JOKER Star Marc Maron Dismisses Marvel Movies As Being Made For "Grown, Male Nerd Childs"

JOKER Star Marc Maron Dismisses Marvel Movies As Being Made For "Grown, Male Nerd Childs"

Joker star Marc Maron shares his thoughts on Marvel movies in a new interview, making it clear that he's not a fan of the genre and revealing who he believes comic book adaptations like that are made for.

By JoshWilding - Aug 22, 2019 02:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Joker
Marc Maron recently appeared on Conan, and when the subject of Avengers: Endgame came up, the GLOW star made it clear that he's not going to be "bullied" into watching Marvel movies like that because, ultimately, they're aimed at "grown, male nerd child." Ouch. 

"I have some issues with them and I generally don't like them," the actor, who is set to make an appearance in Todd Phillips' Joker, explained. "I don't wanna be bullied into seeing those movies. I'm a grown-up, I'm not seven, and I think those movies are for grown, male nerd childs." When the audience groaned, he joked: "Oh, really? Take the hit! You guys are in charge of culture."
 
"Now I gotta go travel 15-20 minutes to a smaller movie theater to see a grown-up movie with other grown-ups where we can all sit together and not understand the ending?" the comedian continued. "That's part of the experience. Where you walk out and you're like, 'I don't know, did the guy die? It's not clear.' That's the kind of movie I enjoy. I'm not gonna be bullied by grown, nerd men."
 
"I just don't go see them, I'm not interested. Maybe I overdid it a little bit," he concluded.

Now, before you declare Maron a hypocrite for making these comments while starring in Joker, bear in mind that he did explain in an interview earlier this year that he'd signed up for that movie because it would give him the opportunity to work with Joaquin Phoenix and Robert DeNiro. He also added that the DC Comics adaptation is very different to your typical superhero outing. 

Check out his remarks for yourselves in the player below. 



Check out some recently released Joker stills
by hitting the "View List" button below!

 


"There were times when I would go, like, 'Look at this f*cking world, and how we lack empathy and real compassion and care,’" star Joaquin Phoenix says when asked if real-life events in the news helped shape his take on the character. "I felt like there were things that odd and [co-writer] Scott [Silver] were touching on that were relevant to what we may be experiencing now."
 


"But I also felt like they weren’t being didactic, and they weren’t steering you towards one particular way of watching the movie, and saying, ‘This is the cause.’ To me, the Joker…" the actor adds. "I’m reluctant to shape the way people view this movie. There’s not really a right way of looking at this film. Part of what is so fascinating about the Joker is that there isn’t the specific origin."
 


"There’s not a specific catalyst. And so it allows us as a viewer to project our own ideas of discontent or whatever we feel onto the character. So yes, I think there are a lot of things that are relevant. I hope that people explore those things and talk about them. It’s a safe way to do that. But I also feel like: it’s not just that." So, yeah, it sounds like this will be a pretty deep movie!

Continue reading below for our in-depth look at the long,
convoluted history of The Flash's journey to the big screen.

The Flash Begins...

Flash1


Phil Lord and Chris Miller were initially hired to write The Flash in April 2015 (it ended up only being a treatment), and while there was a chance they might also direct, those hopes were dashed when they instead chose to work on Solo: A Star Wars Story. Later that year, Seth Grahame-Smith signed up to helm the project and he also took another pass at the screenplay. 

However, the following year, he parted ways with Warner Bros. over "creative differences." We never learned what those were, but it was said that the studio would keep his script (which makes sense, especially as he has far more experience in that realm than as a director). 

At this point, The Flash was still set to be released on March 16th, 2018, and the prevailing theory was that it would adapt Flashpoint. Either way, Rick Famuyiwa was later named the movie's new director (because he "provided a vision that would resonate with young viewers" according to the trades) and the casting process finally started to heat up...
 

Casting Central City

Celemon


With Famuyiwa racing towards that 2018 release date, he chose Kiersey Clemons to play Iris West. The actress worked with the filmmaker on Dope and beat the likes of Rita Ora and Lucy Boynton to the role. Variety later reported that Cyborg actor Ray Fisher would reprise his Justice League role in The Flash, while Billy Crudup soon boarded the project as Henry Allen. 

Jumping ahead for a moment, you'll no doubt be well aware that both Clemons and Crudup shot scenes for Justice League. However, the former was completely cut, and we learned from leaked VFX images that Barry Allen was meant to meet Iris while saving her from a car crash (out of costume). Crudup, meanwhile, still appeared as Henry in Iron Heights alongside Miller's Barry. 
 

The Rogues

Cold


Miller had nothing but good things to say about Famuyiwa during an interview at Comic-Con in 2016, and it was later confirmed that the director was putting his own stamp on the screenplay. 

