Marvel Studio’s first female-directed outing may have been 2019’s Captain Marvel, but that was once set to come sooner with Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins. The director was originally on board to helm Thor: The Dark World, until she parted ways with the studio over ‘creative differences’. However, Jenkins has since revealed more about her departure, saying: “You can’t do movies you don’t believe in.”
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Jenkins explained that she feared the script wasn’t good enough. “I did not believe that I could make a good movie out of the script that they were planning on doing,” she said. “I think it would have been a huge deal – it would have looked like it was my fault. It would have looked like, ‘Oh my God, this woman directed it and she missed all these things.’”
Thor: The Dark World went on to be one of Marvel’s most notorious disappointments, with even the Son of Odin himself, Chris Hemsworth, once saying: “The second one is meh.” Following Jenkins’ departure, Marvel hired The Sopranos’ Alan Taylor to direct and, thankfully, Jenkins got her chance again in DC’s Wonder Woman, which went on to become a critical and commercial success. As a result, the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 – though delayed due to coronavirus – is hugely anticipated by fans.
Though jumping ship to their rivals DC, Patty Jenkins remains a firm fan of Marvel, adding: “I really have nothing but positive things to say about Marvel, because, honestly, they gave me that chance in the first place and it was not en vogue to do so.” The director then praised Taika Waititi’s take on Thor: Ragnarok, insisting, “They found Thor’s rightful director.” With Waititi back in the chair for Thor: Love and Thunder, and Jenkins returning with her Wonder Woman sequel, it seems as though both directors found their rightful hero.
Wonder Woman 1984 might be delayed, but we’ve got a guide to the 25 best superhero movies of all time to keep you occupied.
