TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas granted movie-goers an experience unlike any other. With a staggering31 films and counting, the MCU has provided us with a plethora of content to immerse ourselves in. From theAvengersfilms to individual trilogies like theCaptain AmericaandIron Manfranchises, there is no shortage of content to bring every hero together for the greater good. The MCU has cranked out big-budget blockbusters, many of which hold box-office records likeAvengers: Endgamewhich has been considered one of thehighest-grossing filmsof all time.
Update March 20th, 2023: This article has been updated to reflect the most up-to-date releases in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and announcements on future projects.
The MCU is jam-packed with a wide variety of characters. From Black Widow to Groot, there’s someone for everyone to root for. That said, some actors have simply dominated the screen as their designated heroes and have been recurring characters across the franchise. Characters as popular as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Scarlet Witch have appeared in several films but not even they could crack the top ten most appearances by an actor in the MCU. These are the actors who played their MCU characters the most across film and television.
10Benedict Wong: Wong - 8 Appearances
Appearances:Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, What If…?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Benedict Wonghas played Wong in the MCU 8 times. It’s hard to imagine but Wong was almost not included in theDoctor Strangescript as the character was seen as a racist caricature, but was rewritten to be a mentor and friend of Doctor Strange instead of the comic book version where he is a servant of Doctor Strange. Now he is the sorcerer supreme in the MCU and has become a fan favorite so much so that they joked about how much everyone loves him onShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Wong has appeared more times in the MCU than Doctor Strange and now connects various characters from Shang-Chi to She-Hulk with the wider MCU. What makes Wong’s multiple appearances so impressive is he is the only character on this list that did not originate in Phase 1. In less than a decadeWong has become a major pillarof the MCU that holds it together.
9Tom Hiddleston: Loki - 8 Appearances
Appearances:Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Loki, What If…?
The biggest villain in the MCU,Tom Hiddlestonas Loki has been there since the beginning of Phase 1. Hiddleston appeared in the first threeThorfilms and everyAvengersmovie except forAvengers: Age of Ultron.
Even in death, Loki could not be stopped as a variant of the character is the star of the hit Disney+ seriesLokiwhich is set to return with season 2 on Disney+ sometime in 2023. Hiddleston has also voiced the character onWhat If…?and has left such a mark on the character that comics have now tried to emulate the film version of the trickster god.
8Scarlett Johansson: Black Widow - 9 Appearances
Appearances:Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow
After a one-year hiatus from the screen due to the COVID-19 pandemic,Scarlett Johanssonmade her return inBlack Widow. Johansson has made a decent number of appearances within the MCU as her character Natasha Romanoff, a highly trained Russian superspy turned superhero. As she is a main contributor to the Avengers, it’s difficult to imagine a time without the presence of Black Widow.
Scarlett Johansson made her debut in the role inIron Man 2and due to not having her own solo franchise became a major character in a variety of films showing up in all fourAvengersmovies, the twoCaptain Americasequels, and the end-credits ofCaptain Marvelbefore finally getting her own solo film for a total of 9 appearances. While Johannson did sue Disney for the streaming release ofBlack Widow, she eventually made a deal with Disney and is set as aproducer on an unknown Marvel projecthinting she may appear as Black Widow again sometime in the future.
7Chris Hemsworth: Thor - 9 Appearances
Appearances:Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarök, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, What If…?, Thor: Love and Thunder
International starChris Hemsworthmade headlines when he first appeared as the Norse god in his titular role inThor. Hemsworth has managed to emulate the character perfectly, with special praise for his performance inRagnarök, Infinity War,andEndgame. He’s managed to create a serious and admirable character, while also maintaining a certain level of comedy to balance out all the serious and occasionally gloomy content.
Appearing across fourThorfilms and fourAvengersfilms alongside lending his voice to variants of Thor inWhat If…?, Hemsworth has played the god of thunder 9 times in the MCU. Following the end ofThor: Love and Thunderhis character is certainly set toappear again in the future.
6Mark Ruffalo: The Hulk - 10 Appearances
Appearances:The Avengers: Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, What If…?, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
Edward Norton originated the part of Bruce Banner inThe Incredible Hulkbut following disagreements between the actor and Marvel Studios, the part was taken over byMark RuffaloinThe Avengers. Since then Ruffalo has had the distinction of being the first filmactor to play The Hulkmore than once and despite not having his own solo franchise the character has managed to make plenty of appearances in the MCU.
