Filmmaker Jon Favreau, who is known for helming Marvel's 'Iron Man' and its sequel, believes that Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola are free to criticize superhero movies as 'they have earned the right'.
Favreau himself is associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the director of some its films but he isn't critical of Scorsese who likened Marvel films to "theme park" calling them "not cinema".
"These two guys are my heroes, and they have earned the right to express their opinions," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Favreau as saying on CNBC.
"I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if they didn't carve the way. They served as a source of inspiration, you can go all the way back to Swingers," he continued.
He pressed that the filmmakers are free to "express whatever opinion they like."
This comes after Scorsese drew flak for his remarks on Marvel films when he called them "not cinema" at a press conference at BFI London Film Festival, following which 'The Godfather' director Coppola agreed to his comments.
"Martin was kind when he said it's not cinema. He didn't say it's despicable, which I just say it is," Coppola had said.
"When Martin Scorsese says that the Marvel pictures are not cinema, he's right," the filmmaker added.
( With inputs from ANI )