13 Marvel actors who have played more than one role in the MCU

Robert Downey Jr. is coming back into the MCU, but not as Tony Stark. He will come into the MCU as a different character, and this time as a villain. He’s taking on the iconic role of Doctor Doom.

This has seen mixed reactions from fans. After all, he’s already made his mark on the MCU. Well, he’s not the only actor to step back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe but as a different character. Here are 13 who have done it before him, and some of them may surprise you.

Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Captain America

The most obvious one, especially thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine, is Chris Evans. He initially stepped into the MCU as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, in the first bunch of Fantastic Four movies as the MCU got off the ground.

He would go on to play the iconic Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. Of course, fans remember him more as Captain America, but Johnny will not be forgotten.

Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva and Sersi

In Captain Marvel, we met Minn-Erva, played by Gemma Chan. You’ll remember the Kree Imperial warrior because of her blue makeup. Granted, it’s potentially the blue makeup that threw you off a little.

Within the same year as playing Minn-Erva, Chane was brought into the MCU in another movie. She played Sersi in Eternals.

Enver Gjokaj as Young Cop and Daniel Sousa

Some of the actors who have appeared in more than one role have played small, sometimes unnamed roles before. Enver Gjokaj, who is well known to NCIS: Hawaii fans, took on the role of “Young Cop” in the original Avengers movie. That’s right; the cop didn’t even have a name!

He would then return in both Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In these two productions, he played Daniel Sousa, a World War II soldier who became a strategic operative for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange and Dormammu

Sometimes, one actor will play two roles within the same movie! That one is rare, but Benedict Cumberbatch did it. Of course, we all know him as Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange and its sequels and in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He has even voiced the character in animated shows.

However, in Doctor Strange, he took on a second role. He was the voice of the Dark Dimension’s vicious ruler, Dormammu. Yes, he played his own enemy!

Kenneth Choi as Jim Morita and Principal Morita

While many actors have taken on unconnected roles, the same can’t be said for Kenneth Choi, who 911 fans know well as Chimney. Choi has played two characters with the surname Morita, and yes, they are connected.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Choi played Jim Morita, one of the Howling Commandos. Then in Spider-Man: Homecoming, he stepped into the role of Principal Morita, who happens to be the grandson of his first character.

Laura Haddock as Autograph Seeker and Meredith Quill

There are a few fan theories about connections of characters, and Laura Haddock has certainly helped to set some of them up. She originally played a woman who wants Steve Rogers’ autograph in the 1940s in Captain America: The First Avenger.

She would later appear in Guardians of the Galaxy, where she plays Peter Quill’s mother, Meredith. She has appeared in the franchise, and it led to speculation that Cap is Peter’s grandfather. James Gunn says that fan theory isn’t true, but we like to imagine.

Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth and Blade

Playing a villain is fun, and Mahershala Ali certainly did it well. He took on the role of Cottonmouth in Luke Cage.

He would then step in to voice Blade for an Eternals post-credit scene. This was meant to be a way to bring him into the MCU as Blade, but that hasn’t turned out well just yet. As Wesley Snipes said in Deadpool & Wolverine, there is only one Blade. That’s no shade to Ali, though!

Josh Brolin as Cable and Thanos

You know Josh Brolin well as the iconic villain, Thanos. Granted, he didn’t initially step into this role in the MCU, but he is the one most people know.

After starring as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, he then stepped into another Marvel movie. It’s all about the time-traveling man looking to kill to save his family, Cable, in Deadpool 2.

Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger and Johnny Storm

Chris Evans has not been the only Johnny Storm. There was a 2015 reboot of The Fantastic Four, which starred Michael B. Jordan as The Human Torch.

Just three years later, Jordan would step into another franchise within Marvel, and this time as a villain. He played Killmonger in Black Panther. His performance was so amazing that many people want to see Killmonger back in some way.

Damion Poitier as Thanos and Lagos

Remember when I said Brolin wasn’t the first Thanos in the MCU? Well, that’s because Damion Poitier took on the role in the post-credit scene in The Avengers. From Guardians of the Galaxy onward, Brolin took it over, and the purple look was downgraded.

It wasn’t Poitier’s only venture into the MCU, though. He would turn up in Captain America: Civil War, where he played Lagos, one of Crossbones’ mercenaries.

Michelle Yeoh as Aleta Ogord and Ying Nan

We can’t overlook Michelle Yeoh’s time in the MCU. She started off in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which saw her play Aleta Ogord, one of the Ravagers. This was just a small part, so it’s easy to forget.

The one you won’t forget is her role as Ying Nan in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. She was Shang-Chi’s aunt and one of the Ta Lo dimension guardians. It was her job to protect the rest of the MCU from the Dweller in Darkness.

Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard and Miriam Sharpe

We head back to Luke Cage again for another actor who doubled up roles. Alfre Woodard played Mariah Dillard, who was Cottonmouth’s cousin. She would end up succeeding Cottonmouth as the owner of Harlem’s Paradise.

In 2016, she then landed the role of Miriam Sharpe in Captain Marvel: Civil War. It was a relatively small role, as she was a woman who spoke to Tony Stark about her son’s death in Sokovia due to his weapons.

Olivia Munn as Chess Roberts and Psylocke

The last on our list is Olivia Munn, who started off her journey in the MCU in Iron Man 2 as Chess Roberts. She was a reporter covering the Stark Expo.

You’ll then need to head over to X-Men: Apocalypse. Okay, technically different studios but they are still within the same franchise. Don’t many of us count the X-Men movies as being in the MCU? Munn took on the role of Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016. While the movie was poorly reviewed, it still counts!