Mark Ruffalo Was Worried About ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Ruining Hulk And Thor
Thor: Ragnarokis one of the best movies on Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s largely thanks to directorTaika Waititibreathing new life into the comic book franchise and really pushing Thor in an exciting new direction.Chris Hemsworthwas very much excited to give the God of Thunder a new path to follow, but not everyone on the cast was quite so confident in this more comedic approach.Mark Ruffalowas particularly worried about the trajectory of Hulk and Thor.
Appearing at ACE Comic-Con recently (viaComicBook.com), Chris Hemsworth discussed the trepidation that a couple of his co-stars had regarding the new directionThor: Ragnarokwas taking. The actor knew it was a departure from what came before in the two previousThormovies, and that’s what excited him about it. Ruffalo, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. Hemsworth recalled:
“I remember Mark Ruffalo looking at me and saying, ‘Are we wrecking this movie? Are we destroying these characters?'”
Marvel newcomer Tessa Thompson also had her doubts as well. Hemsworth continued, “Tessa was like, ‘What am I a part of? What am I doing?'” This was her first Marvel movie, and it sounds like she wasn’t expecting it to turn out this way.
It’s hard to know how a movie is going to turn out in the middle of making it. There’s so much work that needs to be done to shape the movie after principal photography is completed, and the movie doesn’t truly take shape until it’s in the editing room. Thankfully, Taika Waititi knew exactly what he was doing. He brought vibrancy, plentiful laughs, and unique style toThor: Ragnarok. Combine that with a little influence from the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby, and the movie was astounding on a number of levels.
Hemsworth knew that this approach toThor: Ragnarokwas a little risky, and it was further out in the weirder, cosmic side of Marvel Comics than evenGuardians of the Galaxyventured. Plus, we had a primitive talking Hulk, the eccentric Grandmaster played expertly byJeff Goldblum, and a whole new character to introduce with Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie. There were so many ways it could have gone to hell, but again, Taika Waititi is a master of his craft.
In the end,Thor: Ragnarokwas a triumph. Not only did it reinvigorate a franchise that wasn’t really anyone’s favorite at that point, but it set these characters up for the arcs we’d see inAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame. Without Thor: Ragnarok, neither Thor nor Hulk’s roles in those two movies would have felt complete. So we’re thankful everything worked out for the best.
Taika Waititi will stay at the helm of the Thor franchise withThor: Love & Thunder, arriving onNovember 5, 2021.
