Patty Jenkins Reiterates Why She Left Thor: The Dark World

By Pierre Chanliau Updated:
Patty Jenkins Left Thor: The Dark World Due to Poor Script

It was already known that Patty Jenkins, former director for Thor: The Dark World , had left the film early on in its production due to creative differences. She had this to say in an interview with Indiewire before the release of Wonder Woman in 2017 .

“It was painful and sad because I really loved those guys and I loved the idea of us making a Thor together, but it’s one of those things. You have to make sure that the movie you want to make is fully the right movie for that studio too. It was heartbreaking, but I also knew that it was good… I knew that it was good because I didn’t think I could make a great film out of their script.”

Recently on Twitter, there's been renewed discussion amongst fans about which MCU movie is the worst with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World duking it out for the honor. This may explain why Jenkins was asked about her involvement with the film in a recent interview with Vanity Fair as she reiterated the main reason she parted ways with Marvel Studios.

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When asked by Vanity Fair about why she left Thor: The Dark World , Jenkins offered a similar answer to the one that she gave to Indiewire years ago. She explained how she disagreed with the quality of the script and how she didn't want to be potentially singled out for the poor quality of the movie because of it:

Jenkins spoke frankly about her departure: “I did not believe that I could make a good movie out of the script that they were planning on doing. I think it would have been a huge deal—it would have looked like it was my fault. It would’ve looked like, ‘Oh my God, this woman directed it and she missed all these things.’ That was the one time in my career where I really felt like, Do this with [another director] and it’s not going to be a big deal. And maybe they’ll understand it and love it more than I do.” The director shook her head. “You can’t do movies you don’t believe in. The only reason to do it would be to prove to people that I could. But it wouldn’t have proved anything if I didn’t succeed. I don’t think that I would have gotten another chance. And so, I’m super grateful.”

Jenkins makes sure to clarify that she has no ill will towards Marvel Studios, saying that “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.” She also praises their new direction with Taika Waititi and that he's “...Thor’s rightful director. Taika’s so good for Thor . Oh my God, I love that movie. His tone with Thor was just masterful. That felt like pure Taika to me.”

It really seemed like Thor: The Dark World was a hard lesson for Marvel Studios to learn from, especially after they were free of Ike Perlmutter and the creative-committee . After Thor: The Dark World , even Chris Hemsworth complained about how “frustrated and bored” he was becoming with the character. So, without Ike and the committee to get in their way, Kevin Feige dramatically changed the tone of the character and franchise for the better, showing that the studio is more than willing to adapt and learn from their past mistakes.

- About The Author: Pierre Chanliau
Pierre Chanliau began as a news & feature writer for The Direct at the site's launch in 2020. As a longtime reader of superhero comic books, Pierre's knowledge of Marvel and DC is extensive, informing his reporting and editorial pieces regarding the MCU and DCU.