Kevin Smith says trying to direct a Marvel or Star Wars movie is a "fool's errand"

Kevin Smith is one of Hollywood’s most prominent comic book guys. (He literally co-hosted an AMC series called Comic Book Men set at his own New Jersey comic book store.) While he’s been known to frequently dip his toes into superhero geekery, he’s never assumed the coveted Hollywood mantle of Marvel Cinematic Universe director—and he never will.

Asked if he’d like to helm an MCU or Star Wars project in a new Q&A for The Guardian, Smith decisively responds, “No. It’s a fool’s errand–you’re going to piss somebody off. Fandom is rabid and tribal. When I worked on Masters Of The Universe, I took a lot of heat from people who felt like I had ruined their childhood. Going near a Marvel or a Star Wars would make me insanely reticent. They’ve got a billion people to make those movies, but nobody’s making Kevin Smith movies, so I might as well make them.”

Of course, Smith has dabbled in superhero franchise storytelling. He’s written a number of comics for both Marvel and DC, and was notably involved in DCTV’s Arrowverse, directing several episodes of The Flash and Supergirl. He was also supposed to be involved in the DC anthology series Strange Adventures until it was a casualty of the great HBO Max purge. But those projects are all on a much smaller scale than an MCU production.

Smith concedes elsewhere in the Q&A that directing isn’t his foremost talent, anyway. “I agree 100%: I’m a way better talker than film-maker. I would stop making films, but then I’d have nothing to recount,” he says. “Ironically, I make more money standing on stage talking about making movies than I do from actually making movies. I’ve backed into standup comedy, thanks to film-making. It’s like the universe is telling me: your movies are cute, but you’re best at talking.” With that in mind, who needs the MCU?