It was around this time that reliable sources started reporting that The Flash's villains would be The Rogues or, more specifically, Captain Cold and his sister Golden Glider. This appeared to contradicted rumblings about a Flashpoint adaptation and it instead seemed like that was a plotline being saved for the Justice League sequels by Zack Snyder. 

Those movies were definitely set to delve into time-travel, but we've never learned how The Flash would have lined up with Snyder's post-apocalyptic vision of the DC Extended Universe. 
 

More "Creative Differences"

Barry


We didn't even get to the end of 2016 before The Flash lost another director to "creative differences." 

Famuyiwa was reportedly hoping to deliver a slightly edgier take on the Fastest Man Alive, but pushback from Warner Bros. seemingly made things impossible for him; however, you can't really blame the studio, especially as the darker DC Comics movies that were released in 2016 were met with a mauling from critics (making them extremely cautious with The Flash, it seems). 

"I pitched a version of the film in line with my voice, humor, and heart," the director said. "While it’s disappointing that we couldn’t come together creatively on the project, I remain grateful for the opportunity." As time passed, that 2018 release date looked increasingly unlikely. 
 

Works Starts Over Again...Again!

Flash-12


It was back to the drawing board as 2017 began and Warner Bros. decided to task Joby Harold (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Robin Hood) with rewriting the screenplay from scratch. This meant we had to throw out everything we knew about the movie, and with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald on the horizon, Miller's schedule was looking mighty busy. 

With Clemons talking about making her debut as Iris West in Justice League and Warner Bros. denying that Crudup had left the DC Extended Universe alongside Famuyiwa, rumors started swirling about who would next direct the project. 

Back to the Future helmer Robert Zemeckis was named a favourite, while Sam Raimi and Matthew Vaughn were also said to be on the list of frontrunners. There were even claims that Lord and Miller could be asked back to work on the movie, something that got fans very excited indeed. 
 

Flashpoint!

Flashpoint


Those talks never led to anything significant, and as another Comic-Con rolled around, we got confirmation from Warner Bros. that the movie was set to be titled Flashpoint. As we mentioned a little earlier, there were rumours about this being an adaptation of that storyline since day one, but it was made finally official, and it looked like the studio had a solid direction to take this solo outing in. 

Aquaman and Wonder Woman were rumoured to appear, and it looked like Harold's screenplay was finished. 

That may sound like good news, but as the year started winding down, we heard that Warner Bros. was waiting to see how Justice League did before making any decisions about Flashpoint and President Toby Emmerich explained that while they were closing in on a director, the movie's budget had made them somewhat cautious about shooting it. 
 

More Directors Enter The Mix

Batfleck


Geoff Johns confirmed that Batman would be in Flashpoint, and all the signs were pointing to that being Jeffrey Dean Morgan (reprising his role as Thomas Wayne from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). It was all rather exciting, but there were clearly still issues behind the scenes, along with rumblings that Warner Bros. wanted to recast Clemons before her scenes leaked online. 

While this was playing out, Ben Affleck's time as Batman also appeared to be winding down, but there were reports that he would show up in Flashpoint as a "passing of the torch" of sorts. 

On the plus side, the movie once again got new directors, this time in the form of Spider-Man: Homecoming writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Reliable sources revealed that Ben Affleck was also offered the director's chair but it seems as if he wasn't really that interested. 
 

A Whole New Story

Flashpoint1


With another rewrite in the works from the newly appointed directors, plans changed yet again and the movie lost the Flashpoint title. Apparently, Warner Bros. was looking to cast the likes of Caitlin Snow and Heatwave, while Officer Fred Chyre would have appeared as a Keystone City cop working with Barry Allen to investigate the death of Jonathan Chambers/Johnny Quick.

Dr. Arthur Light, meanwhile, was said to be The Flash's lead villain and it was claimed that "the film would include some references or potential flashbacks to Barry's accident, an accident we're told that will include Eobard Thawne in an interesting way." The movie was definitely shaping up to be a solo outing rather than what almost appeared to be a spinoff Justice League movie.
 

Some Crazy New Ideas

Wally


As work continued on this new version of The Flash, a few different names were added in behind the scenes role but shooting clearly wasn't going to begin until 2019. A 2021 release date was a possibility, while Miller promised "a f*cking crazy-dope Flash movie" in one interview. 

Suddenly, things got real quiet with this DC Comics adaptation and while generic updates kept popping up regarding shooting dates, it was clear that nothing was set in stone at this point in time. 

The actor would go on to tease a "Speedster Multiverse" and it definitely sounded like Daley and Goldstein had some pretty big plans. However, things then got seriously weird for The Flash
 

Competing Screenplays

Flashes


Clearly unhappy with the direction The Flash was heading in, Miller chose to team up with comic book writer Grant Morrison to write his own version of the screenplay. While The Game Night directors were planning to deliver a lighter, comedic take on the character, Miller wanted to take things down a darker route similar to what Snyder once had planned for this shared world. 

