Nineteen films is a hell of an accomplishment, a feat that it seems like only James Bond himself could pull off. But with the upcoming release of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios pulled off a seemingly impossible feat: almost 20 interconnected films, with a shared cast and universe, all building to one epic crescendo, as the Mad Titan Thanos descends to claim the powerful Infinity Stones. Part of Marvel’s success comes from the casting practices, putting strong, charismatic actors in prominent roles and refusing to cast an actor, no matter how small the part, for multiple roles in its film universe (except for Stan Lee, of course).

Hollywood itself is a much smaller world than it seems, as many movies try to cast only the biggest box office draws. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) plays its role in this as well. Sometimes it casts those actors based on their star power, and sometimes it makes a name for those actors. Outside of the MCU, these actors have had plenty of overlap, and it does create an interesting insight into the tapestry of the Hollywood landscape. Here are 15 times MCU actors worked together in other films!

15 IRON MAN WAS HANK PYM’S EDITOR

Behind the scenes, Ant-Man was rife with drama, but an unexpected gem of a release. More of a heist film than a superhero one, the film earned a lot of points for its casting, with one in particular taking the cake. Michael Douglas’ casting as Hank Pym brought an air of legitimacy to the film. However, it also brought attention to one of his earlier roles.

The 2000 dramedy Wonder Boys saw Douglas portray a writer who was struggling with his bloated manuscript. Wonder Boys was a box office flop but received a ton of positive reviews. Notably among the co-stars was future Iron Man Robert Downey Jr, as well as future Spider-Man Tobey Maguire. Memes of the intimate relationship between Downey and Maguire’s character and the disapproving reaction of Douglas made easy Internet fodder when the Ant-Man casting was announced.

14 CAPTAINS MARVEL AND AMERICA VS. SCOTT PILGRIM

It’s likely that the first time we’ll see Marvel’s good Captains Marvel and America on screen together will be the upcoming untitled fourth Avengers movies. Though rumor mills continue to churn as to whether or not Brie Larson’s big-screen take on Carol Danvers will actually debut in the upcoming Infinity War, Larson and Evans did appear together in one other comic book film.

Though they didn’t share any screen time together, the pair appeared in Edgar Wright’s 2010 comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Evans appeared as Scott’s rival, the boisterous evil-ex Lucas Lee and one of the film’s more memorable characters. Larson appeared as Scott’s ex-girlfriend, musician “Envy” Adams, who was dating Ramona’s boyfriend, vegan superhero Todd, played by then-former Superman and current Atom Brandon Routh.

13 CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BLACK WIDOW’S HIGH SCHOOL HEIST

You’d be forgiven for forgetting about The Perfect Score. The teen comedy with a heist film component added in got a lot of buzz around its 2004 release, but was panned by critics and never really picked up any steam. It also featured an early MCU pairing that would go on to make many, many films together.

Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson were still very early in their careers when they appeared in Perfect Score together and managed to survive the film with their careers intact. The two would be reunited a few years later for the 2007 dramedy The Nanny Diaries. The two would be then reunited a third time with 2012’s The Avengers, and the team of Captain America and Black Widow would become a recurring theme throughout Marvel’s cinematic universe.

12 THE HULK AND THE VULTURE WERE BIG TIME JOURNALISTS

The 2015 biopic Spotlight was a huge deal when it released, a dramatic powerhouse that took theaters by storm. The film, which detailed the efforts of Boston journalists to expose predatory practices within the Catholic church, made a number of film-of-the-year lists. The movie also notably brought together a number of current and (at the time) upcoming MCU actors.

It starred Mark Ruffalo several years after he’d taken on the role of Bruce Banner, while Michael Keaton starred alongside him, shortly before talks began for him to play The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film also notably featured John Slattery (the elder Howard Stark), Rachel McAdams (Doctor Strange’s Christine Chapel) and Stanley Tucci (Captain America: The First Avenger’s Abraham Erskine) in major roles.

