"I Had No Interest" Thor Ragnarok Director Taika Waititi Explains Why He Took An MCU Job

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Summary

Taika Waititi initially had no interest in directing a Thor film and only took the job for the money to support his family.
Thor isn't a character that ever particularly interested the director.
Waititi was initially baffled by the character of Thor but did research on the comics before taking on the directing role.

Taika Waititi has explained exactly why he took the job of directing the MCU's Thor: Ragnarok despite the fact he "had no interest." Waititi's work on the Thor sequel was a critically acclaimed break from the norm when it came to MCU installments and, in particular, the tone of Thor. His departure from the toned-down and decidedly more somber narrative of Thor and Thor: The Dark World was enough to score him the second gig directing Thor: Love & Thunder. While this received mixed responses, it was still a quality MCU installment replete with the same humor that has now become a solid part of Thor's characterization.
However, directing Thor movies wasn't on Waititi's agenda, as he admitted on the Smartless podcast that he did it for the money to help with his newly expanded family. After spending his talents directing mostly indie movies and smaller video projects, the offer coming at a time when he was "poor" and just had a second child was an opportunity he couldn't pass up, despite not being fully invested in the Marvel character. In fact, as a comic book reader in his youth, Taika was never a fan of Thor. The full quote from the podcast can be viewed below:

"You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those films. 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.' And Thor, let’s face it, it was probably the least popular franchise. 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."

Why Waititi's Lack Of Thor Familiarity Was Great For Ragnarok

Taika Waititi had a point regarding Thor being the least popular franchise. Thor: Ragnarok followed Thor: The Dark World, which is regarded as the worst Thor movie. Add to that the fact that team-up movies The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron included charismatic fan-favorites like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, and it is plain to see that Thor was overshadowed and undersold, stuck in a narrative that was difficult to feel invested in. Waititi's approach as a director who did not glorify his character allowed for an impartial take, focusing on fresh characterization and turning the wider narrative into an enjoyable movie on its own merits.
This was demonstrated when Waititi described Thor as a space-dwelling "rich kid," a notion that balks at the lofty status of Thor and helps make him decidedly more human. Thankfully, this was perfectly suited to Chris Hemsworth, who took on the new identity with gusto and demonstrated his talent for comedy. As a result, Thor: Ragnarok hit the mark - though its sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder may have overshot the comedy, drawing criticism for failing to tread the line in tone between humor and heartfelt moments. Still, were it not for the breath of fresh air that was Thor: Ragnarok, Thor's future would be far more unsteady.
Source: Smartless
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