Taika Waititi Talks About Backlash From Fans When He Was Hired to Direct THOR: RAGNAROK
Director Taika Waititi is known for his over-the-top vibrant and hilarious films and TV shows, and a big part of his legacy includes the two Thor films he made for Marvel.
Before Waititi came along, Marvel’s Thor was serious, and his films were much more solemn. When the character returned in Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, it was as if the God of Thunder, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, was jumpstarted.
He had reemerged in technicolor with a brand new sense of humor, and fans loved it! But they were doubtful when Waititi was selected.
During a recent interview with EW (via CinemaBlend), the director admitted that while taking the job catapulted him into the Marvel fandom, it also subjected him to a lot of negativity from those who thought he would ruin something great. But he had a pretty good attitude about it all:
“That really propelled me into the nerdosphere, if you will. I was living a really lovely, peaceful life, and as soon as I did this, well boy, did the nerds come for me.
“They said, 'This guy's gonna ruin this. He's gonna ruin Thor!' It's like, 'What, you mean again?' And they were like, 'He's gonna ruin this for everyone, Thor's so cool!' And I said to them on Twitter — before I left Twitter — I said, 'You don't know what you want until I give it to you.’”
He honestly didn’t have to do much to improve the character and storyline that had been given to Thor previously. Waititi brought a cool new style to Thor, and it was a blast to see. It remains one of my favorite movies in the Marvel lineup, and I think it set Hemsworth’s Thor up for a great future in the MCU.
You can check out Taika Waititi’s full interview below, and rewatch Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+.