As fans prepare themselves for the third episode of Loki‘s season 2, there is a small detail in the second episode that some people might have missed. While the introduction of Brad Wolfe, played by actor Rafael Casal, has already filled up the fans with excitement, there is one specific line in the episode that may have been a subtle dig at legendary director Martin Scorsese, who is not a fan of the superhero genre.
One of the directors of the show, Dan DeLeeuw, previously acknowledged these rumors regarding Marvel’s attack on Scorsese with this episode. In 2019, Scorsese claimed that superhero movies are not real cinema and compared it to theme parks.
Director Dan DeLeeuw seemingly confirmed that this episode in Loki was a subtle attack on Martin Scorsese
In a recent interview with ComicBook, the director of Loki‘s season 2, Dan DeLeeuw acknowledged the rumors regarding the scene which subtly trolls director Martin Scorsese. The director explained that it was improvised,
“I love that it was an elevated thriller. That’s what happens in all honesty, that’s what happens. We had where we needed to go in the script, we had to know that Mobius figures out that why is Brad acting so jumpy? But we had Owen and Rafael there that day and were shooting that scene last, and they had the entire day to play,” adding, “So I had first take, I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s do it straight. Let’s do what we talked about.’ Then the second take, ‘Let’s amp it up.’ And then the third take, I was like, ‘Alright, go for it.’ And it was just Owen and Rafael just tag teaming off each other.”
In the second episode of the show, fans get to see Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe (Rafael Casal) talk about several things. When Mobius mentioned that his movie, Zaniac, looked scary, Brad Wolfe defended it saying that it’s an “elevated thriller” and “it’s cinema. Thank you very much.” A short, yet powerful reply to the criticism.
Martin Scorsese criticized the superhero genre
In 2019, director Martin Scorsese wrote an opinionated piece for The New York Times in which the director explained how superhero movies are not for him,
“I was asked a question about Marvel movies. I answered it. I said that I’ve tried to watch a few of them and that they’re not for me, that they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies as I’ve known and loved them throughout my life, and that in the end, I don’t think they’re cinema.”
The actor was referring to an interview he gave in October 2019 in which he stated that Marvel movies aren’t “the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” Many seasoned directors in the entertainment industry supported Scorsese stating that these big-budget movies take away the spotlight from the auteur filmmakers.
