Samuel L. Jackson Slams Marvel Detractors On ‘The View’: “Movies Are Movies”

Do films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe have artistic merit? These days, it feels like every Hollywood star’s thoughts on the matter have become front-page news — Martin Scorsese’s impact! Well, another voice has chimed in. During an appearance on today’s episode of The View, Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson defended the MCU and superhero films as a whole.

“Movies are movies,” the actor said. “Those are the movies that I went to see when I was a kid.”

Jackson has played Nick Fury in 11 Marvel films, as well as the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. He’s set to reprise the role in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion and the upcoming film The Marvels.

While the actor is aware that some creatives worry about superhero movies being “dumbed down,” he pointed out that this form of action-packed popular entertainment is nothing new.

“It’s easy for people to dismiss [Marvel] only because people aren’t going to see their movies,” Jackson said. “But that’s always been the case. When we were younger, people went to see cowboy movies, and they went to see superhero movies of another ilk. They had superheroes on television… And when you told a serious story, you found a niche audience. Same thing still happens.”

In the Oscar nominee’s mind, the community of a shared fandom is what makes Marvel so popular. “People go into the big dark room to have a good time,” he added. “And it’s a shared good time. I still do movies that I would’ve seen as a kid!”

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c.

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