Samuel L. Jackson Responds to Quentin Tarantino’s Controversial Marvel Comments

Samuel L. Jackson responded to Quentin Tarantino‘s recent controversial comments about Marvel movies. Tarantino, who directed Jackson in six movies, recently said he does not believe Marvel actors are movie stars because fans are going to the movies to see Captain America and Thor, not Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. But the Avengers star pointed out on The View that it still takes skilled actors to bring those characters to life.

“It takes an actor to be those particular characters, and the sign of movie stardom has always been, what, put asses in seats? What are we talking about?” Jackson said Tuesday when asked to respond to his Pulp Fiction director. “That’s not a big controversy for me to know that apparently, these actors are movie stars. Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. You can’t refute that, and he’s a movie star.”

Tarantino became the latest filmmaker to step into the Marvel debate during an appearance on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast on Nov. 21. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director believes Marvel actors are not movie stars in the traditional sense because fans are going to the movies to see the characters, not the actors. He also expressed frustration that Marvel movies and other comic book franchise films are dominating Hollywood today.

“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” Tarantino explained, via The Hollywood Reporter. “But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Thor is the star. I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times, but it’s these franchise characters become a star.”

The director brought up Sandra Bullock as someone who is a true star. After Speed, people “fell in love with her” and they were “excited” to see her next movie. “That’s not the case now. We want to see that guy [keep] playing Wolverine or whatever,” Tarantino said.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu’s response to Tarantino’s comments went viral, as he claimed that if “the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese” he “would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie.” The actor added, “I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone.”

Jackson and Tarantino have worked together on six movies, including Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Django Unchained. Jackson also stars as Nick Fury in many of the Marvel Studios films. He will next be seen as the character in The Marvels, which opens on July 28, 2023.