Taika Waititi Says He Took the Thor Gig for the Money, Not the Marvel Dream—And He’s Not Sorry About It(Photo Credit –Instagram)
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Taika Waititi didn’t step into the Marvel universe because he wanted to play the superhero game. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, known for his sharp wit and bold visuals, was never chasing the cape or the spotlight. He just had a different reason altogether and yeah, it had a lot more to do with real life than red carpets.
On the SmartLess podcast with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, Waititi pulled no punches about how he landed the job. No fluff, no fake hype. He said it straight: “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 he took the gig anyway and the reason? Not love for the character, not the cinematic universe. Something way more grounded.
“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,’” he added.
And just like that, the Thor: Ragnarok director peeled back the curtain on one of the most grounded MCU origin stories, his own. No fanboy dreams, just a father looking to keep things afloat.
Taika Waititi Flipped His Least Favorite Superhero into a Marvel Must-Watch
Before Marvel threw a cape at him, Taika was already that dude. Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, he’d made quirky cool and heartfelt weird his signature. Then Jojo Rabbit dropped, and boom, Oscar, Grammy, and a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential list in 2022. He wasn’t chasing clout, he was the clout.
But when Marvel came calling with Thor, he wasn’t exactly hyped. Waititi even said the Thor comics were the ones he’d skip as a kid. “I’d pick up the comic and be like ‘Ugh,’” he admitted, adding that even after reading an 18-page comic, “or however long they are,” he still didn’t get the character.
Despite that, he flipped the least popular Marvel franchise into one of its most entertaining entries. Ragnarok was a hit, and while Love and Thunder got mixed reviews, his stamp on the character was undeniable.
At the end of the day, Taika didn’t hide behind the paycheck. He owned it. Loudly, proudly, and with a joke or two to spare. Not every creative leap needs a passion project label, sometimes, it just needs to pay the bills.
