Even before the modern 21st century kicked off, superheroes have always been prevalent, one of the leading suppliers of which is Marvel. Now, that is one formidable entertainment company playing host to innumerable characters. Their properties, like the X-Men original trilogy, Tim Story’s Fantastic Four flicks, Ang Lee’s Hulk, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series, built a recognizable stature in the 2000s despite their unstable critical reviews.

Yet only when Marvel Studios decided to officially put its cinematic universe in motion in 2008 did superheroes start gaining prestige in the industry and see the light of their newfound heyday. The brand’s massive success drew notice from just about anyone, not just comic book enthusiasts but also Hollywood’s major public figures. Interesting, how fitting it is to see movies about superhumans attracting superstars’ attention.

One instance would be Quentin Tarantino’s frontal stance regarding his problem with MCU features and actors last November. He opinionated that Marvel has taken over the niche entirely to the extent that motion pictures of moderate budget and diverse genres have lost their chance to shine at the box office. Of course, Tarantino’s standpoint isn’t completely misjudged because lately, most smaller-budgeted pictures go straight to streaming services instead of theatres. And there’s a bigger controversy over the famed director’s comment concerning how Marvel actors are “not movie stars” as the characters themselves already make for a marketable film.

Nevertheless, it seems that Tarantino’s outspoken remark hasn’t stopped A-list actors from joining the vast world of Marvel. Bill Murray, the respected Ghostbusters legend who’s shockingly still Oscar-less, carried out the role of Lord Krylar in the now-showing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The irreplaceable icon behind the grandeur of Indiana Jones and Han Solo, Harrison Ford, is confirmed to appear as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the well-anticipated Captain America: New World Order. Another legendary figure and two-time Oscar winner, Tom Hanks, has vocally expressed his interest in entering the MCU and is allegedly in talks to play a substantial villain role in the studio’s upcoming films. While all this buzz of top-tier actors embarking on Marvel’s superhero realm is undeniably exciting, some can’t help but wonder if it signifies anything about the future of cinema and whether Tarantino is right about MCU’s total domination.

How A-List Actors Joining the MCU May Be a Factor in the Future of the Film Industry

Marvel Studios

Frankly, before the epic crossover of Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and Black Widow came to fruition in The Avengers, the earliest five features of MCU’s Phase 1 hadn’t yet reached mainstream fame, despite the positive reviews. Thus, notable actors who made appearances in said movies, such as Iron Man’s Jeff Bridges, The Incredible Hulk’s William Hurt, Iron Man 2’s Don Cheadle, Thor’s Anthony Hopkins, Captain America: The First Avenger’s Tommy Lee Jones, and of course, Samuel L. Jackson, weren’t quite as exclusively headlined then as they’d be now — meaning Marvel never relied on whether their star power could pose a crucial contribution to the success of the pictures.

Related: MCU: Why the Early Paramount Movies May Be the Best

Instead, the studios focused on highlighting each titular character. As such, the praises were directed at the responsible actors for their excellent performance, manifesting their acting prowess properly, like a true movie star. At last, the supremacy of talent and quality of the first five Phase 1 pictures were finally stepping into the light thanks to the six heroes who successfully elevated the narrative with their impeccable chemistry in The Avengers, paving the way for the successors of the subsequent Phases to ride on the film’s pop-culture-level success.

However, that’s not to say that afterward, Marvel rejected the idea of other celebrated artists partaking in MCU roles. No, they gladly welcomed and sufficiently promoted established actors’ involvement in their respective Marvel projects. The several in question include Ben Kingsley, Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, Tilda Swinton, Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Cate Blanchett, Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jude Law, Michelle Yeoh, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, and Christian Bale.

It’s safe to say that rather than the A-list actors giving a lift to MCU’s standing, MCU’s established eminence provides the means of their career boost or, at least, retention. Although their fabulous filmography and abundant accolades already speak for themselves, the top-tier certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity of broader recognition to prevailing audiences; just look at Murray, Ford, and Hanks. It’s also been known that most casting processes of the golden names mentioned above were exceptionally smooth, indicating that they were more than willing to help expand the ever-growing Marvel universe.

That particular choice made by the aforementioned most sought-out figures is bound to wield considerable influence on the cinema convention. That’s why there’s no doubt that more prominent actors and creative talents will voluntarily follow the same path in the future, creating a shift in the cinematic landscape where MCU films prevail over the others in terms of box office reception. So really, Tarantino’s observation of Marvel predominating Hollywood may have some truth after all.

Related: 12 Actors Who Want to Join the MCU But Haven’t Found the Right Role Yet

Would It Be So Bad if the Marvel-ization of Hollywood Continues?

Marvel Studios

MCU vows to present a spectacular cinematic experience to the audience, and that’s precisely what the delivered outcome consistently is: the narrative is marvelously crafted with no fatal plot holes in sight, the screenplay is outstanding and scintillating, the action sequences never fail to make viewers stay on the edge of their seats, the visual effects are simply astonishing, and the acting performance is on point — all of which meets the criteria of how great motion pictures should roll.

Also, Marvel’s attempts to adopt progressive and, at times, unconventional genres haven’t gone unappreciated. The emotional weight in Avengers: Endgame following the implemented dramatic element was phenomenal, the comedy integrated into Ant-Man was positively hilarious, the horror brought by Sam Raimi in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was brilliant, and the promised paranoid thriller in the upcoming Captain America: New World Order will surely be sensational.

Marvel’s display of unwavering commitment and inspired, original approach to their cinematic creations sound sufficient to ensure that cinema’s future is safe in capable hands. It doesn’t automatically bring doom to moderately funded non-superhero movies, though. Just as creative minds won’t ever cease, media will keep evolving. Take Netflix, for example. The line of productions released by that giant company is very much acknowledged, as shown by the resounding acclaim of Marriage Story, Tick, Tick… Boom!, The Irishman, The Power of the Dog, and many more. Yes, streaming services is undoubtedly different than theatres. But if the online medium can accommodate smaller-budgeted features on a considerably same theatrical level, then it should be accepted as a new advantageous merit, not a disappointing downside.