Simu Liu responds to Quentin Tarantino's Marvel comments

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Marvel actor Simu Liu has responded to comments made by Quentin Tarantino about the franchise. Liu starred as the eponymous character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, released as part of Marvel Phase 4.

"If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and [Martin] Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie," Liu wrote on Twitter. "I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don't get to point their nose at me or anyone."

"No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I'm proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere," he continued. "I loved the 'Golden Age' too... but it was white as hell."

Tarantino recently shared his thoughts on the MCU and its cast. "You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters," the director said. "But they're not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I'm not the first person to say that. I think that's been said a zillion times… but it's like, you know, it's these franchise characters that become a star."

"My only axe to grind against them is they're the only things that seem to be made," he added. "And they're the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That's what they're excited about. And so it's just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There's not really much room for anything else. That's my problem."

As for Scorsese, he expanded on his MCU comments in a New York Times op-ed. "They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can’t really be any other way," he wrote. "That’s the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they’re ready for consumption."

Marvel Phase 4 wraps up with the release of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which arrives this November 25. Marvel Phase 5, meanwhile, kicks off next year with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is set to bring the MCU's next big bad, Kang the Conqueror, fully into play.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has in store for us.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.