A few weeks ago, director Quentin Tarantino angered the Marvel corner of the internet by saying that MCU actors are "not movie stars." Quite honestly, I have to disagree.
While I understand his explanation that it's the "franchise characters that become a star," I'd have to argue that those franchise characters are often played by actors who've already proven that they're "movie stars" by earning some pretty prestigious awards and nominations. Others go on to earn similar accolades after their careers have been boosted by their MCU roles.
It extends beyond just the main cast, too. Marvel movies attract longtime, highly celebrated movie stars to supporting roles all the time.
So, without further ado, here are 24 Marvel actors with seriously impressive accolades:
1. Captain Marvel star Brie Larson swept the 2016 awards season for her leading role in Room, taking home Best Actress awards at the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards.
2. Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Nakia in the Black Panther movies, graduated with a master's from the prestigious Yale School of Drama in 2012. Two years later, she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave. The role also earned her a SAG Award and Golden Globe nomination.
3. Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch is a two-time Oscar nominee. He was first nominated for Best Actor for The Imitation Game in 2015, then he was nominated again for The Power of the Dog in 2022.
4. Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr.'s awards collection includes a BAFTA and two Golden Globes. He's also a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in Chaplin and Tropic Thunder.
5. In 2012, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman won several posthumous Best Actor awards for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, including a Golden Globe and SAG Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA.
6. In 2019, Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova in Black Widow and Hawkeye, earned several prestigious nominations for Little Women, including Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards and Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the BAFTAs.
7. Mahershala Ali, who plays Cornell Stokes/Cottonmouth on Luke Cage and the titular character in the upcoming Blade, has as many Oscars as he has MCU roles. His collection of prestigious awards also includes a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and three SAG Awards.
8. Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Pepper Potts in the Iron Man movies, won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love. The same year, she earned two SAG Awards.
9. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Director Nick Fury in the Avengers movies, won a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor in 1991 and a BAFTA for Best Film Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995. He's also an Oscar nominee, and in 2022, he received an Honorary Academy Award.
10. In 2020, Scarlett Johansson's roles in Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story earned her nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, and three SAG Awards.
11. Mickey Rourke, who played Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2, earned a Best Actor Golden Globe and BAFTA for The Wrestler in 2009. He also earned nominations for an Academy Award and SAG Award.
12. Natalie Portman, a Harvard graduate who plays Dr. Jane Foster in the Thor franchise, won a Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan in 2011. The role also earned her a BAFTA, a SAG Award, and her second Golden Globe.
13. Marisa Tomei, who plays Peter Parker's Aunt May in the Spider-Man movies, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny in 1993.
14. Anthony Hopkins, who plays Odin in the Thor movies, has two Oscars for Best Actor and a knighthood for "services to the arts." At the 2006 Golden Globes, he was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."
15. Angela Bassett, who plays Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther movies, won a Golden Globe for What's Love Got to Do with It in 1993. The role also earned her an Oscar nomination. Throughout her career, she's won nine NAACP Image Awards for her movie roles.
16. In 1983, Sir Ben Kingsley, who played Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, won a slew of awards for Gandhi, including an Oscar, two BAFTAs, and two Golden Globes. In 2002, he was knighted for his work in British film.
17. Daniel Kaluuya, who plays W'Kabi in Black Panther, won several Best Supporting Actor awards for Judas and the Black Messiah in 2021, including an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award.
18. Michael Douglas, who plays Hank Pym in the Ant-Man films, has two Oscars. He was in Best Picture winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1976, then he won Best Actor for Wall Street in 1988.
19. Cate Blanchett, who plays Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, has a large collection of awards, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, three SAG Awards, and three BAFTAs. This awards season, she's a favorite to win several major awards for Tár.
20. Angelina Jolie, who plays Thena in Eternals, won an Academy Award for Girl, Interrupted in 2000. The role also earned her a SAG Award and Golden Globe.
21. In 2006, Forest Whitaker, who plays Zuri in Black Panther, won an Academy Award for Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland. The role also earned him a BAFTA and Golden Globe. In 2022, he won the Honorary Palme d'Or, which is the highest prize given at the Cannes Film Festival.
22. Rachel Weisz, who plays Melina Vostokoff in Black Widow, won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for The Constant Gardener in 2006. Then, in 2019, she won a BAFTA for The Favourite.
23. Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri in the Black Panther movies, won an NAACP Image Award and SAG Award for Black Panther. She also won the Rising Star Award at the 2019 BAFTAs.
24. And finally, Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Avengers movies, is a three-time Academy Award nominee. His role in the 2014 TV movie The Normal Heart earned him an Emmy and SAG Award.
