The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a film and television staple around the world. With over a decade's worth of film releases, television shows and franchises under its belt, the MCU seems to have featured nearly every working actor in Hollywood at this point. The actors and actresses behind the fan-favorite characters of the MCU are not only the perfect embodiment of their characters but their resumes are also packed with awards and accolades to back up their acting skills. With awards season coming up, some actors that have appeared in the MCU are nominated for the Oscars this year, prompting a look back at their impressive careers outside the superhero franchise.
Fan buzz was through the roof with the announcement that Oscar winner Angelina Jolie would be joining the MCU as the Eternals' Thena, goddess of war. Jolie holds an impressive filmography, including originating the live-action role of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider film franchise of the early 2000s. Jolie's career began at an impressively early age, making her film debut in 1982 before going on to win the Academy Award in 2000 for her work in Girl, Interrupted. Other members of the Eternals cast also hold Academy Award nominations, including Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani, the latter of which received a nod for his writing on The Big Sick in 2018.
A Hollywood legend, Anthony Hopkins portrayed Odin, the King of Asgard, in the Thor franchise. Winning the Oscar for Best Actor for the role he's probably most associated with, Hannibal Lecter in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins' career stretches over decades of cinema. Another Academy Award Winner -- and the person arguably responsible for reshaping the Thor franchise -- Taika Waititi's 2019 film Jojo Rabbit was nominated for two separate awards, ultimately taking home the accolade for Best Adapted Screenplay. Another Thor cast member, Adriana Barraza, is also an Academy Award Nominee.
In a clever nod in the Waititi-directed Thor: Ragnarok, Oscar Nominee Matt Damon was also featured in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo during Loki's over-the-top production of his supposed final moments in Thor: The Dark World. It's a clever comedic moment and also a fun way to bring in normally "serious" actor Damon. Also featured in the first two Thor movies, Natalie Portman, who portrays Jane Foster, took home the Academy Award for Best Actress following her stand-out performance in 2010's Black Swan. The Thor franchise also featured Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett as the villainous Hela.
The hero that kicked off the MCU, Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. has had an eventful and expansive career. Starting strong by earning an Academy Award nominee for his work as Charlie Chaplin in 1992's Chaplin, Downey's career took a tumultuous turn as his personal life experienced some highs and lows. Luckily, Downey was able to recenter himself and bring his skill and talent to the MCU, making the franchise all the better for it.
Actors in the Iron Man franchise who have managed to take home Oscar wins include Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) for Shakespeare in Love and Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane), who won for Crazy Heart in 2010 but also hosts an impressive list of nominations across his career. Also, both actors to portray Stark's best friend, Colonel James Rhodes, Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle, hold Academy Award nominations of their own.
A few Iron Man villains also have a history with the Academy Awards. Featured in Iron Man 2 as bad guy Ivan Vanko, Mickey Rourke was nominated for Best Actor in 2009. Sam Rockwell, known in the MCU as Justin Hammer, was also nominated back to back in 2018 and 2019 for Best Supporting Actor, taking home the award in 2018.
Doctor Strange himself has been nominated for an Oscar twice as of the writing of this article, first for his work in The Imitation Game and most recently for his work in Netflix's The Power of the Dog. Cumberbatch is a frontrunner for this year's Academy Awards, so it will be interesting to see if he'll be added to the list of MCU Oscar winners in the future.
The previous Sorcerer Supreme, Tilda Swinton, is an Oscar winner herself. Known for her ability to morph into different characters across her expansive career, Swinton received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2008. Strange's leading lady, Christine Palmer, is portrayed by Rachel McAdams, who also holds an Oscar nomination.
Another character with a complicated relationship with Strange is his ally-turned-mentor-turned-foe in the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Mordo, portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor. He also took home a nomination for Best Actor for 2014's 12 Years a Slave.
Benicio del Toro, known in the MCU as The Collector, the quirky over-the-top antiques dealer of Knowhere in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, has been nominated for an Academy Award twice, ultimately winning one for Best Supporting Actor in 2001's Traffic. Other members of this franchise who have received Oscar nods over their film careers include Bradley Cooper, Glenn Close, Sylvester Stallone and John C. Reilly.
Several actors in Black Panther have also been nominated for Academy Awards, including Queen Mother Angela Bassett for her work in 1999's What's Love Got to Do With It. Daniel Kaluuya was also nominated for his stand-out turn in Jordan Peele's directorial debut, Get Out. Kaluuya finally took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 2021's Judas and the Black Messiah. Black Panther's Nakia, Lupita Nyong'o, also holds an impressive filmography, starring in critically acclaimed films Us and Netflix's comedy/horror film Little Monsters. She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her brilliant work in 2014's 12 Years a Slave.
