‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Director Taika Waititi Admits ‘I Had No Interest’ in Making Marvel Movies

Taika Waititi, who directed both Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) for Marvel Studios, recently admitted on the SmartLess podcast that he had no interest in helming a superhero movie, especially one involving the “least popular” character.

Speaking to co-hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, Waititi said he never saw himself making a blockbuster for a big Hollywood studio. When the Ragnarok offer came about, Waititi frankly admitted his acceptance came down to money.

“You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those films,” the director said. “It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.'”

Though he’d been a comic book fan since childhood, Waititi never felt an affinity towards Thor. Even after researching the character to hone his Ragnarok pitch, the character still didn’t work for the director.

“Thor, let’s face it—it was probably the least popular franchise,” he explained. “I never read Thor comics as a kid. That was the comic I’d pick up and be like ‘Ugh.’ And then I did some research on it, and I read one Thor comic or 18 pages, or however long they are. I was still baffled by this character.”

Waititi knew he wasn’t the only comic fan to be bemused by Thor. He thought if he could do anything for the character or his franchise, it would be to give the ancient Asgardian some memorable traits.

“I thought the only thing I could bring is: he’s a billionaire who lives in space, he looks ridiculous…[and] he was scared of germs,” Waititi recalled to the co-hosts. When Bateman asked if the director was nervous that Marvel would balk at his largely comedic interpretation of the character, Waititi responded that “there was no place left for them to go” with Thor in his current iteration.

Waititi recently told Business Insider that he “won’t be involved” in any upcoming Thor sequels because his directorial slate is set for the coming six years or so. He reiterated this on SmartLess, saying, “I know that I won’t be involved…I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for,” Waititi explained. “But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris [Hemsworth].”

The director confirmed that he has no qualms about passing the franchise off to another filmmaker, but also wouldn't rule out returning to the fold. “I would never feel like they are cheating on me,” he said. “We’re in an open relationship, and it’s like if they want to see other people, I’m happy for that. I’d still get back into bed with them one day.”