Recent comments by directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola on superhero films seemed to have upset star Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “It felt harsh, and it bothers me, especially from heroes. It was an eye-roll for me, people bashing the superhero space,” Hemsworth told The Times, adding that recent failures cannot be a testament to the larger irrelevancy of this genre.
Chris Hemsworth reacts to recent Marvel flops
“Those guys had films that didn’t work too – we all have,” said Hemsworth in the interview. Scorcese had previously said that Marvel films are not cinema in his terms, while Coppola called the franchise films prototypes that are made over and over to look different. When they talked about what was wrong with superheroes, I thought, cool, tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong?” the actor said in defense, referring to a large pool of audience which is a part of these superhero film fandom.
He further added that cinema-going patterns did not necessarily change after superheroes, but because of “smartphones and social media.” He reasoned that it was superhero films that maintained a cinema-going population, allowing them to go to the theatres when this transition because of new technologies took place. “So they deserve a little more appreciation,” noted Hemsworth.
Not only Hemsworth, but the Russo brothers have spoken about MCU bearing two flops in the year 2023: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. According to the two directors, the issue is pertaining to Hollywood. “I think it’s a reflection of the current state of everything. It’s difficult right now, it’s an interesting time,” said Joe Russo, one-half of the director duo.
A look at Chris Hemsworth’s career
Hemsworth initially started out as an Australian soap opera star, with shows like Guinevere Jones, Neighbours, and Home and Away. The latter prompted him to mainstream attention in the country. During this era, Hemsworth did land some film roles in Star Trek and A Perfect Getaway. But his breakthrough career moment was when he was cast as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Film Thor in 2011. He embodied the Norse God in the film and quickly gained mainstream appraisal. He reprised his role in other MCU films, like The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Endgame.
Outside the MCU, he has appeared in several films like Snow White and the Huntsman, Blackhat, Rush, In the Heart of the Sea, and Men in Black: International. His most recent big-screen appearance is in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. He stars as Dementus, the antagonist of the film, against noted actress Anya Taylor-Joy.
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