Marvel's Most Creative Director Was Initially Unwilling to Take Up the Job, but One Thing Swayed Him In

Summary

• A variety of talented filmmakers have contributed to the MCU over the years.
• Taika Waititi stands out from the rest of Marvel directors.
• He never wanted to direct the studio's films, but had to due to financial difficulties.
• Thor 5 will be directed by someone else.

Currently, Marvel has the largest existing franchise. Just this year, the MCU was expanded by four movies - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and The Marvels - and two TV shows - Secret Invasion and Loki - with some more successful than others.

Of course, over the course of its existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has employed a plethora of filmmakers who have helped shape its landscape. For example, James Gunn, who now serves as CEO of Marvel's studio rival, DC, defined the look of the entire Guardians of the Galaxy branch of the franchise. Meanwhile, Taika Waititi, who directed the last two Thor films, revolutionized the film series and left an indelible mark as Marvel's most creative filmmaker. But interestingly, he was initially quite reluctant to work with the studio.

Taika Waititi's Journey to Thor

After embarking on a ride with Marvel in the mid-2010s, Taika Waititi went on to direct two Thor films, including Thor: Ragnarok, which many fans consider to be the best volume in the series, and Thor: Love and Thunder, which received mixed reactions from audiences. And while Waititi will forever be remembered for his MCU work, it's not something he ever thought he'd be interested in doing. In fact, the director recently admitted that it was the lack of money that prompted him to take the job.

'You know what? I had no interest in doing one of those [Thor] 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,"' Taika Waititi said in an interview.

The Director's View on the Thor Franchise

Ironically, Taika Waititi, arguably the most memorable Thor director, never liked the character and his branch of the MCU.

'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 eighteen pages, or however long they are. I was still baffled by this character,' the filmmaker revealed.

By his own admission, Waititi won't be reprising his directorial role in the next Thor movie because his schedule is packed for the next six years. But he would like to revisit the franchise at some point in the future. Hopefully, he will one day, as his presence makes Marvel movies simply extraordinary.

Source: Spotify.