With 22 films under its belt and no sign of slowing down soon, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cast of well-known actors grows each time a new film is released. Sometimes, as was the case with Robert Downey Jr, the casting comes from left field. Other times, however, the casting draws from veterans of the genre who’ve had varying degrees of success.
From Oscar-winners to recognizable supporting actors, several members of the MCU’s growing roster of talent have made their make on multiple comic-based franchises in ways both big and small.
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10 Chris Evans
A veteran of the genre, Chris Evans had four comic book films under his belt when he joined the MCU. After making his name in a slew of teen comedies, Evans first became acquainted with the comic book film as Human Torch in the moderately successful franchise of the early 2000’s.
After voicing Casey Jones in the animated TMNT and appearing with several other future MCU stars in The Losers, Evans would also appear in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe, an adaptation of a popular graphic novel series. In 2011, Evans finally got his hands on Captain America’s sword, a role he is still playing tokay.
9 Michael Keaton
Perhaps the biggest genre veteran to cross into the MCU, Michael Keaton cemented his place inside the comic book movie in 1989. Although Adam West had previously made his name as Batman two decades earlier, Keaton’s portrayal cemented his name as Batman in a franchise more in tune to today’s superhero films. It would be his defining role on screen for many years.
In 2014, Keaton kicked off a career resurgence after garnering critical and audience acclaim with his self-deprecating portrayal of an aging superhero actor in Birdman. Then, in 2017, Keaton made his return to the genre official and went head-to-head with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
8 Josh Brolin
Prior to his stint in the MCU, Josh Brolin’s career as an actor in comic book films was off to a rough start. Jonah Hex made more headlines with its status as flop than it did for its retro-futuristic take on the titular character. His next attempt, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For failed to mount even a fraction of the success that its predecessor did nearly a decade earlier.
Despite this rough start, 2018 would prove to be a marquee year for Brolin for comic-based films. Avengers: Infinity War, after all, his first opportunity to truly shine as Thanos on the big screen after years of teasing cameos leading up to it. After the worldwide success of Infinity War, Brolin took another crack at the genre with his intense, yet emotional portrayal of Deadpool’s off-and-on-again nemesis and ally Cable.
7 Idris Elba
Although Idris Elba is a household name as this point, his role as Heimdall inside the MCU is smaller than one would expect from an actor of his stature. Prior to the Thor franchise, however, Elba was a part of two smaller, far less successful attempts to bring the pages of a comic book to the screen.
Elba starred in the forgettable adaptation of The Losers with fellow MCU castmates Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana. In 2011, he then teamed up with Nicolas Cage in the critically-maligned Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. All was not lost, however, as Thor premiered that same year. While Heimdall’s role in Thor was small, it would grow increasingly three-dimensional with each ensuing sequel.
6 Samuel L. Jackson
As the leader throughout much of the MCU, Jackson's connections to Nick Fury predate the MCU, as Marvel used his likeness for the character in a reboot back in 2001. Although Jackson had seen success within the superhero genre with films such as Unbreakable and The Incredibles, it wasn’t until Iron Man that the busy-bodied actor had appeared in a comic adaptation.
Following his post-credit debut in Iron Man, Jackson would appear in a pair of less-successful adaptations of classic comic books. The first, The Spirit, which was directed by legendary comic writer Frank Miller. It was a massive flop. The second film, Astro Boy, was an animated film which similarly underperformed. Despite these disappointments, Jackson continues to be an on again, off again mainstay of the MCU, with Captain Marvel giving him his biggest turn as Fury yet.
5 Zachary Levi
Before 2019, Levi’s most successful run came on the hit television series Chuck from 2007-2012. He has, however, been a part of the MCU for several years after taking on the role of Fandral in Thor: The Dark World. While Fandral may not have been the biggest part of the franchise, it showed Levi’s potential as a superhero.
This year, things changed for Levi. After several more years of bit roles and television appearances, Levi finally got his big screen break as Shazam. He garnered great praise for his comedic portrayal of the otherworldly hero, and established himself as a successful entry into the roller coaster DC Universe.
4 Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones has only one appearance in the MCU, but it wasn’t his first flirtation with the comic book genre. In 199t, with Tim Burton gone from the original Batman franchise, Tommy Lee Jones replaced Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, and in turn as the first portrayal of his alter-ego Two-Face. Although the film was not a huge success, Jones’s turn as Dent was a memorable one.
By the time that Captain America: First Avenger came around, Jones had carved a niche for himself as the rough around the edges older man. This persona fit perfectly with his role as Colonel Chester Phillips, a hardened military-type who helped Steve Rogers become the titular hero. Although he has not returned to the MCU, the role was vital to each film thereafter.
3 Mickey Rourke
Many credit Rourke’s brief Hollywood comeback with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. Comic fans, however, may argue that his comeback started with his role as the big ugly giant, Marv, in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City three years earlier. The moody noir film, shot mostly with a black-and-white aesthetic, was a big hit and Rourke’s Marv was a highlight. It was, perhaps, what Favreau had in mind for Iron Man 2 when he cast Rourke.
When Iron Man 2 released, Rourke’s Whiplash proved a worthy foe for Stark despite being included among a larger group of villains than the first film. The film is in many ways a different version of the MCU then we are currently used to, and Rourke represents this difference well.
2 Laurence Fishburne
Fishburne is a recent addition to the MCU, but he transferred over from a two-film stint in the earliest days of the DC Universe. As Perry White, Fishburne grappled with the implications of Superman’s actions. Despite the ambitious premises of the DCU’s first chapter, neither film lived up to predecessors in the DC Universe, and it failed to supplant anything the MCU has done.
In 2018, however, Fishburne got another chance at the genre in Ant-Man and the Wasp, this time as a complicated foe and one-time friend of Henry Pym. The character added depth to the film’s main villain, and Fishburne’s nuanced work gave him a better film to work with than his previous attempts at comic films.
1 Michelle Pfeiffer
Like Keaton, Pfeiffer represents a bridge from the comic adaptation of old, and that of new. Her portrayal as Catwoman in the follow-up to Burton’s wildly successful first film helped show that the comic sequel could still pack a punch and show the audience something new.
By the time that Ant-Man came around, she got to play a different role than Batman Returns’s morally grey Catwoman by playing Janet van Dyne, the long-lost wife of Henry Pym. Although her future in the series is still unknown, Pfeiffer added a layer of humanity to the film in her small, yet powerful portrayal.