Enough With The Scorsese Vs. Comic Book Movies Debate, Jeez

Does iconic, living legend filmmaker Martin Scorsese not so secretly loathe the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Cinematic Universe and everything they represent about big budget movies? Worse, could the director of The Irishman, Goodfellas, and Taxi Driver, to name only a few, really be out here slagging on superheroes just to insert his name and new projects into the press cycle? James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel and the brand-new DC Universe “standalone sequel” The Suicide Squad, certainly seems to have been pondering these questions, and continues to do so as he makes the media rounds to promote his new film. So where did this beef begin, and more importantly: does it even still matter? Let’s back up.

The kerfluffle over cinema vs. cinematic universe dates back to October 2019, when Martin Scorsese sat for an interview with Empire Magazine on the eve of The Irishman’s release. The filmmaker acknowledged the utilization of de-aging technology in his new film, and suggested he employed the effects technique willingly, if grudgingly.

But then the subject of the Marvel movies came up, and Scorsese dropped a quote. “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” he told Empire. “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

It was a hot take born for the Twitterverse, and everyone from filmmakers like Gunn to fanboys and netizens ran with what they felt were its implications.

“Martin Scorsese is one of my 5 favorite living filmmakers. I was outraged when people picketed The Last Temptation of Christ without having seen the film,” Gunn tweeted at the time. “I’m saddened that he’s now judging my films in the same way.”

By November, Scorsese was penning New York Times op-eds to clarify his position. “Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures,” Scorsese wrote. “What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a particular set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.”

And, as usual, the social media bickering moved on to another topic.

…Moved on, that is, until Gunn circled back. “I just think it seems awful cynical that he would keep coming out against Marvel and then that is the only thing that would get him press for his movie,” Gunn told the Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “So he just kept coming out against Marvel so that he could get press for his movie. He’s creating his movie in the shadow of the Marvel films, and so he uses that to get attention for something he wasn’t getting as much as he wanted for it.”

Jeez, James, are we really still having this argument? Maybe not, because the discussion online at least has moved on to: why are we still having this argument?

Though certain comic friendly corners of the Internet are more than likely slamming Scorsese (again) and backing up their boy Gunn, the majority of Twitter seems to be entirely exhausted by the debate… Particularly since Scorsese seems more interested in directing new movies and preserving old ones (and hopping on TikTok to talk about feminine products) than answering the same question worded different ways.

So to that end, maybe we put a nail in this particular coffin, and just move on? Scorsese is never going to direct a Marvel movie (or a DC movie). Other people will. It’s fine. Let’s talk about something else?

…Though he could direct a great Suicide Squad movie. Just saying.