Gillan noted that the Guardians films are a true representation of director James Gunn, who had tweeted that he was "saddened" by Scorsese's opinion.

"There's so much heart and soul, and it's James' soul in there," she told THR at Saturday's event at Pacific Palisades' Will Rogers State Park. "He injects so much of his own personality, his sense of humor...that's a very big representation of who he is as a person and therefore it's very cinematic. He's an artist."

In an interview with Empire magazine, Scorsese said that he regards Marvel movies as "not cinema" and likened them to "theme parks." Since then, the acclaimed filmmaker has received backlash from a number of writers and directors.

"I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema," Scorsese told Empire. "Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being."

Writers and directors responding to Scorsese's comments include Joss Whedon, Peter Ramsey and Leigh Whannell.