Kapow! Martin Scorsese’s daughter Francesca Scorsese trolled him by wrapping his Christmas gifts in Marvel paper after his vocal criticism of the franchise.
“LOOK WHAT IM [sic] WRAPPING MY DAD’S XMAS GIFTS IN,” the 20-year-old actress wrote via her Instagram Story, adding a laugh-cry emoji. The photo showed a variety of wrapping papers featuring Marvel characters, including Captain America, Spider-Man, The Hulk and Black Panther. One gift tag read, “To Dad From Francesca.”
The director, 77, shares Francesca with wife Helen Schermerhorn Morris, whom he married in 1999. He is also the father of daughter Catherine, 54, with ex-wife Laraine Marie Brennan and daughter Domenica, 43, with ex-wife Julia Cameron.
Martin made headlines in October when he shared his views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite not watching the films. “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” he told Empire at the time. “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
The filmmaker attempted to clarify his remarks in a New York Times column in November. “Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk,” he wrote. “The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.”
The 22nd movie in the superhero franchise, Avengers: Endgame, made cinematic history in 2019, raking in more than $2.7 billion at the box office. As such, the crossover flick — which starred Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and a slew of other famous faces — became the highest-grossing film of all time.
The MCU shows no signs of slowing down either. A Black Widow standalone film and The Eternals — starring Angelina Jolie — are set to hit theaters in 2020 as part of Phase Four.
