‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Is Funnier Because Of Iron Man

It sounds like a certain Avenger has been quite an influence on Marvel’s God of Thunder.

Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok, was recently asked by Collider about his film’s comedic influences. And as he explained, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is more intentionally comedic in Ragnarok, following his time spent around Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).

“Yeah, Thor spent two years on Earth hanging out with Robert Downey, Jr.” Waititi explained. “So he’s got some sass. He knows a little bit more about irony and sarcasm now. He’s got a little bit of Earth humor.”

Ragnarok‘s use of humor has already taken some Marvel fans by surprise, as even Hemsworth admits that the second Thor film didn’t feature a lot of comedy. It seems clear that Ragnarok has gone above and beyond to remedy that, with much of the production – including the iconic ‘friend from work’ line – being improvised. And according to Waititi, Thor’s new sort of social persona is to be expected from his time spent away from Asgard and Earth.

“He’s like a rich kid from outer space that’s spent some time slumming it for a bit, you know?” Waititi added. “So he’s instantly become a bit more interesting. But because he’s in different parts of the cosmos, he’s still learning as he goes.”

Waititi then revealed one of his personal influences for Ragnarok‘s more laid-back interpretation of Thor – Big Trouble in Little China‘s Jack Burton (Kurt Russell).

“We haven’t modeled it completely on this, but in my mind, I imagined a great Thor being a bit like Jack Burton.” Waititi revealed. “What’s the version of Thor just wanting to get his truck back?”

Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3, 2017. Give the film your own Anticipation Ranking below!