The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been enormously successful over the years, but it has proved divisive for both comic book fans and film buffs alike. Comic book fans want the films to be more faithful to its source material, film buffs want more challenging cinema and for the comic book flicks to feel like films.

Both of these fanbases want these films to take chances, raise the stakes, and avoid safe choices, which Disney continues to do with its post-Endgame output as well as Star Wars.

Denis Villeneuve belongs in the film buff camp of course, and it should come as no surprise that he, or Martin Scorsese, or Francis Ford Coppola, would feel indifferent to the MCU and its dominance at the box office and film industry overall. His new film Dune releases October 22nd, 2021.

Villeneuve had an interview with El Mundo, as reported by The Direct, stating that “these types of movies have turned [the audience] into zombies a bit” due to its “cut and paste” formula. The article would go on to use Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War as examples of MCU films that don’t rely on the usual superhero tropes.

This debate certainly appears to be ongoing with no signs of slowing down any time soon as superhero movies continue to dominate the box office. Film is a medium that is both art and entertainment, and so opinions will vary on the proportion of each that is present in any given title.