: NO MORE MASK LOOK • In Stage ree, High Evolutionary's mask is ripped away to reveal a graphic disfigurement. is effect was achieved in two distinct phases: We first applied a five-piece silicone make-up with denture plumpers and a contact lens in his right eye. A silicone skin of Chuk's face was made and lightly adhered on top of the make-up, using a gel blood. e "skin" was then pulled off to reveal the make-up underneath. e le eye and nose were augmented with VFX. Alexei Dmitriew working on Stage Three make-up for the High Evolutionary