Every MCU Actor Who Has Appeared In Other Marvel TV Shows

The Marvel Cinematic Universe may not recognize all television series that came out of Marvel Entertainment as canon, but plenty of cameos and crossovers therein suggest otherwise. The series that were produced by Marvel Entertainment were not crafted by Kevin Feige and the other executives behind MCU films but have still managed to garner major followings for themselves despite their comparatively limited connection to the larger franchise. Even so, after years of claiming that these shows were not canon, the MCU has recently reversed its position on certain projects by including cameo appearances from characters who had previously appeared in Marvel Entertainment series, adding to a growing list of crossovers.

The MCU’s first television series came in the form of Agents of SHIELD, which directly followed the events of The Avengers. In its celebrated seven-season run, Agents of SHIELD expanded the MCU in new and exciting ways, paving the way for many more series to follow in its footsteps. However, after Kevin Feige was placed in full creative control of Marvel, the company began dialing back its expanded series in favor of Disney+ ventures that would directly tie into the events of the larger franchise. Every show predating WandaVision seemed lost until recent appearances in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home suggested otherwise.

Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg is well-known in the Marvel fandom for portraying SHIELD agent Phil Coulson throughout the first phase of the MCU but became even more beloved for leading one of the MCU’s best shows, Agents of SHIELD. Despite his death during the events of The Avengers, Coulson was resurrected in his spinoff series, surviving for several years after being stabbed through the heart by Loki. Coulson went on to appear in Captain Marvel, becoming the only regular cast member from Agents of SHIELD to appear in an MCU film after his show began airing. While Gregg’s Captain Marvel appearance seemed promising, he has made no subsequent appearances in MCU films.

Cobie Smulders

Cobie Smulders’s SHIELD agent has made frequent appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her debut in The Avengers, including in the franchise’s exciting upcoming Disney+ venture, Secret Invasion, which may finally honor Maria Hill as the compelling character she is. Hill may be best known for showing up in major crossover films, but she made one of her earliest appearances in the pilot for Agents of SHIELD, becoming one of the few MCU characters aware of Coulson’s resurrection. Smulders returned as Maria Hill twice more during the show’s run, acting as an important connection to upcoming MCU projects like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Jaimie Alexander

Jaimie Alexander made her MCU debut as the fearsome Asgardian warrior Lady Sif early in Phase 1, during 2011’s Thor. Since her initial live-action appearance, Sif has rarely appeared in the MCU, though she did make multiple appearances in episodes of Agents of SHIELD. She first appeared in season one, enlisting the help of Coulson’s team to track down an escaped Asgardian prisoner known as Lorelai. She would later appear in season two after losing her memory during a fierce battle. This marked the last time that Sif would appear for many years, as the character sat out Thor: Ragnarok before finally returning in Loki and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Maximiliano Hernandez

Maximiliano Hernandez portrays SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell in the MCU. After appearing sporadically in the MCU, Sitwell played a major part in Agents of SHIELD‘s improvement of the Hydra twist in The Winter Soldier. Sitwell appeared on several occasions throughout season one of Agents of SHIELD, gradually teasing the reveal that SHIELD had been infiltrated by Hydra. Hernandez’s television appearances eventually led directly into the events of The Winter Soldier, wherein Sitwell became one of the first Hydra operatives uncovered by Captain America before being killed by a brainwashed Bucky Barnes. Adam Faison later portrayed a young Sitwell during a series of flashback sequences in Agents of SHIELD‘s fifth season.

Samuel L. Jackson

By far the biggest Marvel character to be featured in a crossover with Agents of SHIELD was Director Nick Fury. After Iron Man, Nick Fury defined the MCU’s first phase, bringing the Avengers together for the first time. However, he also continued to serve as the operating director of SHIELD while managing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This side of Fury’s career is explored deeper in Agents of SHIELD. Though the character is usually referred to rather than seen, Samuel L. Jackson does appear in multiple episodes of the show’s first season, including the finale in which Fury makes Coulson his successor as SHIELD director following the events of The Winter Soldier.

Henry Goodman

Although its receptions seemed to imply that the second Avengers film wasn’t quite as groundbreaking as its predecessor, Age of Ultron did one thing better than the original Avengers by tying in its events to Marvel’s outlying series. Agents of SHIELD included plenty of set-up for Age of Ultron, including in the form of Henry Goodman’s Dr. List, a close associate of Baron Struker. After appearing in The Winter Soldier‘s mid-credits scene, List was featured heavily in the second season of Agents of SHIELD, setting up his involvement in the upcoming Avengers film, where he was presumably arrested by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, never to be seen in the MCU again.

