Joe Russo: Unfortunate that the superhero genre is ignored due to the "stigma" attached

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Marvel has been entertaining its fans for a decade now and the craze over its cinematic universe is far from over yet. With 18 movies in its kitty, Marvel is all set to come up with its highly anticipated and most awaited movie, Avengers: Infinity War.

And while these superhero movies mint the most money, unfortunately, it's not bagged the golden figurine a.k.a., the Oscars yet. Robert Downey Jr who plays Iron Man in the hit series along with Benedict Cumberbatch and Karen Gillian who play Dr Strange and Nebula respectively and director Joe Russo kickstarted the Asian leg of their promo tour.

During a recent press conference in Singapore, director Russo expressed his thoughts on the Oscar snub saying that it might be impossible for a superhero movie to make it big at the Oscars because of the "stigma" attached to it. However, he added that he understands the Academy's intention of highlighting movies which are unable to grab the attention they deserve.

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During the press conference, he said, "The Oscars in a way help support movies that haven't got a lot of attention or deserve more attention. Superhero movies actually don't require a lot more attention. But I do feel it has been unfortunate that superhero films haven't been included in main categories."

"There is a stigma towards the films. We are making these movies because we are trying to tell the best stories we can and we have a lot of incredible fans whom we want to satisfy with our storytelling. Our direct connection is with the fans," he added.

And while the formula of every superhero film involves the apocalyptic end of the Earth, Russo pointed out that the superhero movies have more to them than just "saving the world."

"I grew up a comic book fan and a movie fan. I like movies with thematics and I like the complicated, rich storytelling. I want to go and see films. And if there is something deeper I could pull out of it, I do it," he said.

He further added, "For us, it is very important to have dimensions in our stories. The theme of this movie (Infinity War) is also relevant. It is about what it costs to be a hero in a complicated world and to see the value of the cost. And, all the heroes have to answer that question. That is something the audience will relate to."

And therefore, with Infinity War, the director seems to have taken storytelling up a notch by telling the story of a villain first.

"It was important for us to make Thanos, who has just been a guy sitting on a chair with few cameos... More dimensionalised and complicated."

"It was important for us to make the audience feel the anger and empathy towards him at the same time. And we try to make these movies different from each other. People will understand when they see the movie. For us, the hero is only as good as the villain. What Thanos is bringing to the film is so intense. The cost heroes will pay is so much. This is something fans will see for the first time in a Marvel film. It is his moment to shine. It is his story," he said.

“Avengers: Infinity War” releases globally on April 27.

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