Mickey Rourke hits out at Marvel’s ‘crap’ acting while praising stars of Law & Order: SVU

Actor has been vocal about his dislike of the studio following Iron Man 2

Mickey Rourke has taken a swipe at Marvel films – and the actors who star in them.

The Oscar nominee shared his newfound appreciation for Law & Order: SVU in an Instagram post yesterday (9 May) but took the opportunity to make another dig at Marvel.

Rourke revealed that he had begun watching the long-running crime series during quarantine.

The former boxer went on to praise the show’s actors – including Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Stephanie March, BD Wong and Ice T – claiming that what they do is “real acting” unlike those in the MCU.

“Respect to all of you, the work that you all do is real acting, not like that crap that all on Marvel s***,” he wrote.

This is not the first time Rourke has hit out at Marvel. Since starring in 2010’s critically acclaimed Iron Man 2 opposite Robert Downey Jr, the actor has been vocal about his frustrations about the project.

In the wake of the sequel’s release – in which he starred as villain Ivan Antonovich Vanko – Rourke criticised the studio for cutting many of his scenes.

“[They] just wanted a one-dimensional bad guy, so most of the performance ended up on the [editing] floor,” he said.

“If they want to make mindless comic book movies, then I don’t want to be a part of that.

“You know, I didn’t work for three months on the accent and all the adjustments and go to Russia just so I could end up on the floor.”

Rourke’s most critically acclaimed role came in 2008’s dramaThe Wrestler. The 68-year-old was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, although lost out to Sean Penn. 

He most recently appeared on the reality series The Masked Singer US.