11 THE VISION AND KAREN WORK TOGETHER

Paul Bettany has been the cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting as the voice of Tony’s artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. in 2008’s Iron Man. Comparing and contrasting Iron Man and Spider-Man, Jennifer Connelly debuted in Spider-Man: Homecoming voicing Karen, the AI voice inside Peter’s Spider-Man suit in something of an easter egg cameo. After all, Bettany and Connelly being married in real life.

The two have appeared in many films together over the years before the MCU, including 2001’s Oscar award-winning A Beautiful Mind, and 2008 Brenden Fraser vehicle Inkheart. Though the two have yet to cross paths in the MCU, it is possible it could finally happen in the upcoming Infinity War, as Bettany’s rechristened Vision fights side-by-side with Spider-Man for the first time since Captain America: Civil War.

10 SPIDER-MAN AND THOR WENT WHALING

Despite Thor: Ragnarok being such a blockbuster success, Thor has been absent from the MCU as a grouping since the conclusion of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Having sat out Captain America: Civil War, Thor may be largely unaware of the events that have transpired since he left and certainly hasn’t met Tony’s protege, Spider-Man.

But three years prior to Infinity War, actors Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland crossed paths in the 2015 drama In The Heart of the Sea. Based on the book of the same name, the film details the sinking of a whaling ship, a story which inspired the classic novel, Moby Dick. Despite a strong cast and heavy marketing, In The Heart of the Sea failed at the box office, unable to compete in a season which saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens release days later.

9 BUCKY AND BARON MORDO WORKED FOR NASA

Based on the novel by Andy Weir, 2015’s Ridley Scott film The Martian is perhaps the most successful film ever made in the “we have to save Matt Damon” sub-genre. A clear favorite of the year, the film was a box office success and cultural phenomenon that also brought together two disparate sides of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It remains to be seen if Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo from Doctor Strange will appear in Infinity War, though at this point it seems unlikely. Sebastian Stan, who is definitely appearing in the film as Bucky under his latest alias, White Wolf, appeared alongside Ejiofor in The Martian. Ejiofor portrayed NASA Director Kapoor and Stan played astronaut Watney’s shipmate, Dr. Beck. Whether or not the two will ever have a chance to interact within the MCU remains to be seen.

8 BLACK PANTHER AND N’JOBU HAD THEIR DAY IN COURT

It feels like cheating to say Black Panther was a surprise hit. The film was one nobody thought would ever get made, right up until he appeared in Captain America: Civil War. Since then things have been pretty good for T’Challa, a character who has historically hovered between A-list Avenger and slightly obscure fan favorite over the years.

A large part of the film’s success was the stellar cast. In addition to a returning Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the film added Emmy award winner Sterling K. Brown as T’challa’s uncle, Prince N’Jobu, a role which wasn’t confirmed until the film was actually released. Boseman and Brown had performed together before though, appearing in 2017’s Oscar-nominated biopic Marshall, where Boseman played Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who defended Brown’s wrongfully accused Joseph Spell.

7 THANOS AND SCARLET WITCH BEAT UP NICK FURY

Movies josh brolin elizabeth olsen oldboy

Josh Brolin is about to make his official Marvel debut in a big way, finally making his long-awaited arrival (ourside of just a cameo) as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and jumping into the world of Marvels’ merry mutants as Cable in Deadpool 2. But he has worked with previous Infinity War co-stars Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson in a much more dubious film.

Spike Lee’s’ 2013 Oldboy, featuring Brolin as protagonist Joe Doucett and Elizabeth Olsen as female lead Marie, along with Samuel L. Jackson and Pom Klementieff in supporting roles, was a remake of the cult classic Korean film of the same name. Notorious for its dark tone and shocking story beats, Oldboy is a widely regarded piece of foreign cinema and one many experimenting with foreign film consumption usually first come across. Unfortunately, Lee’s remake failed to generate the same buzz, failing at the box office and receiving poor reviews.

6 THOR AND GAMORA HAVE ALREADY HAD A SPACE ADVENTURE

Before he brought Star Wars back to the big screen. J. J. Abrams jetted over to a different space-faring franchise. How well done 2009’s Star Trek reboot was largely depends on who you’re speaking with, as many newer fans enjoyed the series shift to action while older fans missed the introspective nature of classic Trek stories.

