DIRECTOR PROFILE
Taika Waititi
New Zealand filmmaker who tonally reinvented the Thor franchise with Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and continued with Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Career & comic-book cinema impact
Taika Waititi's pre-Marvel career was rooted in New Zealand independent comedy — Boy (2010), What We Do in the Shadows (2014, co-directed with Jemaine Clement), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). His sensibility — deadpan absurdist comedy interleaved with sincere emotional beats — translated into Marvel Studios when he was hired to direct the third Thor film.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) was a tonal reset for the entire MCU. The previous Thor films (Kenneth Branagh's 2011 original and Alan Taylor's 2013 sequel) had been earnestly Asgardian-mythic; Waititi's third film treated the same material with deadpan comedy, neon-soaked production design, Mark Mothersbaugh's electronic score, and Jeff Goldblum's improvisational Grandmaster. Ragnarok grossed $854 million globally and is widely credited with saving the Thor franchise.
Waititi continued with Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), bringing back Natalie Portman as Jane Foster / Mighty Thor. Critical reception was more mixed than for Ragnarok, with some reviewers feeling the comedy register had been pushed too far for the film's underlying grief-themed material. The film grossed $760 million globally despite the mixed reception.
Waititi won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit (2019), in which he also played a comedic Hitler character. His career since has spanned What We Do in the Shadows (TV, executive producer), Reservation Dogs (FX), Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max), and the upcoming Star Wars film with Lucasfilm. No further Marvel Studios projects are currently confirmed for Waititi.
Comic-book filmography
Filmography limited to comic-book films catalogued in our database. Taika Waititi's full directorial career includes additional non-comic-book films not listed here.
Awards & recognition
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Jojo Rabbit, 2020). New Zealander of the Year (2017). BAFTA Award nominations.