However, this same report made it clear that Warner Bros. was happy with Daley and Goldstein's vision, and while they were happy to indulge Miller, it didn't sound like they were overly keen. 

At the time, we heard that the actor could end up leaving the project if Warner Bros. chose not to go with his and Morrison's screenplay and while we've heard nothing about that since then, the studio once again decided to take the Scarlet Speedster's movie in a new direction...
 

Another Fresh Start...And A Possible Release Window

Flashes1


Due to "creative differences" (again), Warner Bros. instead turned to IT: Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti to take the helm of the movie. The script they worked on was thrown out - along with Miller's - and Bumblebee and Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson is now said to be writing a new version. 

Miller is still attached to star so he must be happy with this compromise, but with the studio starting over yet again, production now isn't expected to begin until next January. As a result, a movie originally set to be released early last year is now taking aim at a 2021 or 2022 release date. Well, hopefully!

After all, with so many creative problems surrounding The Flash, it's hard to say whether Muschietti will stick around, and there's still a chance Miller will decide against starring in the movie. 
 
It's been quite a saga for The Flash but things are finally starting to look up for the DC Comics movie. We hope! What do you guys think the future holds in store for the Fastest Man Alive?
 
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JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 8/22/2019, 2:46 AM
Before anyone asks, I have no idea why the site is glitching with teaser and banner images...
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 8/22/2019, 2:51 AM
He doesn't even watch these films, yet he has formed his opinion about them and their audience?
LordHarryLatts
LordHarryLatts - 8/22/2019, 2:57 AM
Oy vey... so unnecessary.
Brave
Brave - 8/22/2019, 2:58 AM
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 8/22/2019, 3:01 AM
I'm extremely curious what comic booky moments or visuals we get in Joker. I know it's gonna be a serious take but even Nolan had a bunch of very comic booky moments.
OuzoPowerMan
OuzoPowerMan - 8/22/2019, 3:01 AM
"Look at me, I'm a big grown-up man, I watch serious movies made for grown-up men, because that's what it means to be a grown-up!
It's not about finding a job and being independent!
It's not about taking responsibilities!
It's not abour being socially aware and respectful to others!

No no.

What defines me as a grown-up man is the kind of movies I watch."

Grown-up arguments by a grown-up man.

MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 8/22/2019, 3:02 AM
lmao..I love Maron. He's clearly just going for a reaction here.
Jeight8
Jeight8 - 8/22/2019, 3:02 AM
Those movies made for grown male nerd childs are kicking the company's you work for ass in terms of writing and actual character investement buddy.

Yondu's death was more emotional than Superman. Sit your ass down.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 8/22/2019, 3:04 AM
I have no idea who Marc Maron is so..
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 8/22/2019, 3:05 AM
Well eff off. It’s certainly not going to stop you from cashing those checks paid for by those grown male nerd children. Luckily mine has the uncanny ability of staying in my pocket. Oddly it’s possible to not like a genre of movies (or anything) without insulting all the people who do. Most of us do it everyday.

Oh and by the way, it’s 2019 dude. Women like this stuff too.
Dredd97
Dredd97 - 8/22/2019, 3:07 AM
Imagine being so wrapped up in this that you take it personally. If you like this stuff, great! We all do, that's why we're here. But don't let a guy like this, a comedian (and a damn good one) ruin your day or make you hate him because of another point of view. If he doesn't like it, oh well. But he isn't "an untalented asshole who should be shown the light of his ways." Don't get all offended folks, it's just an opinion.
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 8/22/2019, 3:08 AM
They really distilled the Joker movie down to one headass comment

manofillintent1
manofillintent1 - 8/22/2019, 3:12 AM
The thing I like about marvel movies is they have a fine balance when it comes to their movies, yes these movies are for kids too I can’t stand when people hate on marvel because they have lighter tones and jokes it’s like...let kids enjoy this stuff too! I can’t imagine any child liking BVS or man of steel for example and go figure DCs best film now is a family film, saying marvel film are for kids is like saying Pixar movies are for kids, I mean, yeah they are the target audience but an adult can be equally if not more engaged, entertained, and notice themes and nuances that will fly over the younger viewers head end of the day Marvel makes entertaining movies for EVERYONE to watch from cap winter soldier to GOTG