The King of Wakanda himself, Chadwick Boseman, also received a posthumous Academy Award nod for his work in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom after he tragically passed away following an undisclosed battle with colon cancer. Forest Whitaker, who plays T'Challa's mentor and clan elder Zuri, is also an Oscar winner for his turn in 2006's The Last King of Scotland.
The MCU's Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson is an Academy Award Nominee, receiving double nominations in 2020 for her work in Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story, along with fellow Black Widow assassin Yelena Belova, Florence Pugh, also nominated in 2020 for Best Supporting Actress for Little Women. Rounding out the leading ladies of Black Widow, Rachel Weisz took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 for The Constant Gardener.
Though The Incredible Hulk hasn't been as connected to the rest of the MCU, it is still technically canon thanks to Academy Award Winner William Hurt's crossover performance as Thaddeus Ross across all these films. The Incredible Hulk is neither the best nor the worst superhero film ever made, but it did have Academy Award Nominees Ed Norton and Tim Roth within its cast. Eventually, the role of Bruce Banner in the MCU was given to Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo.
In the MCU reboot of the Spider-Man franchise that began in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming, fans were astounded to see screen legend Michael Keaton as the villain Vulture. With a career spanning from Batman to Beetlejuice, Keaton received an Oscar nomination for his astute performance in 2014's Birdman. Another member of this new MCU Spider-Verse that also holds an accolade from the Academy is Jake Gyllenhaal, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Brokeback Mountain.
The Spider-Verse is filled with powerhouse actresses as well. Jennifer Connelly was quickly recognized as the voice of Karen/Suit Lady, Peter Parker's high-tech virtual assistant. Connelly received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2002 for A Beautiful Mind. The MCU's very own Aunt May is also an Oscar winner, with Marisa Tomei taking home the accolade for Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny in 1992.
The previous Spider-Man franchises also hosted a plethora of Academy Award Winners and Nominees, including J.K. Simmons, who won Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash, and Jamie Foxx, who was nominated for two awards in 2005, ultimately taking home Best Actor for Ray. Rounding out Sony's Spider-Verse, Andrew Garfield recently received a nomination for his role as real-life composer Jonathan Larson in Netflix's tick, tick...Boom! Many have hailed Garfield's performance as Larson as one of the best of his career, with many theorizing he will take home the award at this year's ceremony.
Captain America: The First Avenger includes Academy Award Nominee Stanley Tucci (2009 Best Supporting Actor, The Lovely Bones) and Winner Tommy Lee Jones (1994 Best Supporting Actor, The Fugitive). The second installment of the Captain America trilogy, The Winter Soldier, also featured Hollywood legend and Academy Award Winner Robert Redford, while Captain America: Civil War featured a poignant performance by Oscar Nominee Alfre Woodard (1983 Best Supporting Actress, Cross Creek).
Similarly, Captain Marvel contains a highly-awarded cast, including Oscar nominees Jude Law and Annette Bening, while Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, took home the win for Best Actress after her sublime performance in 2015's Room.
Marvel fans were astounded at the new-age technology used to de-age Academy Award Winner Michael Douglas in 2015's Ant-Man. With an expansive film career, including Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction, Douglas was a welcome addition to the MCU. Ben Kingsley, who originated the role of Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 and later reprised it in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is also an Academy Award winner for his work as Mahatma Gandhi in 1983, though he also holds several nominations.
The biggest, baddest villain of the first 20-plus films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was, of course, Thanos, played by Josh Brolin. While his filmography is nearly as impressive and expansive as the MCU itself, Brolin has never snagged an Academy Award win, but he was nominated in 2008 for his supporting role in Milk.
When Marvel announced it'd be releasing live-action television shows on the Disney+ streaming platform, fans knew they could continue to expect the same star-studded casts as the MCU feature films. With the release of four live-action shows in 2021 alone, Disney+ and Marvel also featured Academy Award Nominees Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga and Owen Wilson.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still expanding and shifting, plans for Phase Five films already include Oscar-familiars, including Winner Mahershala Ali, who will be portraying the MCU's Blade and Winner Christian Bale, who is set to play Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder. It's clear the MCU will continue on this trajectory of casting high-profile, highly-awarded actors to portray the beloved Marvel superheroes in the live-action films, and fans can only wait eagerly to see who will appear next in the MCU.
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