While Marvel may have won an Oscar last night for the animated film Big Hero 6, superhero movies were still on the receiving end of some high-profile disses this awards weekend. But don't worry, because Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has stepped up to defend our heroes.

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It all started at the Independent Spirit Awards when Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy praised the independent film scene for being able to survive "against a tsunami of superhero movies."Then, last night in the Oscars' opening musical number, Jack Black sang, "Opening with lots of zeroes, all we get are superheroes: Superman, Spider-man, Batman, Jediman, Sequelman, Prequelman -- formulaic scripts!"And in a year where four of the top 10 grossing films were superhero movies, the only superhero film nominated for an Oscar in a non-technical category was Big Hero 6 for Best Animated Film. In light of all this, Gunn has taken his Facebook page to defend the superhero genre from the onslaught of criticism."Whatever the case, the truth is, popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite," said Gunn. "What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films."Gunn defended the directors who work on superhero films, pointing out that superhero movies can be just as personal and meaningful as indie films. "If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we're dumb," he said. "But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a 'serious' filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.He also specifically called out Dan Gilroy, whose wife has acted in two Thor films, saying, "that seems kind of like you've drowned horribly in that tsunami."

Rachel Paxton-Gillilan is a freelance writer. You can find her on Twitter @rachpax