And phase four is gonna flourish even more
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2019, 3:13 AM
Anyone who's listened to WTFPod knows that Maron's a cranky old man on these films. Really great podcast though, probably one of my favorites.
Typobutcorrect
Typobutcorrect - 8/22/2019, 3:13 AM
The need to tear down other films in order to elevate another is telling.
Superspecialawesomeguy
Superspecialawesomeguy - 8/22/2019, 3:15 AM
Eh he's entitled to his opinion.
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 8/22/2019, 3:18 AM
The guy is a comedian, try not to take him too seriously. He was asked his thoughts and gave an entertaining answer.
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 8/22/2019, 3:18 AM
So Joker is made for people with mental illness
blitzburgh
blitzburgh - 8/22/2019, 3:19 AM
@joshwilding well can someone fix it because it's been freaking 2 days
tmp3
tmp3 - 8/22/2019, 3:20 AM
@SmokingMan - I know he's an established comedian/podcaster, but I'm always gonna see him as the guy from the interactive Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone" video first
http://video.bobdylan.com/
(it's "channel" 132)
Typhoon20
Typhoon20 - 8/22/2019, 3:20 AM
Tells people he doesn't want to be bullied. Then proceeds to bully people who like a certain genre.

Comedian or not, his take isn't funny. It isn't an opinion either. He could have just said he doesn't like the genre and call it a day, insulting and falsely generalizing that entire audience as '' male nerd kids'' is quite pathetic because it screams insecurity. Sure some of the audience is just that, but there are a lot of fathers, mothers, grandfather grandmothers out there who like the genre as well. Difference here is... they aren't pretentious and don't have a stick up their bum.
KWilly
KWilly - 8/22/2019, 3:27 AM
Kumkani
Kumkani - 8/22/2019, 3:28 AM
Anyone that has to prove how much of a grown-up they are by what kind of movies they like isn't a grown-up.
Superheromoviefan
Superheromoviefan - 8/22/2019, 3:30 AM
"grown, male nerd childs"
that sounds what a grown, male child would say.
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 8/22/2019, 3:30 AM
I keep forgetting this movie exists, but every now and then I'm reminded why I wish it didn't. Regardless of how good/bad/terrible it ends up being, the people it's going to appeal to for the various reasons it will and the things they're going to use it for are going to make the discourse just as dumb if not dumber than it's ever been
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 8/22/2019, 3:32 AM
@TheUnworthyThor
Women like this stuff too.

What's funny is that we made up like... 45% of Endgame's audience.
EgoEgor
EgoEgor - 8/22/2019, 3:33 AM
KingNomarch
KingNomarch - 8/22/2019, 3:34 AM
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 8/22/2019, 3:35 AM
I get that people are going to be pissy about this, and I'm not saying he's right (but he's not exactly wrong, either). Maybe because I've listened to this guy play devil's advocate on basically everything (I was a big fan of his going back to the 90's), so even just reading his words, I can hear the tone of his voice as he's saying it.

So, I understand if this touches a nerve with some people who feel defensive about liking what are ultimately children's characters longer than they "should". But this is classic Marc right here, losing the audience over some contrarian bullshit. Gives me old Late Nite feels. I love him.

And he's right, my fellow nerd men (and women). We've won. And in the next few years, somebody is probably going to win a [frick]ing Oscar doing a Stan [frick]ing Lee biopic, that's how much we've won. We can be gracious about it.
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 8/22/2019, 3:35 AM
Hes doing a bit and everyone gets offended
Radders
Radders - 8/22/2019, 3:39 AM
Just watched the clip and it looks like he's doing it for comic effect to me, he's also being irreverent about "serious" movies.
EgoEgor
EgoEgor - 8/22/2019, 3:41 AM
It's sad that people like this guy feel the need to continually preach that they're "grown up". Part of being grown up is not being afraid or feeling above liking "childish" things. Personally, I just enjoy good films; whether it's something like Avengers Endgame, Toy Story, Midsommer, or even a cultural drama like The Farewell all from this year; be it any genre and any tone, you should seek quality wherever it resides.
dancingmonkey08
dancingmonkey08 - 8/22/2019, 3:43 AM
hey Im all for someone saying they arent a fan of Marvel movies, everyone is entitled to their opinions, free speech and all that, but when you start to insult the audience, you can kindly go [frick] yourself

and the reasons to go see this Joker movie continue to disappear, even though there wasnt much reason in the first place; Joker is only interesting when he is in a story with Batman, I love when Jokers origin is multiple choice, not a Solo-style definitive origin story and Im sorry but I have never liked Joaquin Phoenix, so this movie can leave me alone, thank you very much
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 8/22/2019, 3:59 AM
@SuperDude001 - To me, Maron was one of the "outrageous asshole" comedians that got really introspective and basically openly therapeutic about the negativity in himself. He and Louis CK were the two dudes that I thought really grew out of that phase into something interesting (and I was disappointed to see CK regressing instead of owning his shit like Maron seems to).

Maron also used to do an quirky internet show from the break room of a radio station and AIM chat with listeners (which was great fun as a fan of his stand-up to be able to openly prod him like that). So, I'll always remember him fondly for that, too. Maron pokes and seems to like being poked back. That's what he was doing here, too. If that's not your cup of tea, of course, your mileage may vary.
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