7 Marvel Stars Who Disprove Quentin Tarantino's Take on Movie Stardom

Quentin Tarantino tossed a grenade into the Marvel discourse a while back with his take that superhero characters, not the actors, are the real stars. It makes for a spicy pull quote, sure. But when you look at what some of these MCU leads have done away from capes and CGI, the numbers and trophies tell a different story.

'Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is... you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters. But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star... it’s these franchise characters that become a star.'

- Quentin Tarantino on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast in 2022 (via Men's Health)

Let’s run through a few very obvious counterexamples. For each name below, I pulled their biggest non-Marvel box office hits (worldwide) from The Numbers and noted where you can stream them right now. Awards snapshots are included because, well, they matter.

Samuel L. Jackson

Jackson is both a longtime Tarantino collaborator and a permanent A-list presence. Yes, he plays Nick Fury, but he has also anchored or popped in across Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and XXX, plus signature turns for Tarantino across decades. Hardware-wise: an Honorary Academy Award, a BAFTA, and nominations for 4 Golden Globes, a Primetime Emmy, a SAG Award, and a competitive Oscar.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Incredibles 2 (2018) - $1,242.8 million (Disney+); 2) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) - $1,070.0 million (Disney+); 3) Jurassic Park (1993) - $1,058.5 million (Peacock Premium); 4) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - $1,046.5 million (Disney+); 5) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) - $902.9 million (Disney+).

Robert Downey Jr.

Iron Man supercharged his career, no argument. But RDJ was a movie star long before Stark and remains one after. He just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer and already had two previous Oscar nominations. Add two BAFTA wins (plus a nomination), one Emmy win (and two more nods), four Golden Globes (with two more nods), and three SAG Awards (with three more nominations). Also: his net worth sits around $300 million as of now, per Celebrity Net Worth.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Oppenheimer (2023) - $976.8 million on a $100M budget (Peacock); 2) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - $535.7 million on $125M (Max); 3) Sherlock Holmes (2009) - $498.4 million on $90M (Max); 4) Tropic Thunder (2008) - $191.1 million on $92M (Paramount+); 5) Dolittle (2020) - $251.5 million on $175M (Netflix).

Chris Hemsworth

Thor is the calling card, but Hemsworth has carried and headlined plenty beyond the MCU: Snow White and the Huntsman, Men in Black, the Extraction films for Netflix, even dipping into Transformers. He has been in the awards mix too (BAFTA, Teen Choice, MTV Movie Awards, and more).

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) - $401.0 million on $170M (Peacock); 2) Star Trek (2009) - $386.8 million on $150M (Paramount+); 3) Men in Black: International (2019) - $254.3 million on $110M (Netflix); 4) Ghostbusters (2016) - $229.0 million on $144M (Netflix); 5) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) - $174.5 million on $168M (Max). Not his biggest moneymaker, but the performance is not the problem there.

Scarlett Johansson

Her Black Widow run is definitive, but ScarJo’s resume outside Marvel is a juggernaut on its own. Across leads and voice roles, her films have grossed over $15.4 billion worldwide, making her the highest-grossing lead actress in history. Awards tally: 199 nominations and 42 wins, including two Oscar nominations, three BAFTA nominations with one win, five Golden Globe nominations, three SAG nominations, and a Tony Award win.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) The Jungle Book (2016) - $950.7 million on $175M (Disney+); 2) Sing (2016) - $631.1 million on $75M (Netflix); 3) Lucy (2014) - $457.5 million on $40M (Netflix); 4) Sing 2 (2021) - $404.5 million on $85M (Netflix); 5) Ghost in the Shell (2017) - $167.9 million on $110M (Prime Video).

Mark Ruffalo

Hulk is one lane. Ruffalo’s career is a whole highway: dramas, thrillers, quirky comedies, stage work, and recent awards heat for Poor Things (plus upcoming sci-fi like Mickey 17). His accolades are deep: 140 nominations and 26 wins overall, including four Academy Award nominations; three BAFTA nominations and a Britannia Humanitarian Award (2014); one Emmy nomination and two wins; five Golden Globe nominations with one win; one Grammy nomination; three SAG Award nominations with three wins; and one Tony nomination.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Now You See Me (2013) - $342.8 million on $75M (Netflix); 2) Now You See Me 2 (2016) - $328.3 million on $90M (Netflix); 3) Shutter Island (2010) - $299.5 million on $80M (Paramount+); 4) Collateral (2004) - $217.6 million on $65M (Paramount+); 5) Date Night (2010) - $152.3 million on $55M (Disney+).

Chris Pratt

Star-Lord is only half the story. Pratt is one of the highest-grossing film stars ever; as a lead, his movies have pulled in roughly $14.1 billion worldwide. On top of Guardians, he’s fronted Jurassic World, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Lego Movie franchise, and The Garfield Movie. He also broke out on TV with Parks and Recreation and leads The Terminal List.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Jurassic World (2015) - $1,671.1 million on $150M (Peacock); 2) The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - $1,359.2 million on $100M (Peacock); 3) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - $1,308.3 million on $170M (Peacock); 4) Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) - $1,004.0 million on $185M (Peacock); 5) The Lego Movie (2014) - $467.2 million on $60M (Max).

Zoe Saldana

Gamora is great, but Saldana is also the queen of sci-fi franchises. She has appeared in four of the seven highest-grossing films ever, including the top three: Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar: The Way of Water. Add the Star Trek films and a Pirates of the Caribbean entry, and you get a career that speaks for itself. She has racked up major nominations and wins across guilds and critics groups over the years.

Top five outside Marvel (per The Numbers): 1) Avatar (2009) - $2.9 billion on $237M (Disney+); 2) Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - $2.3 billion on $350M (Disney+); 3) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - $654.3 million on $140M (Disney+); 4) Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - $467.4 million on $190M (Paramount+); 5) Star Trek (2009) - $386.8 million on $150M (Paramount+).

So, are Marvel actors movie stars?

If your definition of movie star includes carrying non-MCU blockbusters, racking up major awards, and being consistently watchable across genres, then yes, many of them absolutely are. Tarantino’s point about brands being powerful is fair. But these careers prove the faces matter too.

Who else would you add to the list? And which of these non-Marvel hits is your favorite?