The Best Non-Superhero Movies From MCU Directors

"Thor: Ragnarok" marked a drastic stylistic shift from the previous "Thor" films, likely attributable to New Zealand director Taika Waititi taking the helm. Before joining the MCU, Waititi had directed a handful of popular indie comedies, such as "Eagle vs. Shark," the coming of age film "Boy," and the vampire mockumentary "What We Do in the Shadows." Waititi returned to direct three episodes of the "What We Do in the Shadows" TV series, one of two spin-off series based on the film, the other being "Wellington Paranormal."

In 2020, Taika Waititi became an Oscar winner for the screenplay of his World War II comedy-drama, "Jojo Rabbit." But his previous non-MCU film remains his most highly rated: "Hunt for the Wilderpeople." This quirky comedy follows a juvenile delinquent and his foster uncle on a dangerous trek through the New Zealand bush with the authorities hot on their trail. Rima Te Wiata and Sam Neill give great comedic performances as the foster parents, while Julian Dennison became an instant star via his role as young Ricky Baker. There are also fun supporting turns from "Flight of the Conchords" alum Rhys Darby and from Waititi himself as the minister. 

Waititi is returning to the MCU with the upcoming sequel "Thor: Love and Thunder."

"Eternals" is the latest Marvel film to hit theaters, and its director has a filmmaking pedigree as prestigious as you can get. Chloé Zhao seems like a particularly strange choice to helm a blockbuster superhero film when looking at her past work, which is decidedly slow, quiet, and contemplative, often weaving elements of documentary reality into their stories. Her debut feature film, "Songs My Brother Taught Me," put Zhao on the map as an auteur filmmaker to watch. She followed that up with "The Rider," which broke through to a larger audience than her first film and earned Zhao a number of awards, including the prestigious C.I.C.A.E. award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Her third film, "Nomadland," made the biggest splash of all her pre-MCU movies. Continuing Zhao's style of blending fiction and non-fiction, "Nomadland" is adapted from a non-fiction book titled "Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21^st Century." The film follows Fern, a woman in her 60s who attempts to adapt to a nomad lifestyle after losing her livelihood in the Great Recession. Though Frances McDormand in the lead role and David Strathairn in a supporting part are professional actors, the rest of the cast is largely filled out by non-actors. Many of the characters in "Nomadland" are real people behaving naturally as they would in a documentary. The film was nominated for six Oscars and won in the Directing, Lead Actress, and Best Picture categories. At one point, Chloé Zhao planned to make "Eternals" before completing "Nomadland," but the COVID pandemic prompted a change of plans (via The Direct).

"Black Panther" was directed by Ryan Coogler, who is also returning to direct "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Before joining the MCU, Ryan Coogler had helmed two films, the latter of which was the Oscar-nominated "Rocky" semi-sequel "Creed." But it is Coogler's first film, "Fruitvale Station," that remains his most acclaimed and most impactful.

"Fruitvale Station" tells the true story of the last day of Oscar Grant III's life before he was shot and killed by an Oakland transit police officer. Like all of Coogler's films thus far, "Fruitvale Station" stars Michael B. Jordan, who turns in one of his finest performances in the lead role. Octavia Spencer also stands out as Oscar's mother. Spencer even helped the production overcome some funding issues, telling IndieWire, "I basically made some calls to some friends, pitched in some of my own money and helped get past the hurdle." The film is thematically rich, and its realistic portrayal of police brutality is harrowing to watch. "Fruitvale Station" is excellently assembled and carries an important message.

"Captain Marvel" was another instance of Kevin Feige and the Marvel brain trust tapping directors from the world of indie filmmaking. This time around, rather than picking an individual director, they chose a filmmaking duo. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have collaborated with each other on film projects for several years. The two met on a student film set while studying at NYU and have been working together ever since. The duo often shares writing and directing duties, while other times, Fleck handles the directing and Boden manages the producing. 

The pair's films "Sugar," "Mississippi Grind," and "It's Kind of a Funny Story" were all warmly received, but it was their debut feature film that garnered the highest praise. "Half Nelson" tells the story of an inner-city schoolteacher with a serious drug addiction who makes a formative relationship with one of his students. Ryan Gosling earned his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the lead role. "Half Nelson" is an effective drama with strong performances from the entire cast and a commendable commitment to realism.

The film that kicked off the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008 was "Iron Man" and the man in the director's chair for this first outing was Jon Favreau, who would return for "Iron Man 2" two years later. Though he hasn't directed any other Marvel movies in the years since, he hasn't left the MCU altogether, frequently acting in Marvel movies as Stark Industries mainstay Happy Hogan.

Favreau has directed a handful of beloved films over the years that don't fall under the superhero umbrella, such as "Chef" and the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy "Elf." However, Favreau's best-reviewed non-MCU film to date is the 2016 reimagining of "The Jungle Book." The film blends live-action footage with cutting-edge CGI animation and uses a star-studded voice cast that includes Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken. Favreau followed up "The Jungle Book" with another live-action and CGI hybrid remake of a Disney animated classic, "The Lion King." A sequel to "The Jungle Book" has reportedly been in production since 2016, but the current status of the film is unknown.

French filmmaker Louis Leterrier was the man behind 2008's "The Incredible Hulk." This movie exists as somewhat of an anomaly in the MCU in that it introduced Edward Norton as the Hulk, only for him to never reprise the role. Instead, the Hulk character has been played by Mark Ruffalo in all subsequent Marvel films. "The Incredible Hulk" was only the second film released in the massive superhero franchise, marking it as a time when the MCU was still finding its footing.

Leterrier has directed a number of other films, some well-received, and others less so. Best known for his action filmmaking chops, Leterrier launched the successful "Transporter" series and directed the first two installments starring Jason Statham. More popular with critics, however, was his collaboration with world-class martial artist Jet Li. "Unleashed" is about Danny the Dog, as played by Jet Li, who serves as an animalistic fighter for a UK gang boss. With a script written by Luc Besson of "Leon: The Professional" and "The Fifth Element" fame, "Unleashed" boasts great fight scenes, above-average character writing, and strong performances from Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Kerry Condon, and Bob Hoskins.

Though he hasn't officially entered the MCU yet, Sam Raimi will be doing so in the near future. Raimi is directing the upcoming sequel "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The film is currently undergoing reshoots this month and next, according to star Benedict Cumberbatch. Even though this "Doctor Strange" sequel will be Raimi's first official film in the MCU, it won't be the first time that he's worked with a beloved Marvel IP: Raimi previously directed the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" trilogy.

Sam Raimi started out his career in the world of low-budget, independent horror movies. "The Evil Dead" made huge waves throughout the indie filmmaking community when it released in 1981. Raimi's sequel, "Evil Dead II," built upon the foundation provided by the first film and upped the gore while injecting a strong dose of comedy. The opening act of "Evil Dead II" essentially serves as a remake of the first film before continuing the story in the fashion of a more traditional sequel. The "Evil Dead" movies made a star out of actor Bruce Campbell and put Raimi on the map as a talented and unique filmmaker to watch.