Robert Downey Jr. owes a lot of his success to the superhero films that he did after a massive slump post his addictions. The actor is known for his portrayal of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He has appeared in a number of films in that space including ‘The Avengers.’
There was a time when several people including filmmakers like Alejandro G. Iñarritu were critical of superhero films. Robert took a dig at ‘The Revenant‘ director at that time and defended the film. Now it’s clear that Alejandro still hasn’t gotten over Robert’s comment as he responded recently.
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Alejandro G. Iñarritu Is Still Hurt By The Comments Of Robert Downey Jr.
While promoting his 2014 drama film ‘Birdman‘, director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu said that the superhero film was a form of “cultural genocide.”
He had said, “I don’t respond to those characters. They have been poison because the audience is so overexposed to plot and explosions and shit that doesn’t mean nothing about the experience of being human.”
The next year Robert took a dig at the director while promoting ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.‘ He said that he “respects the heck out of” Iñarritu but mocked his Mexican roots. “For a man whose native tongue is Spanish to be able to put together a phrase like ‘cultural genocide’ just speaks to how bright he is,” he said.
In an interview with IndieWire, Alejandro revisited this incident at Venice Film Festival where his film ‘Bardo‘ was screened. “It was like ‘Oh, you guys from your banana country,’” he said.
He continued: “If I were from Denmark or Sweden, I might be seen as philosophical, but when you’re Mexican and you say things, you’re pretentious. What the fuck does that mean? It’s a false, misleading conception, the superhero. Then, the way they apply violence to it, it’s absolutely right wing. If you observe the mentality of most of those films, it’s really about people who are rich, who have power, who will do the good, who will kill the bad. Philosophically, I just don’t like them.”
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Robert Had Defended Marvel Films After Martin Scorsese’s Remarks
In October 2019, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese created an uproar by criticizing the Marvel films. “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” he said.
Scorsese continued: “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.”
Robert was asked about it during the Howard Stern show. He said: “I appreciate [Scorsese’s] opinion because I think it’s like anything, we need all of the different perspectives so we can come to center and move on.”
Stern asked him, “Were you insulted when he said it’s not cinema? That somehow Iron Man isn’t cinema? It is cinema to me.” Downey responded, “I mean look, it’d be like saying Howard Stern isn’t radio. It makes no sense to say it.”
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