Related:Why Marvel’s Phase 4 Was a Reset for New Audiences
Ruffalo is in many ways an after-credit scene king as three of his appearances are as Bruce Banner in brief scenes after the credits like inIron Man 3,Captain Marvel, andShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The character has been a constant in all fourAvengersfilms and was recently seen inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Lawsetting up more appearances for the fan-favorite character.
5Chris Evans: Captain America - 10 Appearances
Appearances:Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel Avengers: Endgame.
One of the greatest leaders in the MCU is Steve Rogers AKA Captain America, a super-soldier who is relentlessly optimistic, played byChris Evans. Captain America is a key player within the MCU as he acts as an inspirational leader to the Avengers. Evans has made ten appearances in the MCU.
He was the star of the Captain America trilogy, and four Avengers films and had three fun cameos inThor: The Dark World,Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the end credits ofCaptain Marvelmaking Captain America a major fixture of the MCU. Because of those cameos, Chris Evans appeared as Captain America at least once a year from 2011 to 2019. ThoughChris Evans’s roles before Captain Marvelfeatured some great performances, his time in the MCU truly expanded his popularity.
4Paul Bettany: J.A.R.V.I.S & Vision - 10 Appearances
Appearances:Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, WandaVision, What If…?, Vision Quest
Paul Bettanyhas played two characters in the MCU that are linked together, J.A.R.V.I.S and later the Vision. J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony Stark’s A.I. where Bettany lent his vocals for five films until appearing in the flesh as Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Vision is created using the J.A.R.V.I.S. matrix, explaining the similar voice but being an entirely new character.
Vision has since appeared as a major Avenger before dying inAvengers: Infinity War. The character returned inWandaVision, and Bettany also lent his voice to play Vision in the animated series What If…?. With the confirmation of aDisney+ seriesVision Quest, Paul Bettany now has made 10 MCU appearances.
3Robert Downey Jr. : Iron Man - 10 Appearances
Appearances:Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame.
Robert Downey Jr.was perfectly cast as the snarky genius Tony Stark who makes it his mission to rid the world of evil with the help of his suit, giving himself the name Iron Man. Since his debut in his titular role inIron Man, Downey reprised his role as Tony Stark ten times in the MCU and very much was the face of the franchise.
After Tony Stark’s arc wrapped in his trilogy, the character was still one of the leads ofThe Avengersfranchise in addition to appearing as a major supporting character inCaptain America: Civil WarandSpider-Man: Homecoming. While Tony Stark’s journey came to an end inEndgame, his time as the beloved character will live on forever.
2Don Cheadle: War Machine - 11 Appearances
Appearances:Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If…?, Secret Invasion, Armor Wars
While Terrence Howard was the original choice for Rhodey AKA War Machine, due to a contract dispute, he was quickly replaced byDon CheadleforIron Man 2.Since then, War Machine has been a major supporting player in two Iron Man sequels but also Avengers sequels. While currently, he has appeared in nine MCU projects, he is confirmed to appear in both the Disney+ seriesSecret Invasionand his own solo filmArmor Warswhich will bring him to 11 appearances.
With Armor Warsthat will mean Don Cheadle’s War Machine will have appeared in more MCU projects than Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. While his mid-credit scene inCaptain Marveland one episode appearance onThe Falcon and the Winter Soldiermay not be enough in terms of screentime compared to Tony Stark, in the sheer number of appearances War Machine comes out on top.
1Samuel L. Jackson: Nick Fury - 14 Appeearances
Appearances:Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, What If…?, Secret Invasion, The Marvels
The character with the most MCU appearances is without question the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury played bySamuel L. Jackson. This veteran actor made his first appearance as Nick Fury inIron Manin an after-credit scene that changed movies forever. Jackson has made a staggering 14 appearances as Nick Fury throughout the MCU. In 2019, Jackson’s Nick Fury appeared in all three Marvel Studios projects.
While some of those appearances have been as short as three seconds as seen inEndgameor quick after-credit scenes likeThorandCaptain America: The First Avenger, Jackson has been a constant and integral part of the MCU. Jackson brings his own flair to Nick Fury, making it impossible to see anyone else in the role. Jackson’s time as Fury is far from over, as he is set to reprise the role in upcoming filmsThe Marvelsas well as his own Disney+ seriesSecret Invasion.
