The MCU has a diverse cast of actors who have done acting in many other movies. Here are some movies MCU villains have been in.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought some of the top actors in Hollywood to star in its movies while also turning some actors on the cusp of stardom into top Hollywood stars. When so many top actors are working on one franchise, there is a better-than-average chance to work together elsewhere.
With iconic stars like Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Kurt Russell, and fan favorites like Walton Goggins and Sam Rockwell, there are many crossovers when it comes to MCU actors. Here is a look at the movies where you can catch multiple MCU actors who played villains working together.
In 2019, the Coen Brothers remade one of the greatest westerns of all-time in True Grit. The brothers, as usual, had their pick of actors to take on roles, and they led the way with Jeff Bridges taken on the role that John Wayne portrayed in the original — Rooster Cogburn. Of course, two years before this, Bridges was the main villain in Iron Man.
Also appearing was Thanos himself, Josh Brolin as the villain, Tom Chaney. There are even more, although not Marvel villains. Hailee Steinfeld, who will play Hawkeye in the Disney+ series, was the co-lead, and Matt Damon, who cameoed in Thor: Ragnarok, appeared as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf.
Quentin Tarantino created his own western in 2015 with The Hateful Eight. The movie starred Samuel Jackson, who plays Nick Fury in the MCU. However, three MCU villains were also in the movie, bringing the total Marvel castmembers to four. Kurt Russell (Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Tim Roth (Abomination from The Incredible Hulk) were all in this movie.
Whoever Steven Speilberg wants in a movie, he gets in his movie. In 2012, Spielberg released a biopic about former United States President Abraham Lincoln. That movie had a who's-who of actors, including four MCU villains. Lee Pace (Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy), Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch from Ant-Man and the Wasp), James Spader (Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron), and Tim Blake Nelson (The Leader in The Incredible Hulk) all appeared in this movie.
Cowboys & Aliens was a 2011 movie based on Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley's comic book. On top of lead stars Harrison Ford (Star Wars) and Daniel Craig (James Bond), it also featured actors who played bad guys in the MCU.
This included Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2), Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch from Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Clancy Brown (Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok). While not the MCU, Olivia Wilde was also in the movie, and she played Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Ron Howard made a movie in 2008 based on the exclusive interview with former U.S. President Richard Nixon after he left office. This was Frost/Nixon, and while the two main actors had nothing to do with the MCU (Michael Sheen and Frank Langella), two men in the movie played villains in the MCU. Sam Rockwell played Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, and Toby Jones played Arnim Zola in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Frank Miller created the amazing noir comic book series Sin City and Robert Rodriguez brought it to brilliant life with his 2005 movie adaptation. In 2014, he returned with a sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and it recast one of the stars. While Clive Owen left the franchise, the movie had his character return after having his appearance changed by a plastic surgeon. Replacing him was Josh Brolin, the man who played Thanos. Meanwhile, Mickey Rourke was in both movies as Marv. Rourke was also in Iron Man 2 as Whiplash.
In what might seem the least likely place to find two actors who played MCU villains, the drag queen movie, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has an eclectic cast, many of whom had experience in superhero movies. All three leads played villains in comic book movies.
Hugo Weaving (Mitzi Del Bra) was Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. Guy Pearce (Felicia Jollygoodfellow) was Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3. The third lead was one of the most iconic villains in DC Comics history, as Terence Stamp played Zod in Superman 2.
The Lord of the Rings had a ton of actors from all over the world, and at least three of them played various roles in superhero movies, including three that were MCU villains. Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) was Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Hugo Weaving (Elrond) was Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. Andy Serkis played Gollum and then went on to portray Klaw in Black Panther. The movies also featured Karl Urban, who went from villain to hero in Thor: Ragnarok.
In 2004, Martin Scorsese directed The Aviator, a biopic about Howard Hughes, as he goes from being an aviation pioneer to becoming a successful movie producer. The movie stars Cate Blanchett (Hela in Thor: Ragnarok) as Katherine Hepburn and Jude Law (Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel) as Errol Flynn. There were other familiar faces for MCU fans, with Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey actor John C. Reilly and the Green Goblin from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, Willem Defoe, also starring in the movie.
The movie Furious 7 has several comic book stars in what is basically a comic book action movie itself. The seventh movie in the Fast and Furious franchise was led by Vin Diesel (Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy), but it also has two MCU villains as well. Kurt Russell shows up in this movie and also played the villain Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Another villain from the MCU showed up in Djimon Hounsou, who played Korath the Pursuer in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
