Robert Downey Jr responds to Quentin Tarantino's Marvel criticism

robert downey jr arrives at the closing night screening of sr at sffilm presents 2022 documentary film showcase doc stories at queer arts featured on november 06, 2022 in san francisco, california

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Robert Downey Jr is the latest actor to react to Quentin Tarantino’s criticism of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Kill Bill and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director recently hit out at the superhero franchise, bemoaning that fans care more about the intellectual properties and characters rather than the movie stars playing them, believing people are interested in Captain America and not Chris Evans.

Speaking to Deadline, the Iron Man actor said: “I think our opinions on these matters say a lot about us. I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it’s a double-edged sword.

quentin tarantino at 77th annual golden globe awards

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“A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it’s coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don’t have the right kind of artist playing that role, you’ll never know how good it could have been.”

Downey Jr insisted that we shouldn’t waste our time arguing over which films are art and which ones aren’t, and appreciate that there is space for huge blockbusters as well as smaller independent projects.

“We’re all a community,” he continued. “There’s enough room for everything. And thank God for Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. That’s all I have to say. We need the big stuff to make room for films like Armageddon Time.”

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Downey Jr recently released the documentary Sr, about his late father’s achievements in the industry and their relationship over the years.