Chris Hemsworth Reacts to Directors 'Bashing' Superhero Films: 'Tell That to the Billions Who Watch Them'

The Thor actor said in an interview why he thinks superhero movies "deserve a little more appreciation"

Chris Hemsworth is giving superhero movies their due.

In an interview with U.K. outlet The Sunday Times published May 12, the Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaactor, who's best known for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, addressed past comments made by famous directors criticizing the genre.

“It felt harsh,” said Hemsworth, 40. “And it bothers me, especially from heroes. It was an eye-roll for me, people bashing the superhero space. Those guys had films that didn’t work too — we all have."

He added, "When they talked about what was wrong with superheroes, I thought, cool, tell that to the billions who watch them. Were they all wrong?"

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Filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster, Ridley Scott, Jane Campion and more have made varying critical comments about superhero movies, while many celebrities — including James Gunn and Tom Holland — have spoken out in support of the genre.

Hemsworth believes that "cinema-going did not change because of superheroes, but because of smartphones and social media."

"Superhero films actually kept people in the cinemas during that transition and now people are coming back. So they deserve a little more appreciation," he added.

As for actors who have starred in superhero movies only to later have negative words about them, “It’s, like, ‘They’re films that are successful — put me in one. Oh, mine didn’t work? I’ll bash them,' " Hemsworth told the outlet.

Related: Tom Holland Disagrees with Martin Scorsese's Assessment of Superhero Films: 'He's Never Made One'

Hemsworth first played the Marvel character in 2011's Thor. In a June 2023 interview with British GQ, Hemsworth admitted he would sometimes get "sick" of playing Thor — and for him to consider returning to the character, Thor would need a revamp.

"If I was going to do something again it would have to be tonally different. And we’d have to do something very drastic to keep people on their toes," he said. "Otherwise it’s just the fatigue of those characters and those films, where people are like, 'I’ve seen it.' "

"But," the actor later added, "I really wanna do some other stuff for a while."

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters May 24.

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