Over the course of the last decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continuously proven that it knows how to capture the visuals of Marvel comics. Characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and The Winter Soldier all look ripped straight from the pages of the source material, and several of the films have faithfully adapted plenty of iconic visual moments that fans from the comics, as well. However, that doesn't change the fact that some liberties must be taken here and there to change things up. Most notably, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok has made a distinct change to Jeff Goldblum's The Grandmaster by steering him away from his traditionally blue appearance, and we finally know why. Waititi says it is because the actor already played a blue character in the 1988 film Earth Girls Are Easy. Waititi explained why he's not blue, noting,
Because he did another movie where he was blue.
Taika Waititi is likely not actually worried about people mistaking The Grandmaster for Jeff Goldblum's Mac in the 1988 film Earth Girls Are Easy; his recent comments to IGN seem more like a fun way of explaining why significant changes were made. The fact of the matter is that Jeff Goldblum has performed in heavy blue makeup before, and he probably had no interest in doing it again. Considering all of Jennifer Lawrence's horror stories about playing Mystique in the X-Men universe, we can't say that we blame him. Elsewhere in his interview, Taika Waititi also explained that making Goldblum more recognizable was important because he's such a beloved actor, and the minimalist approach helped highlight his presence in the film. After all, you don't hide someone as charming as Jeff Goldblum; that's the first rule of filmmaking.
For the sake of comparison, check out Jeff Goldblum's version of the villain side by side with his comic book counterpart below.
It's worth pointing out that there is a bit of blue around the mouth of Goldblum's character, which seems like a direct homage to the visual history of The Grandmaster. Beyond that, the hair and the outfit are fairly faithful to what we would expect from a live-action incarnation of this bizarre personality. Certain liberties may have been taken in the process of developing this character for Thor: Ragnarok, but as of right now they seem like good decisions.
Of course, we cannot let you off of the hook without showing you a shot from Earth Girls Are Easy. Warning: the makeup is pretty bizarre.
Earth Girls Are Easy has become a notorious cult classic flop in the three decades since it debuted in theaters. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans, the film centered on a young Southern California woman who befriends three aliens who find themselves marooned on Earth. It's a quintessentially 1980s romp in the vein of films like Bill and Ted and Back to the Future, and very clearly allowed Goldblum to pay his dues in blue makeup.
Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster will make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Thor: Ragnarok premieres later this year on November 3, 2017.
