Back in 2017, when Taika Waititi was hired to direct Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel fans were a bit surprised. Before Waititi’s entrance into the Marvel franchise, he had only practiced his directing on smaller New Zealand films like Eagle vs. Shark in 2007, What We Do In The Shadows in 2015, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016. So why did Marvel choose him?

It might be Marvel’s interesting affinity to cast directors who have excelled in comedy, from Jon Favreau to the Russo brothers. It could have also been because of Waititi’s motivation and enthusiasm to work on a larger project. In an interview with Digital Spy, Waititi said that he likes the species of movies he’s made so far, but “[Thor] was an opportunity that presented itself and [he] thought [he] would just pursue.”

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Waititi Improvised Thor Into a Great New Franchise

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

For both the MCU and Taika Waititi, the decision paid off. Since his work on Thor: Ragnarok, it has become clear that Waititi’s directing style is delightfully spontaneous and iconoclastic, rather than completely on script and stuck to one specific style. According to an article by Ben Pearson of Slash Film, Waititi claims that Thor: Ragnarok was 80% improvisation, and this balance seems to be true for the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. In a discussion with Variety, star Natalie Portman says that “there’s a script, but most days he prefers to throw it completely away and spitball.”

You might wonder how well this approach is working in the MCU, a movie franchise that is stringently connected with each film forming a part of a whole. But all you have to do is look at the response to Thor: Ragnarok. Despite being disappointed by the first two installments of Thor, critic Kip Mooney of College Movie Review calls Waititi’s work “a candy-colored delight, filled with more jokes than any other single MCU entry.” Coupled with the fact that his new film, Thor: Love and Thunder, is one of the most highly-anticipated movies in recent years, it might be safe to say that Taika Waititi is one of the best directors in the MCU, and here’s why.

Taika Waititi’s Spontaneous Style and Atmosphere on Set

     Marvel Studios

While many articles call Waititi’s directing style unstructured and random, the director’s strategies are actually much more sophisticated than that. In a conversation with Mia Guluppo of The Hollywood Reporter, Waititi says that “the problem with most movies is that you know people are just waiting to say their lines.” To eliminate this feeling, the MCU director allowed his actors to have real ad-libbed conversations by asking them to simply touch on the essential plot points. Waititi told The Hollywood Reporter that “how they moved between [plot points] was up to them.”

This tactic certainly brought Thor: Ragnarok to life and allowed the audience to feel a bit closer to the film’s characters. It’s also exciting, never really knowing what someone will say next, Waititi’s anarchic approach creating utter unpredictability.

Related Link: Taika Waititi’s 5 Best Performances, Ranked

Not only was this tactic refreshing for viewers, but for the actors themselves. In an interview with Screen Rant, Chris Hemsworth admitted that he was bored with playing Thor before Waititi came onto the project. Hemsworth says that Waititi’s directing inspired him to “bring out something different in [himself] and in the character” and even to continue playing Thor. So far, Thor: Love and Thunder looks as experimental and lively as Thor: Ragnarok. As a director, Waititi keeps a lively atmosphere on set and is always indulging in new ideas.

Taika Waititi Turned the Thor Movies Into Art

Just by looking at Thor: Ragnarok, it’s clear that the new films are a lot more colorful with Taika Waititi’s direction. Partly, this could have been the director’s attempt to create a kind of live-action comic book. At the same time, Waititi told The Hollywood Reporter that “[he] asked [himself] what a six-year-old would use to make a movie and then did that.” Using Jack Kirby’s designs, Thor: Ragnarok turned out like a “crazy and eclectic” dream. Specifically, Waititi told Screen Rant that he pulled from comics like Planet Hulk and God of Thunder and simply attempted to bring the coolest images to the film. His wild visuals and mastery of the frame is paving the way forward for superhero movies that want to steer away from darker and grittier stories.

Taika Waititi Balances Personal Creativity With the MCU Franchise

When Taika Waititi was hired to release another installment in the Thor series, he was selected for his unique comedic and emotional style. Waititi maintained the essential plot points of the series but was more concerned with stamping his original tone on the films. He told Andre Dyce of Screen Rant that it’s not his responsibility to make sure the pieces fit together for Thor’s future installments, but it’s his job to create a successful “stand-alone” piece. Another main goal of Taika’s was to make Thor the “best character” in the films. This does come through in Thor: Ragnarok, because Thor has more of an emotional landscape, more of an attitude, and more personality in general.

Related Link: Thor: Love and Thunder and Goats: Why MCU Fans are Hyped

Currently, Taika Waititi is arguably the best director in the MCU because of his fresh perspective, ideas, and ability to experiment. He is almost on the total opposite spectrum of popular superhero movies as the great Christopher Nolan - instead of dark, gritty, meticulous films, he creates vibrant, colorful, funny movies that bring warmth to the MCU. He wants the actors, the crew, and the audience to have fun, and he is certainly succeeding in that.

He has a remarkable ability to inject his own style and humor into pre-established franchises, and not just in the MCU. He directed one of the best episodes of The Mandalorian, and it has been confirmed that, as of 2022, Waititi is writing a new installment for the Star Wars franchise but, according to an article by Total Film, the progress on this project has slowed significantly. Waititi’s new MCU film, Thor: Love and Thunder, is coming out on July 8th, 2022.