What kind of symbol would you wear as a secret agent in the 1940’s? How would a terrorist group’s logo be designed? We take a further look into Marvel movie logos.
We’re taking a look at two more Marvel movie logos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Ten Rings logo qualified as an easter egg for a while, before it was spotlighted in Iron Man 3. Agent Carter just ended it’s eight episode season making good use of their SSR logo. Both logo designers were used sparingly earlier in the MCU. In the past couple of years the organizations they represent have gotten the spotlight.
What fascinates me, and I hope you, is that these Marvel logo designs aren’t actually real. Or are they? They’re used to represent companies, organizations and groups in comics for decades. But none of them actually exist. You can’t go rogue and join the Ten Rings, or plot a career path to wind up working for S.H.I.E.L.D. Yet they wind up in print and media every month.
It’s a cool, niche genre within logo design. I think that warrants it for inspiration and reflection. Join me in taking a look at how the Ten Rings and SSR logos measure up.
MARVEL MOVIE LOGOS
Ten Rings
As seen in: Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Marvel One Shot: All Hail the King
“You know who I am. You don’t know where I am. And you’ll never see me coming.” -the Mandarin, Iron Man 3
What is it? In the movies they are a terrorist organization in the Middle East. Obadiah Stane sells them weapons under the table from Stark Industries. He then hires the Ten Rings to kidnap and kill Tony Stark so he can assume the leadership role at Stark Industries. The Ten Rings are successful in their kidnapping, but it sets Tony Stark on the path to become Iron Man.
In the comics they are named for the ten rings worn by their leader, the Mandarin. He did not make an appearance in the movies until Iron Man 3, *spoiler alert* and even that may not have been what it seems.
How Does It Look? Like a circle of circles. Ten circles, to be exact. The circle overlap one another. Each one has a script symbol from the Mongol alphabet inside. They represent tribes from the Mongol/Turkic regions. So how did this group wind up in the Middle East? In the comics the Mandarin and the Ten Rings were Chinese in origin. They were given an update to the Middle East to reference the current conflicts of our time.
Within the ring of circles are two crossing swords. Upward crossing swords in heraldic tradition means the group is ready to fight. The swords themselves are specifically scimitar’s like those found from the Ottoman Empire.
Could It Be Real? Unlikely. Terrorist groups aren’t really known for their logos. Certainly not anything this thought out. On the upside, there is depth and symbolism combined in this Marvel movie logo. That goes a long way in establishing authority among an audience.
Check out the screenshot below of the Mandarin wearing the Ten Rings from Iron Man 3. Notice the symbols from the logo on the rings. Marvel has great attention to detail.
SSR
As seen in: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter
“General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best men. And because they are going to get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history.” – General Chester Phillips, Captain America: The First Avenger
What is it? The Strategic Scientific Reserve was a top secrecy agency formed in 1940 with the primary goal of creating an army of super soldiers. After a mission rescuing Abraham Erskine (actor Stanley Tucci), the SSR developed Project Rebirth. This lead the the creation of Captain America, then the loss of Dr. Erskine. The SSR’s directive then switched to targeting Hydra, the scientific branch of Nazi Germany.
The Strategic Scientific Reserve is eventually absorbed into S.H.I.E.L.D.
How Does It Look? Definitely like the precursor to the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. It has longer, outstretched wings that reach well past the enclosing circle. The eagle is facing left, like earlier S.H.I.E.L.D. logos. It is a bit leaner. There is a shield with SSR in some versions.
Could It Be Real? I think not. Too much a product of modern designers. It’s too clean for the era. Bird logos from that time were more realistic. This Marvel movie logo has the stylings of modern, vector based icons. The clean lines breaking up the wings and tail are well planned out. I truly like it, I believe it just doesn’t fit the designs of the time. Maybe it was designed in-house by an ahead-of-his-time SSR agent.
Ten Rings logo image courtesy of TheAvengersWikia.
Iron Man screenshot courtesy of Complex.com.
