Shang-Chi Actor Simu Liu Shares A Candid Response To Quentin Tarantino's Marvel Criticism

Quentin Tarantino's opinion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't fall in line with devoted fans who help the MCU bring in massive box office revenues picture after picture. Despite Tarantino's belief that movies don't count if they contain CGI effects, enthusiasts make the trip to multiplexes, and, as a result, Marvel has become a lucrative film studio. In fact, five MCU films — six, if you count Sony's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" — rank in the top 15 of the highest-grossing movies of all time (per Box Office Mojo).

Now, despite Marvel's monetary success, Tarantino also questions the validity of the actors who portray some of Marvel Comics' most beloved characters. "Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is ... you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters," Tarantino said in an interview on the "2 Bears, 1 Cave" podcast (via Mediaite). "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."

Iconic thespians (Tyrone Power, Marlon Brando, Halle Berry) — yes, bonafide movie stars from all generations — played pivotal parts in superhero movies, and another of those was Heath Ledger. Ledger enthralled audiences with his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," and he even garnered a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar. But did you know Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu, is now chiming in on Tarantino's opinion?

Quentin Tarantino's school of thought on the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to make headlines, closely aligning with filmmaker Martin Scorsese's perception of the MCU. "I don't think they're cinema," Scorsese said in an interview with The New York Times. But for the MCU's own Shang-Chi, Simu Liu, enough is enough. The actor is best known outside of Marvel for his five seasons of work on "Kim's Convenience," but the thespian took to social media in defense of himself and the other performers who put in the time to bring superheroes to the big screen.

"If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and 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." "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is one of the crowning achievements with both critics and fans from Phase 4 of the MCU (per Rotten Tomatoes). 

When it comes to cinephiles, the audience ranking of "Shang-Chi" of 98% is higher than any score ever given to any of Tarantino's films, and its Fresh score of 91 bests all of Tarantino's scores except for "Pulp Fiction" (92%), according to Rotten Tomatoes. "No movie studio is or ever will be perfect," Liu also tweeted in the same conversation. "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."