Thor: Ragnarok Director On Jack Kirby's Influence

08/12/2017 05:55 pm EDT

The more that Marvel Comics fans see of Thor: Ragnarok, the more they see of Jack Kirby's influence on the film. That's no accident, according to the film's director.

Taika Waititi admits that the artwork of Kirby, who created Marvel's version of the Asgardian god of thunder, was a huge influence on his vision for Thor: Ragnarok.

"The look is inspired a helluva lot by Jack Kirby and his art," Waititi tells Entertainment Weekly. "I loved the kind of cosmic trippy vibe of the Thor comics."

Waititi added that he felt like he knew the perfect music to accompany the Kirby-inspired visuals.

"I've often said if Freddie Mercury were alive, I would have asked Queen to do the soundtrack," he says. "The movie just has that feel: It's a cool, bold, colorful cosmic adventure."

In addition to Thor, Kirby created many of Marvel's most popular character, including Captain America, The Avengers, the X-Men, Silver Surfer, and the Hulk.

Kirby passed away in 1994. August 28 will mark what would have been the artist's 100th birthday. He was honored with a Disney Legend award at the D23 Expo and there is currently an ongoing campaign for him to be honored with a Google doodle on his birthday.

Thor: Ragnarok currently has a 4.14 out of 5 ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating, making it the third most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com readers. Let us know how excited you are for Thor: Ragnarok by giving the movie your own personal ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.

In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – The Incredible Hulk!

Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters on November 3, 2017.

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