The comic book movie debate of 2019 continues as Jon Favreau, the director of the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Iron Man, chimed in on the recent remarks about Marvel movies made by directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Favreau was fairly even-handed with his response to the recent anti-Marvel comments made by the legendary filmmakers. “These two guys are my heroes, and they have earned the right to express their opinions,” Favreau said. “I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if they didn’t carve the way,” he added. “They served as a source of inspiration, you can go all the way back to Swingers. They can express whatever opinion they like.”

During an interview for The Irishman with Empire magazine, Scorsese said that he has tried unsuccessfully to watch Marvel movies. He continued to say “that’s not cinema.” This sparked a debate among comic book movie fans and non-comic book movie fans. After Scorsese said his piece, Coppola offered his opinion. During an interview, the latter called the Marvel movies “despicable.”

In addition to Favreau, filmmakers and actors such as James Gunn and Robert Downey Jr have expressed their opinions about Scorsese and Coppola’s take on the MCU.