For years, Martin Scorsese has argued that Marvel movies are not “cinema.” Marvel fans, meanwhile, have steadfastly defended their position that they are movies “you can certainly watch, if you want.” In the spirit of peace, love, and opening up channels for good-faith discourse, here are some Marvel Cinematic Universe recommendations you will definitely enjoy based on your favorite Scorsese movies.  

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Goodfellas / The Avengers 

You know who else were (actually) good fellas? For fans of Scorsese’s ’90s classic seeking another sleek, action-packed story about a colorful crew terrorizing the streets of New York, look no further than The Avengers (2012). The surface-level differences are pretty tangential. Whether it’s defending Manhattan or robbing it, much of the narrative tension in these heady character-driven dramas is driven by the inner workings of groups built on foundations of mutual dependence and combating external threats, despite being split along lines of ideology and ego. Also, if you were amused by Joe Pesci’s “Funny how? Funny like I’m a clown?” you’ll be enthralled by quips like “I have an army…We have a Hulk!”  

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore / Thor: Love and Thunder 

In Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Scorsese shifts gears from the violent, predominantly masculine worlds that would later define much of his career to instead focus on an intimate depiction of the struggle between motherhood and selfhood. Ellen Burstyn is magnificent in her role as Alice Harris, a single mother who, although far from perfect, tries her best to raise her son while navigating the quiet joys and tragedies of beginning to make her life her own in middle age. An eleven-year-old Jodie Foster delivers a remarkably sensitive early performance as well. The soundtrack is hopeful and buoyant, with appearances from Mott the Hoople, T. Rex, and Dolly Parton; the only thing it’s missing, really, is four songs by Guns N’ Roses. 

For another equal-parts charming and heartbreaking treatise on single parenthood, consider the fourth and most emotionally self-aware installment of the Thor series, wherein the God of Thunder tackles familial drama, burnout, and the spontaneous adoption of his nemesis’s daughter. Both films are colored by grief over the death of a loved one, and despite their differences, they explore similar central questions: How does one rebuild a sense of self after loss while caring for another life? And what coexists with grief besides love in its many forms—romantic, platonic, and parental? 

Critics may debate these movies’ relative merits, but they agree on one thing: At least one of them is probably a better viewing experience than Thor: The Dark World.

The Last Temptation of Christ / Avengers: Age of Ultron 

The philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach wrote that God was made in man’s image. Joss Whedon agrees. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a dazzling neo-Christian allegory that plays it fast and loose. Ultron, the AI hell-bent on destroying humanity, is an obvious stand-in for original sin—unleashed, in fact, by mankind’s hubris and thirst for advancement (a Stark Enterprises experiment gone wrong). The only one who can plausibly oppose Ultron is Vision—untouched by sin, proven worthy via magic hammer—yet another creation by Stark et al. And (spoiler alert for Avengers: Infinity War) it’s Vision’s ultimate Christ-like sacrifice that contributes to saving the human race. 

Ultron is highly reminiscent of Scorsese’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s 1955 novel, an examination of the tension between divine mission and human vulnerability as shown through a deeply introspective portrayal of Christ. Not infallibly holy, but rather a man who can be tempted by lust and fear of death and can be lured by Satan off the cross—to Scorsese and Whedon, Christ is what we make of Him. After all, what is God but a yearning for godliness? And what is the devil but a recognition of all the ways we fall short of that lofty ambition? Ultimately, what both films reiterate is that damnation and salvation are inventions of man. It’s somewhat comforting to think about.

The Wolf of Wall Street / Iron Man 2

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Few films capture the intoxicating excess of modern capitalism like The Wolf of Wall Street. In Scorsese’s frenetic portrait of ambition unmoored from consequence, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort cons, sleazes, and debauches his way to the top of the financial pyramid. Like Belfort, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark thrives on attention and performance, and his wealth and ego allow him to operate with little regard for others. For viewers fascinated by the cultural mythology of the reckless tycoon but sick of moral ambiguity, The Iron Man series—especially Iron Man 2—offers a tantalizing alternative: What if a billionaire could be good, actually? 

While Belfort’s empire eventually collapses, Stark’s personal reckoning transforms him into an ultimately redemptive figure—a billionaire who, with sufficient technological resources, can save the world rather than just sell it for a nickel. This is probably a very good and inspirational character archetype in today’s day and age. On an unrelated note, keep an eye out for a timeless and subtle cameo from Elon Musk. 

Shutter Island / Avengers: Infinity War

In Shutter Island, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio again) is sent to a remote psychiatric institution to investigate an inpatient’s disappearance. The investigation gradually unravels as Daniels confronts his unstable memory, trauma, and guilt, challenging his own reality until he begins to suspect he may be trapped in a horrifying prison of his own making. 

For another psychological thriller with an equally disorienting revelation, check out Avengers: Infinity War. When (again, spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War) Thanos ultimately succeeds in snapping half of all life in the universe out of existence, the film ends on a harrowing cliffhanger. The audience’s assumptions about the world are destabilized, and we are left uncomforted, untethered, and forever changed. 

Also, Mark Ruffalo stuns in both. 

Honorable Mentions

Taxi Driver / Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Raging Bull / The Incredible Hulk

Goncharov / Iron Man 4

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Walk—don’t run—to theaters for Avengers: Doomsday, coming out sometime probably.