Over the past couple of years, several major film directors - including the likes of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Francis Ford Coppola - have shared a negative opinion of comic book movies (more specifically, how the likes of Marvel Studios' output dominates the marketplace), and Thor star Chris Hemsworth has now responded.
The Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga actor was asked how he feels about established filmmakers taking shots at Marvel movies during an interview with The UK Times.
“Those guys had films that didn’t work too — we all have. When they talked about what was wrong with superheroes, I thought, cool, tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong?”
To be fair, most of the criticisms seemed to stem more from the perception that comic book films (and huge studio blockbusters in general) may ultimately contribute to smaller, independent and art house movies being erased from the cinematic landscape completely, but the overall quality of the movies has also come in for backlash.
Recently, Hemsworth himself admitted that his last outing as the Odinson, Thor: Love and Thunder, didn't fully work, shouldering most of the blame. "I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself," said the Aussie actor. "I didn’t stick the landing."
Of course, it's easier to defend Marvel Studios when they're on top of their game and putting out quality content, but the MCU has most definitely not been firing on all cylinders of late, with the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels failing to find their feet at the box office.
Can Deadpool and Wolverine turn things around?
While speaking to Empire, Marvel's Louis D’Esposito acknowledged that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going through a "rough time," but he believes that the Merc With a Mouth and Logan's team-up movie will mark a turning point for the franchise.
“If we just stayed on top, that would have been the worst thing that could have happened to us," said D'Esposito. "We took a little hit, we’re coming back strong. Maybe when you do too much, you dilute yourself a little bit. We’re not going to do that anymore. We learned our lesson. Maybe two to three films a year and one or two shows, as opposed to doing four films and four shows.”
What do you make of Hemsworth's comments? Be sure to share your thoughts down below.