Samuel L. Jackson Responds To Quentin Tarantino’s Marvel Comments

Samuel L. Jackson is challenging his frequent director Quentin Tarantino over his criticism that Marvel actors are not really "movie stars." Last week, the Pulp Fiction director said that  all of the movies being made today are affected by the "Marvel-ization of Hollywood." Tarantino, 59, told Variety, "My only axe to grind against them is they’re the only things that seem to be made. And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. And so it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem."

Jackson, 73, has starred in a number of Tarantino movies, including Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, The Hateful Eight, and Django Unchained. He has also appeared in a number of Marvel movies as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury. Appearing on The View Tuesday (November 29), he said, "Okay, well, it takes an actor to be those particular characters. And the sign of movie stardom has always been, what: a--es in seats?" Jackson said while shrugging, "What are we talking about? It's not a big controversy for me to know that apparently, these actors are movie stars."

Jackson Chadwick specifically pointed out the late Chadwick Boseman — whose film Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars — as well as Scarlett Johansson. "Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. You can’t refute that, and he’s a movie star."

Watch the interview below:

Samuel L. isn't the only Marvel actor to speak out against Tarantino's comments. Shang Chi star Simu Liu wrote on Twitter: "If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie. 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." He added in a thread: "No movie studio is or ever will be perfect. But I’m proud to work with one that has made sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen by creating heroes that empower and inspire people of all communities everywhere. I loved the ‘Golden Age’ too.. but it was white as hell."

Chadwick Aaron Boseman was a beloved actor who, tragically, died far too young. His death from colorectal cancer in August of 2020 shook the world; he was just 43 years old. During his two-decade career, Boseman played a number of iconic roles, from Marvel Comics' first Black superhero to real life legends like Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He was rightfully awarded for his work, winning two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, among other accolades. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Levee Green in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

His passing on Aug. 28, 2020, made a massive impact on fans all over the world. From continuing the Black Panther series as T'Challa/Black Panther to future film and television endeavors, the actor had so much more potential for a really solid career in acting. We have compiled a list of our 7 favorite films that Boseman has starred in (but we wish he were still alive so that our list could be longer).

With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releasing in theaters Nov. 11, fans are expecting a tribute to Boseman to take place during the near-three-hour film.

See our ranking of Chadwick Boseman's 7 greatest films below:

Jacob King (Boseman), a mysterious outsider from Cape Town, South Africa, arrives in Los Angeles after he receives a message from his estranged sister Bianca, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and stepson. She is in trouble and has something "they" want. Jacob books a flight to search for his missing younger sister, only to find out that she's dead and works to avenge her death in this 2016 action-thriller film. Alfred Molina, Luke Evans and Tom Felton co-star.

In this film, Boseman plays Thurgood Marshall, an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. The film looks at his younger years, when he was working as a lawyer for the NAACP. Set in April 1941, Marshall travels to conservative Connecticut when wealthy white socialite Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson) accuses Black chauffeur Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown) of rape and attempted murder. He soon teams up with Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a local Jewish lawyer who's never handled a criminal case. Together, the two men build a defense while contending with racist and anti-Semitic views from those who deem Spell to be guilty.

Another example of Boseman playing a real life icon: Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to play Major League Baseball. In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, defies major league baseball's notorious color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson (Boseman) to the team. The heroic act puts both Rickey and Robinson in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. Facing open racism from all sides, Robinson demonstrates true courage and admirable restraint by not reacting in kind and lets his undeniable talent silence the critics for him.

Again, Boseman portrays a real-life icon; in this case, James Brown. Brown was born in extreme poverty in 1933 in South Carolina and survived abandonment, abuse and jail to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He joined a gospel group as a teenager, but the jazz and blues along the "chitlin' circuit" became his springboard to fame. Although his backup musicians came and went, Brown retained the ability to mesmerize audiences with his music, signature moves and sexual energy. The film uses a nonlinear narrative, following Brown's stream of consciousness as he recalls events from his life, occasionally breaking the fourth wall to address the audience.

During the Vietnam War, a squad of Black US Army soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), and their squad leader Norman (Boseman), who dub themselves the "Bloods," secure the site of a CIA airplane crash and recover its cargo, including a locker of gold bars intended as payment for the Lahu people for their help in fighting the Viet Cong. The Bloods decide to take the gold for themselves and bury it so they can retrieve it later. However, due to a Vietnamese counter-attack, one of the Bloods is killed, and the rest can't find the buried gold after a napalm strike obliterates the identifying landmarks. In the present day, the living members of the squad meet up in Ho Chi Minh City to find the gold and their friend's body in this 2020 Spike Lee American war drama.

Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is a highly regarded, strong-willed blues singer who has recently been contracted by white producers. The story takes place on July 2, 1927, when a recording session is scheduled for Ma by her manager Irvin (Jeremy Shamos) to take place at Paramount's Recording Studios in Chicago. Seasoned Georgia Jazz Band members Toledo (Glynn Turman), Cutler (Colman Domingo) and Slow Drag (Michael Potts) arrive on time without Ma, frustrating her producer, Mel Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne). They are soon joined by Levee Green (Boseman), the band's overconfident trumpeter, who has shown the producer his original compositions in the hopes of breaking away from Ma and getting his own record deal.

After the death of his father, T'Challa (Boseman) returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly appears, T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people. Boseman also played T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (and also voiced him in a few episodes of the animated Waht If...? series), but this was his finest moment as the character.