Taika Waititi Says He Only Directed ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ “Because I Was Poor”
When Thor: Ragnarok was released in 2017, Taika Waititi was lauded for breathing new life into the Asgardian God of Thunder.
As opposed to the almost Shaskespherian Thor and often derided Thor: The Dark World, Ragnarok injected a sense of humor and irreverence into Thor that had been missing.
When released, Thor: Ragnarok was a critical and commercial success. The film brought in $855 million at the box office while delivering a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Under Waititi’s direct direction, Chris Hemsworth was able to shine as Thor, showing a side of the Thunder that audiences had never seen.
The Reason Waititi Agreed to Direct ‘Ragnarok’
While many thought Thor: Love and Thunder took the silliness of Ragnarok too far, Waititi has generally been heralded as the savior of the Thor franchise. As it turn out, however, the director only took the job because he was “poor.”
“You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those films,” Waititi 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.’”
Although Waititi has previously talked about his love for the world of Thor and his enthusiasm for working with Chris Hemsworth, he has more recently been more dismissive when talking about the character.
“And Thor, let’s face it — it was probably like the least popular franchise. I never read Thor comics when I was 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 of 18 pages. However long they are. I was still baffled by this character,” he revealed.
Waititi Will Not Return For a ‘Thor 5’
Waititi’s comments come after the director told Business Insider earlier this month that he has no plans to return for a ‘Thor 5.’ Following the widespread criticism of the tone and storytelling of Love and Thunder, it is likely that Marvel would want to take the franchise in a different direction.
Still, no matter how messy the ending is, Waititi should be remembered for revitalizing the Thor franchise and helping make Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder one of the more popular Avengers.
Hopefully, the next Thor director will be able to strike similar cinematic gold.