Abrams did notably bring a lot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with him though, and well before it existed. Zoe Saldana, just starting to make waves with the then-upcoming Avatar, and Thor: Ragnarok’s Karl Urban joined the cast as Uhura and McCoy respectively, rounding out two members of the classic Trek crew. Meanwhile Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, made his American film debut in the film’s opening moments as George Kirk, father to series icon James T. Kirk.

5 ZEMO AND THOR ARE RACING BUDDIES

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor missed out on his opportunity to interact with the anticipated film debut of the sinister Baron Zemo, played to perfection by Spanish actor Daniel Brühl. Though Zemo survived the film, it remains to be seen if the two will have the chance to interact in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though they had one notable film interaction already.

One year after his debut as the God of Thunder, Hemsworth appeared in the 2013 biographical racing thriller Rush alongside Brühl as Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The film earned good reviews and Brühl received a number of award nominations, with many critics praising the film’s style and accuracy. Despite this and a successful box office, Rush ultimately proved to be a forgettable flick that passed many American viewers by.

4 STAR-LORD AND CROSSBONES LED A MILITARY TEAM

You don’t really expect Star-Lord and Crossbones to interact. It’s not like the two paths would really have any reason to cross. Frank Grillo’s Crossbones and Callan Mulvey’s Jack Rollins were largely showcased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier all while Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord was literally a galaxy away.

But the trio did have a prior interaction. Kathryn Bigelow’s 2012 film Zero Dark Thirty, a dramatized account of the long-running manhunt for Osama bin Laden, was a huge hit for the year. Pratt, Grillo, and Mulvey appeared as members of the Navy’s Seal Team 6, alongside future Luke Cage star Mike Colter. Though Grillo’s Crossbones died in the opening act of Captain America: Civil War, Pratt’s Star-Lord is a major player in Infinity War, and Mulvey, after a brief stop to play KGBeast in Batman v Superman, is also slated for a return to the MCU.

3 DOCTOR STRANGE AND LOKI FOUGHT ON HORSEBACK

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston, perhaps two of the most popular young, British actors on the scene today, have only had a passing interaction at best so far. With the cameo of Doctor Strange in Thor: Ragnarok, we learned that Strange had grown strong enough to best even a god such as Loki in a short amount of time.

Though the two only had a brief interaction in the film, Cumberbatch and Hiddleston did appear together in Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film War Horse, a war drama based on the novel of the same name. The two only appeared briefly in the film, but given both are in possession of Infinity Stones, it stands to reason that they’ll be seeing more of each other when Thanos arrives in Infinity War.

2 LITERALLY HALF THE MCU HAVE BEEN TOLKIEN CHARACTERS

A film franchise as large as The Lord of The Rings is bound to have some overlap. At a total of six movies, the films have an impressive cast. Maybe it’s due to the proximity of the release, but 2012 to 2014’s The Hobbit trilogy featured a significant overlap with the cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on a scale unlike any other.

Doctor Strange’s Benedict Cumberbatch voice and motion-captured the fearsome Smaug, while Black Panther’s Andy Serkis returned to perform as Gollum alongside Martin Freeman as protagonist Bilbo Baggins. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Lee Pace appeared as Elven King Thranduil, with Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly appearing as Tauriel, Thor: Ragnarok’s Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, and Captain America: The First Avenger’s Hugo Weaving reprising his role as Elrond for the trilogy’s first entry.

1 HAPPY HOGAN AND BLACK WIDOW’S TIME IN THE KITCHEN

Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan was a welcome sight when he returned for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Though his comic counterpart died during the "Civil War" era of comics, Favreau’s Hogan was one that fans loved, even with his anticipated romance with Pepper Potts removed from the MCU proper. Despite being absent for several films, Hogan remains one of the franchise’s more popular characters.

Hogan found himself attracted to Tony’s new assistant Natasha in Iron Man 2. Unfortunately, she turned out to be the super spy Black Widow. Favreau and Scarlett Johansson would have another chance to recreate their on-screen chemistry, though, in Favreau’s’ 2014 comedy Chef, a well-received comedy about a professional chef who begins running a food truck in Miami. The film even managed to sneak in a Robert Downey Jr. cameo for good measure.