AEW's Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian Compare Martin Scorsese's MCU Comments to the Pro Wrestling Industry

For nearly two months legendary film director Martin Scorsese has given some harsh opinions on the [...]

For nearly two months legendary film director Martin Scorsese has given some harsh opinions on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a series of interviews, public comments and a New York Times opinions piece, the Goodfellas director has flat-out stated that the 23 film installments "aren't cinema," claimed their an invasion on movie theaters and likened them to theme park rides. Scorsese has tweaked his words here and there, but overall hasn't backed down from his opinion even as fans of comic book films argue against him. During a recent studio interview with ComicBook.com, All Elite Wrestling stars and noted superhero fans Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian were asked to give their two cents on Scorsese's comments.

"It's hard to criticize someone like Martin Scorsese, who's known as an auteur, and certainly is a cinephile. But at the same time, there is art in even the stuff that some people see as mass produced or sort of pop culturally popular," Daniels said. "Like I've watched [Avengers:] Endgame like six, seven different times and each time it gets me right in the gut, it's so emotionally stirring to me. And so, I feel like he's just speaking from a place of really not understanding the world of that specific genre of film.

"And that's fine, you don't have to like everything, and I don't certainly like everything Martin Scorsese has done. I certainly wouldn't ever say, 'Oh this isn't cinema just 'cause I don't like it.' I think he's just speaking from a place of a lack of knowledge, you know what I mean? And you know, there's gonna be people that don't like the things that I like, and let them not like it," he added. "Their points of view aren't going to steer me away from the things that I like, and I think most fans feel that same way about the Marvel movies. I feel like they've done pretty good, and I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've watched, and will continue to watch."

Kazarian, who is currently one half of the reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions, compared the debate to how certain wrestlers and wrestling fans tear down the current era of pro wrestling compared to the Attitude Era of the 90s or the days of the wrestling territories.

"I'm of the belief that high tide rises all ships, so I hate to see any time in the industry where people are being critical for no reason really," Kazarian said. "That's his opinion and he's certainly entitled to it because he's done wonderful, wonderful things with films. But just that statement I just doesn't think... I don't think it behooves the industry at all. We see that a lot in our industry. There are certainly old timers, and legends, and hall of famers who had great careers that just can't accept that professional wrestling is different. Not necessarily better, not necessarily worse, just different. The NFL is different, Major League Baseball's different, the NHL's different, basketball's certainly played a lot differently than it was even 20 years ago. Movies are made different[ly], the way we consume media's different, and is there a lot of. Do I love everything about professional wrestling today? Certainly not, but I enjoy most of it. But I'm gonna keep the opinions of things I don't like to myself.

"I just don't like it when we're kind of punching down within our industry," he added. "And because, like Chris said, if you look at a movie like Endgame, and if you look at the entire, the entire spectrum of films starting with Iron Man coming up to Endgame... I don't know if there's been a better story told over the course of 11 years."

Though the MCU's Infinity Saga may be over, it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. There are currently 14 movies scheduled to be released from May 2020-November 2023 along with eight television series via Disney+.

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