Thor: Ragnarok Director Reveals His Inspiration For Korg

After two relatively minor standalone entries in the Marvel franchise, Thor: Ragnarok worked wonders in proving the viability of the God of Thunder as an entertaining MCU lead, and a major reason for this success is the endearing and memorable array of supporting players that Chris Hemsworth’s character was allowed to bounce off. And while Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is arguably looking like the Ragnarok newcomer with the most prominent future in the saga, a comparable number of hearts were won over by Korg the Kronan, voiced by director Taika Waititi himself

In a recent interview, the filmmaker reflected on this rock-based gladiator and his inspiration for the character’s soft-spoken manner.

“In New Zealand we have a lot of giant, hulking bouncers and that’s their accent, dudes with very delicate souls,” Waititi recalled. “It’s very intimidating when you try to get into a nightclub…and it’s hard to decide what to do in that situation. Do you pick a fight with them, because the voice betrays who they are? They end up breaking a lot of legs.”

Host Adam Hills went on to ask what Korg’s platform would be if he ever ran for prime minister, and here’s what the director shared:

“He’s a pro-rock guy,” Waititi claimed, before switching to his Korg voice. “First and foremost, Adam, the thing we need to do first is stamp out all the paper that’s plaguing our country at the moment and be a bit more lenient on the scissor immigration because they pose no threat to us.”

Since the events of Ragnarok, the Kronan has yet to make another appearance, and after Avengers: Infinity War opened with an attack on the Asgardians’ ship, fans of the lovable rebel got a little nervous. On the Infinity War audio commentary track, writer Christopher Markus seemingly made matters worse when he told us to “pray for Korg,” leaving the character’s fate up in the air.

That being said, we’ve certainly received a fair few hints that we haven’t seen the last of Korg. Earlier this year, for instance, Kevin Feige said that the studio was considering a spinoff project for the fighter and his old friend Miek. A couple of months ago, a photo of Waititi with the Avengers 4 cast even led to some speculation that he might be back for the Infinity War sequel. Such a notion is still awaiting confirmation, but with the number of familiar faces being packed into the upcoming film, it’s surely not unthinkable that the Russo Brothers have a place reserved for one of Thor: Ragnarok’s breakout stars.