Tom Holland says Marvel films are ‘real art’ as he disputes Martin Scorsese comments

Tom Holland has disputed Martin Scorsese’s claims that Marvel films are not “real art”.

In 2019, the legendary director enraged fans of the franchise by saying that the comic book adaptations were “not cinema” and comparing them to theme park rides.

Since then, many high profile filmmakers have either made similar comments or praised Marvel, with critically acclaimed directors such as Chloe Zhao and Nia DaCosta coming on board to direct Marvel films.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Holland said that, having appeared in both superhero films and Oscar-nominated movie The Impossible, he felt that Marvel films should be considered as “real art”.

“You can ask Scorsese ‘Would you want to make a Marvel movie?’ But he doesn’t know what it’s like because he’s never made one,” Holland said.

“​​I’ve made Marvel movies and I’ve also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other.”

He continued: “But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters — it’s all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they’re real art.”

The 25-year-old then pointed to stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch – who can currently be seen in both Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Oscar-tipped The Power of the Dog – saying that he would echo Holland’s point that the process was the same in Marvel and indie films.

“When you’re making these films, you know that good or bad, millions of people will see them, whereas when you’re making a small indie film, if it’s not very good no one will watch it, so it comes with different levels of pressure,” he said.

“I mean, you can also ask Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr or Scarlett Johansson — people who have made the kinds of movies that are ‘Oscar-worthy’ and also made superhero movies — and they will tell you that they’re the same, just on a different scale. And there’s less Spandex in ‘Oscar movies.’”

Holland is currently appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is the highest grossing Hollywood film of the year.