Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu has criticized legendary filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese for their negative remarks about Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Liu took to Twitter to explain that if Tarantino and Scorsese had been the gatekeepers to movie stardom, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to star in a $400 million dollar superhero film. Furthermore, despite loving the Golden Age of Hollywood, Liu believes that it was "white as hell." The Shang-Chi star stated that though he's "in awe" of the directors and their work, he doesn't think they should have the authority to "point their nose at me or anyone." The Chinese-born Canadian actor also defended Marvel Studios and its attempts at diversity in his tweets. "No movie studio is or ever will be perfect," he wrote. "But I'm proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere."
While guest hosting the podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave alongside Tom Segura, Tarantino shared his thoughts on the phenomenon of Marvel movies as an entity. The Django Unchained director explained that he was unhappy with the fact that the film industry continues to see an excessive amount of Marvel film releases. "My only axe to grind against them is they're the only things that seem to be made. And they're the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That's what they're excited about," he said.
The filmmaker also shared that he used to love Marvel comics as a kid, but as someone who's nearly 60, he's "not quite as excited about them." Additionally, Tarantino believes that these films have become representative of all the films that exist today. "There's not really much room for anything else. That's my problem," he continued.
Scorsese shared a similarly controversial opinion in 2019, when he claimed that Marvel films were "not cinema" in an interview with Empire. He compared the blockbuster films to theme parks saying that "real cinema is about human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being." Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige responded to his comments back then, calling the incident "unfortunate" and explained that everyone who works on these Marvel films "loves cinema, loves movies, loves going to the movies, loves to watch a communal experience in a movie theater full of people."