Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has leaped to the defense of the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Martin Scorsese's recent comments regarding the nature of Marvel movies. Based on decades of comic book history, the MCU debuted with Iron Man back in 2008. Over a decade and more than 20 movies later, the franchise has become an unmistakable juggernaut. Earlier in the year, the saga capped off its most ambitious chapter yet, bringing together various corners of the shared universe for Avengers: Endgame. The latest team-up movie earned rave reviews and shattered box office records.

Despite that, the franchise has shown no signs of stopping. The aforementioned blockbuster was followed up by a crowd-pleasing epilogue in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Equally, installments have already been announced for Phase 4 - which will see the films finally spin-off into official television shows based on such established characters as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and newcomers like She-Hulk. Plans for Phase 5 are also already in place - including a well-received spot for Mahershala Ali as Blade. Not everybody has responded happily to the news, however, with many firing back against the monopoly Disney appears to be building, especially in the wake of their acquisition of Fox. Scorsese was the latest to speak out, though his thoughts were centered on Marvel movies themselves when the acclaimed filmmaker decried them as not being cinema.

Related: Taika Waititi Mocks Joker Director’s Criticism Of Modern Comedy

Waititi, however, has since come to the defense of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While promoting his latest directorial effort - the highly-satirical, anti-hate movie Jojo Rabbit - Waititi spoke with AP Entertainment regarding the debate. The New Zealand-born filmmaker approached things from a very technical level. "Well, it's too late for them to change the name to Marvel Tic Universe," he said. "Of course it's cinema! It's at the movies. It's in cinemas... [pointing to the camera]...near you!" He then goes on to once again reiterate how the clue is actually in the name Marvel Cinematic Universe, to which those present are unable to argue. Check out the video of his full statement, delivered in his own inimitable, sardonic style, in the space below:

Waititi not only directed Thor: Ragnarok, he also played the scene-stealing character of Korg. He reprised the role in Avengers: Endgame. It's already confirmed that he'll write and direct the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Whether or not he'll also star in the film remains to be seen. Waititi is also set to play a droid in The Mandalorian. That will no doubt be enough for some to label him biased towards Marvel. In truth, however, Waititi has featured in as many DC offerings as Marvel. Equally, he has also produced a lot of what many would deem to be indie fare over the years.

As such, Waititi is probably uniquely suited to speak from experience on both sides of the fence. He isn't the only one that has since spoken out regarding Scorsese's comments. The Avengers director Joss Whedon spoke out. As did James Gunn, who wrote and directed both Guardians of the Galaxy films and is currently working on The Suicide Squad. Conversely, Friends star Jennifer Aniston also criticized Marvel. Fans will obviously have their own take regarding the debate. However, nobody has ever claimed that each Marvel movie is equal in quality. Neither has anybody seriously compared them to such Scorsese produced works as his upcoming film, The Irishman. Still, Marvel movies have a lot of merits to a lot of people and for good reason. And while Scorsese may have made some good points, there is also no denying Waititi's logic.

More: What Martin Scorsese Gets Right (& Wrong) About Marvel Movies

Source: AP Entertainment

Key Release Dates