Marvel Cinematic Universe: 10 Characters Who Appear In The Most Movies & Shows, Ranked (2024)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the largest movie franchises there has ever been. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU is littered with characters that appear in subsequent movies and TV shows. Including some from the latest entry, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Some characters in the MCU pop up regularly, dipping in for cameos in adventures after their solo projects. Most super-powered beings appeared in the epic that was Avengers: Endgame, but that entry was not the only time that fans had seen their favorite Marvel characters on the big screen. These characters are the ones who appear in the MCU the most times and are ranked according to the quality of those appearances.

Contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine!

10 Loki

9 Appearances

See Also

Why Marvel Cast Robert Downey Jr. As Doctor Doom, 5 Years After Iron Man's Endgame DeathMy World Of Flops: Ant-Man And The Wasp: QuantumaniaHow Can Robert Downey, Jr. Be Doctor Doom? The Shared History Between Doom and Iron Man Explained - IGN'Deadpool & Wolverine' box office gives an R-rated boost to Marvel

• Appears In: Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: Dark World (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Loki (2021), What If... (2021), Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
• Played By: Tom Hiddleston

Loki is a major character in the MCU, first appearing as an antagonist in Thor, as the brother of the God of Thunder. His role increased massively in his next appearance, where he became the main villain in The Avengers.

Tom Hiddlestone's character has a redemption arc, eventually aiding the heroes and making amends with his brother, culminating in his death in Avengers: Infinity War as he attempts to stop the titan he previously served, Thanos. Loki, of course, appeared in all the Thor movies and even gained his series, Loki where a time-displaced version of Loki went on a similar arc of redemption.

9 Spider-Man/Peter Parker

9 Appearances

• Appears In: Iron Man 2 (2010), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), What If... (2021), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
• Played By: Tom Holland

There was once a real question about whether the character of Spider-Man would ever appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This was because Sony had the movie rights to the character, but a deal was eventually struck and Spidey made his bow in Captain America: Civil War.

It was retconned that Peter Parker made his onscreen debut in Iron Man 2, as a boy wearing an Iron Man mask. Spider-Man went on to have his trilogy and appeared in both Avengers Infinity War and End Game. The character also appeared in Spider-Man's adversary's movie, Venom, in its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in an end-credits scene, which is tied to the MCU. Spider-Man is a main player in the MCU, despite the initial uncertainty, and he will play a very prominent role going forward. Due to a lot of his appearances being cameos and shorter scenes, he cannot be held higher than the next entry.

8 Thor

9 Appearances

• Appears In: Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: Dark World (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), What If... (2021), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
• Played By: Chris Hemsworth

Of course, Thor made his MCU debut in his self-titled outing and has gone on to appear nine times in the franchise, four of those being his movies. Thor is a major player, the powerhouse needed to save the day, as shown when he regains his full strength in that epic scene in Avengers: End Game.

All of his on-screen performances have been major roles. Thor doesn't do cameos. So, he ranks top spot among those who have also appeared nine times. Unlike the other two of the big three of the MCU, Captain America and Iron Man, Thor's screen time doesn't appear to be decreasing and is expected to play a part in the upcoming Avengers movies.

7 Happy Hogan

10 Appearances

• Appears In: Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man 3 (2013), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) (deleted scenes), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), What If...(2021), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• Played By: Jon Favreau

Happy Hogan plays a supporting role in the MCU, starting as Tony Stark's driver and working his way up to CEO of Stark Enterprises and the Avengers. His most recent outing was a cameo in the latest MCU blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine, in which he interviews Deadpool about a position in the Avengers.

A surprising appearance for Hogan was in the animated What If... series. Hogan becomes much more than Stark's aide when he is accidentally injected with a sample of Hulk's blood and becomes a big purple monster known as Freak. This does not have the same continuity as the rest of the movies, but it is still very much a part of the MCU. That episode is the only time Hogan has been a central character, so someone else with ten appearances tips him.

6 Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff

10 Appearances

• Appears In:Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Black Widow (2021), What If... (2021)
• Played By: Scarlett Johansson

The former Russian spy turned SHIELD agent has been around basically since the beginning. First appearing in Iron Man 2 and going on to make 10 appearances in the MCU, mostly in the Avengers and Captain America adventures.

