Joss Whedon‘s two Avengers films helped the Marvel Cinematic Universe reach new box office heights. But last year, Whedon was by his own admission “beaten down” by his conflicts with Marvel Studios while making Avengers: Age of Ultron and he didn’t shy away from talking about it during his press tour for the studio.

Last night, Whedon was interviewed on stage at the Tribeca Film Festival by Mark Ruffalo (via Variety), and he struck a more conciliatory chord about his time at Marvel.

“I am very proud of [Age of Ultron],” said Whedon. “The things about it that are wrong frustrate me enormously, and I had probably more of those than I had on the other movies I made…Some of that was conflicting with Marvel, which is inevitable. A lot of it was about my own work, and I was also exhausted…I think that did a disservice to the movie and the studio and to myself.”

While Whedon reiterated that he has retired from the MCU, he also took a moment to thank Marvel for the opportunity to helm two of their biggest blockbusters.

“I also got to make, for the second time, an absurdly personal movie that talked about how I felt about humanity, and what it means, in very esoteric and bizarre ways, for hundreds of billions of dollars,” related Whedon. “The fact that Marvel gave me that opportunity is so bonkers, and so beautiful, and the fact that I come off of it feeling like a miserable failure, is also bonkers, but not in a cute way.”

Whedon stopped short of revealing what his next project is, but he did say that he has written a new film script. However, Whedon’s plans to write an original musical have apparently been derailed by his love of the Broadway play Hamilton.

“It was only after the [Hamilton] album came out and I was listening to it 24/7, that I can’t hear myself,” explained Whedon. “I can only hear Hamilton. So as soon as I stop listening to Hamilton in 2021, I’ll get back to that [musical].”

What project do you want to see Whedon tackle next? Let us know in the comment section below!

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