Despite Martin Scorsese saying his piece about the matter and not engaging any further, the war over his comments regarding Marvel movies and their place in “cinema” remains ongoing. The directors of Avengers: Endgame have finally chimed in as well as Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, not to mention Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige. Having already delivered one rebuttal to Oscar winner’s claims about Marvel movies, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi offered a longer explanation recently, pointing to one of the core tenants of storytelling at the heart of superhero stories as whole.
Speaking at a round table discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, Waititi was asked as part of the group if they agreed with Scorsese’s comments that Marvel movies “weren’t cinema,” to which he promptly said he disagreed. Waititi, who will direct Thor: Love and Thunder for a 2021 release for Marvel, was quick to expand on his views on the subject, citing his past with Marvel in great detail.
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“Having worked for Marvel, I know how much work goes into breaking stories for those films, the shooting and the post-production,” Waititi said. “It’s all based on story and affecting people emotionally. Maybe it’s too colorful for him….Comics and graphic novels, people have always laughed at them as not being real art or real stories. It’s simply not true. Superheroes are our new mythology. At the end of the day, stories are either teaching us lessons or helping us experience the human condition in different ways.”
This is a more detailed answer than his previous response, which was delivered in true Taika fashion by the filmmaker. When asked by The AP about it previously, Waititi delivered a grand joke about the entire “debate.”
“Well, it’s too late to change it to the Marvel …Atic Universe,” Waititi said of removing “cinema” from the name. “Of course it’s cinema! It’s at the movies. It’s at cinemas near you. Marvel Cinema–tic Universe…scene!”
It’s unclear where the next set of shots will be fired in this seemingly never-ending battle for cinematic ground, with an earlier report saying that Scorsese’s comments could cost him when it comes to voting at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the same body that awarded Black Panther three Oscars earlier this year). The report from Variety cited that the demographics of Oscar voters are changing, younger and more inclined to give large tentpole films increased consideration.
Scorsese’s new movie The Irishman will debut on Netflix tomorrow, Wednesday, November 27; while the next Marvel Studios feature will be none other than Black Widow which arrives on May 1, 2020.
