At this point, you shouldn't need us to tell you that Martin Scorsese hates superhero movies. The filmmaker doesn't believe they're true cinema and has compared them to theme park rides, essentially shrugging off the hard work their stars and creative teams do to bring those comic books to life on screen.
Agree or disagree with the legendary director's assessment, it's one which does come across as largely ignorant. Marvel and DC talent alike have hit back at Scorsese in recent years and Loki executive producer Kevin Wright made a compelling counter-argument during an interview with Geeks of Color.
"[Loki] is being built with a lot of love and care, and an eye for the cinematic," he says. "Any of these shows, any of these movies, anything in this world is about making a character-focused story that audiences can connect with. I would challenge anyone watching to say that [this show] is not cinematic, and it’s not built with the highest craftsmanship and care."
"Frankly, people just want to see good stories. If you build something beautiful, [the audience is] going to enjoy it, whether it’s a show like this, or an indie film."
While a Marvel Studios executive is obviously going to stand up for the MCU's offerings, it's hard to pick fault with Wright's take. Loki is an incredibly cinematic series, and while it boasts the expected hallmarks of a Marvel story (VFX is plentiful, for example), there's definitely more to it than that.
Regardless, comments like these are unlikely to change Scorsese's mind. While he hasn't had too much to say about comic book adaptations while promoting his latest movie, the director has previously called them a "danger" to our culture and urged his fellow filmmakers to "fight back."
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour quite easily topped Killers of the Flower Moon at the box office this past weekend, though it's unclear whether Scorsese considers a concert film "cinema."
Loki season 2 will pick up in the aftermath of the shocking season finale when Loki finds himself in a battle for the soul of the Time Variance Authority. Along with Mobius, Hunter B-15 and a team of new and returning characters, Loki navigates an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous multiverse in search of Sylvie, Judge Renslayer, Miss Minutes and the truth of what it means to possess free will and glorious purpose.
The series stars Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, with Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan and Owen Wilson.
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw and Kasra Farahani direct episodes. The Head Writer is Eric Martin.
The first three episodes of Loki season 2 are now streaming on Disney+.