James Cameron Says Only Reason Marvel Cinematic Universe Is More Popular Than “Avatar” Is That It Has Received More Films

According to James Cameron, the only reason audiences are more likely to recall the name of every hero who appeared at the end of Infinity War than a single character in Avatar is solely because the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had more entries than the latter franchise.

Spider-Man (Tom Holland) makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Marvel Entertainment via Blu-ray

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The eccentric director shared his opinion on the popularity disparity between Disney’s long-running superhero franchise and his soon-to-be-two entry, blue-skinned retelling of Pocahontas during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter given in promotion of his upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water.

Director James Cameron behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR 2. Photo by Mark Fellman. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Asked by the outlet’s Senior Film Editor Rebecca Keegan for his thoughts on the audience skepticism surrounding his ambitious multi-sequel plans for Avatar, particularly in light of the aforementioned lack of an impression the original film made on audiences, the director admitted that while he’s heard the discourse, he hasn’t really given it any weight.

(L-R): Jake Sully, Ronal, and Tonowari in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

RELATED: James Cameron Admits ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Needs To Become “The Third or Fourth Highest-Grossing Film In History” Just To “Break Even”

“There’s skepticism in the marketplace around, ‘Oh, did it ever make any real cultural impact? ‘Can anybody even remember the characters’ names’?” said Cameron.

Tuk in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

“When you have extraordinary success, you come back within the next three years,” he explained. “That’s just how the industry works. You come back to the well, and you build that cultural impact over time.”

“Marvel had maybe 26 movies to build out a universe, with the characters cross-pollinating,” he concluded. “So it’s an irrelevant argument. We’ll see what happens after this film.”

The Avengers assemble in Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel Entertainment via Blu-ray

While such bravado towards and confidence in the Na’vi is typical of Cameron – despite his ironic belief that testosterone is a “toxin” – what makes his opinion particularly noteworthy is the insight it provides into Hollywood’s view on what endears a given property to fans.

In the eyes of an ever-increasingly mechanical industry, they no longer care to craft strong stories, develop unique characters, or respond to fan sentiment.

(L-R): Neytiri and Jake Sully in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Instead, they believe that by just beating audiences over the head with a given character the audience will eventually give in and accept the artificial narrative that they are incredibly popular.

Literally quantity over quality.

Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) feels the full force of Wenwu’s control over the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of the Ten Rings in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Marvel Entertainment via Blu-Ray

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And this isn’t just a paranoid conspiracy theory extrapolated from the words of one director.

Audiences have seen this philosophy put into place with increasingly tiring frequency over the past few years across entertainment, as seen in the aggressive marketing pushes behind characters such as Iron Heart, actors like Simu Liu, or the idea – as seen most recently in DC’s Dark Crisis: Young Justice miniseries – that any work made before 2022 was inherently bigoted.

Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) makes her properly armored debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Marvel Entertainment via YouTube

At the end of the day, audiences who don’t consider key-jangling to be the height of human culture don’t care how frequently something is given attention, but rather what kind it is receiving.

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16th.

Spider in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

NEXT: James Cameron Blasts Marvel And DC’s Refusal To Let Their Cinematic Characters Grow-Up: “No Matter How Old They Are, They All Act Like They’re In College”

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