Despite dying in Avengers: Endgame, as part of retrieving an infinity stone, she received her own movie three years later. Black Widow is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War. She has mainly acted as a supporting character but has been a vital cog in the Avengers machine.

5 War Machine/James Rhodes

11 Appearances

• Appears In: Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021), What If... (2021), Secret Invasion (2023)
• Played By: Terrance Howard (Iron Man only), Don Cheadle

Another character who pops up frequently in the MCU is Colonel James Rhodes, better known as Rhodey, who dons the armor of War Machine. First appearing in Iron Man, albeit played by Terrance Howard, he returned in the sequel, played by Don Cheadle, who made the role his own going forward.

Most of his appearances have been significant roles, playing a part in two Disney+ series', The Falcon and The Winter Solider and Secret Invasion, along with his parts in the movies. Rhodey has yet to become a central character in a project, but that is set to change in the upcoming Armor Wars, which will touch on the fallout of the Iron Man story after the characters' death.

4 Captain America/Steve Rogers

11 Appearances

• Appears In: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: Dark World (2013) as (Loki illusion), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), What If... (2021)
• Played By: Chris Evans

The leader of the Avengers, is one of the characters who appear most in the MCU. First shown in his solo film, Captain America: The First Avenger and goes on to star in the Avengers movies and the follow-ups to the Captain America story.

His other appearances are reduced to cameos, first as a Loki illusion in Thor: Dark World, an instructional video in Spider-Man: Homecoming and an end credits scene in Captain Marvel. Steve Rogers passed on the mantle of Captain America in Avengers: Endgame, retiring himself as a result. Fans may never see Chris Evans as Captain America in the MCU again. However, recently they were treated to a different Evans role in Deadpool & Wolverine. Since a few of his 11 appearances were cameos, the torch is passed on to this next entry.

3 Iron Man/Tony Stark

11 Appearances

• Appears In:Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), What If... (2021)
• Played By: Robert Downey Jr.

The MCU was kick-started with Iron Man back in 2008, so it makes perfect sense that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark would feature prominently throughout the franchise. With 11 appearances and all of them being significant roles, he certainly takes the top spot among those with similar numbers of features.

With the news that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man, as the villain Dr. Doom, this character's numbers may not increase. There may be a twist to come, Dr. Doom maybe Tony Stark after all, which will certainly be a shock to many. The true identity of that character will remain a mystery until Avengers: Doomsday in 2026.

12 Appearances

• Appears In: The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), What If... (2021), She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
• Played By: Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk only), Mark Ruffalo

Fans were shocked to see the Hulk appear in a slight cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, which tipped Bruce Banner to become the character with the second most appearances in the MCU, ahead of Captain America & Iron Man.

The Hulk has been a prominent character in a few different outings, starting with his only solo movie to date, The Incredible Hulk, and starring in all Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok. He had cameos and small roles in Captain Marvel and Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings but had a bigger showing in the Disney+ series She-Hulk which starred his cousin, Jennifer Walters as she gains hulk-like powers. The Hulk is certainly likely to increase these appearances in future roles also. ​​​​​​​

1 Nick Fury

14 Appearances

• Appears In: Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), What If... (2021), Secret Invasion (2023), The Marvels (2023)
• Played By: Samuel L. Jackson

The character with the most appearances was obviously going to be Nick Fury, played perfectly by Samuel L. Jackson. He made his debut in Iron Man, the first film of the franchise, in a post-credits scene setting up the Avengers movie that came later in 2012.​​​​​​​

Fury acts as the leader of the team and has thus appeared in all the Avengers movies, with strong ties to Captain Marvel also, he is the linchpin for the MCU. Recently, he got the chance to star in the spotlight in the Secret Invasion Disney+ series, where fans learned a lot more about the character, other than his supporting role in the previous movies. There appears to be no end to Nick Fury either, who will no doubt continue to appear in future movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.

Release Date

July 26, 2024

Director

Shawn Levy

Cast

Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Matthew Macfadyen , Karan Soni , Leslie Uggams , Rob Delaney

Studio(s)

Marvel Studios