Powers Booth

Powers Booth portrayed Gideon Malick, who was eventually revealed to be a chief figure behind Hydra’s unprecedented rise to power in the MCU. Malick made a brief appearance in The Avengers as a member of the World Security Council behind SHIELD and Nick Fury. Season three of Agents of SHIELD revealed that he had been part of Hydra’s infiltration of SHIELD from the very beginning and had even become Hydra’s leader in the time since their plot was hatched. Malick sought to resurrect the Inhuman god Hive and was successful, though his plan ultimately backfired, resulting in him and his entire family being killed, wiping out all the Malicks forever.

William Sadler

William Sadler plays a small but important role in the MCU. Although the infamous Mandarin twist is Iron Man 3‘s biggest moment, the film also introduced the Avengers’ relationship with the United States itself through the inclusion of Sadler’s President Matthew Ellis. President Ellis also made three appearances in Agents of SHIELD, revealing that he was aware of the organization’s secret continuing operations after the events of The Winter Soldier. While Ellis’s term as President in the MCU has long since ended, the franchise will finally be revisiting its connection to United States government officials during the events of Secret Invasion, which will introduce Dermot Mulroney’s new character, President Ritson.

Hayley Atwell

After appearing in Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter became a fan-favorite character, leading to recent petitions for Agent Carter to get her own MCU film. While this may or may not ever come to fruition, Atwell’s character does already have her own spinoff in the form of Agent Carter, a series that ran for two seasons on ABC. In addition to minor appearances on Agents of SHIELD, Peggy’s story was widely fleshed out during her series, leading to the character’s cameos in later MCU films like Avengers: Endgame. The Multiverse has also introduced the superhero Captain Carter, a variant who may still have a future in the MCU.

Neal McDonough

Neal McDonough first portrayed one of the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger. Since then, McDonough has appeared as Dum-Dum Dugan on several occasions, including several episodes of Agents of SHIELD and Captain Carter. While McDonough was never promoted to a main cast member in either of these shows, both SHIELD-centered series made it a point to address Dum-Dum Dugan’s continued adventures after the disappearance of Captain America. Furthermore, The Winter Soldier confirms that Dugan, like the other members of the Howling Commandos, survived the end of World War II, though he likely passed away at some point prior to the discovery of the frozen Steve Rogers.

Kenneth Choi

First appearing in Captain America: The First Avenger as Jim Morita, a member of the Howling Commandos, Kenneth Choi actually plays multiple MCU roles, later portraying his original character’s descendant, Principal Morita, in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Prior to his most recent film appearance, however, Choi reprised his role as Jim Morita in a flashback during an episode of Agents of SHIELD, which depicted a Howling Commandos mission led by Peggy Carter toward the end of World War II. Morita’s presence was mostly relegated to a cameo but did suggest that he remained with the Howling Commandos through the end of the war. This remains Jim Morita’s final MCU appearance thus far.

Dominic Cooper

Dominic Cooper plays the MCU’s younger Howard Stark beginning with Captain America: The First Avenger, which explores Stark’s relationship with Captain America, which would go on to influence the dynamic between Captain Rogers and Howard’s son Tony when they served together on the Avengers. Although Howard’s future film appearances were all delivered by Mad Men actor John Slattery, Cooper did reprise his role as a recurring cast member in Agent Carter. The spinoff series memorably explored Howard’s emotional reaction to Steve’s disappearance, painting the billionaire playboy in a very different light than the original film did, very much aligning his character with that of his son.

Enver Gjokaj

Enver Gjokaj is best known among MCU fans for portraying Daniel Sousa in Agent Carter and later in the final season of Agents of SHIELD. While Gjokaj’s World War II veteran turned SHIELD agent remains a far more memorable entry to the actor’s filmography, it wasn’t his first MCU appearance. In fact, prior to being cast in Captain Carter, Gjokaj appeared as an unnamed police officer in The Avengers. While it seemed likely that Agents of SHIELD season 7’s time travel plot would address this anomaly and bridge the two characters, no explanation was offered for Gjokaj’s double appearance, making him a unique case in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

James D’Arcy

Anyone who is mildly familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its characters knows that Tony Stark’s most trusted advisor is JARVIS, an A.I. assistant designed to help Tony with his daily needs and exploits as Iron Man. However, not everyone may be aware that Tony’s JARVIS program was designed after his father’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. Portrayed by Brian D’Arcy, Edwin Jarvis was a major part of ABC’s Agent Carter spinoff series, accompanying Peggy Carter on her various exploits after the end of World War II. Much to fans’ surprise, Jarvis made a cameo during the 1970 sequence of Avengers: Endgame, where he is accompanying Howard Stark at Camp Lehigh.

Anson Mount

After the catastrophic Inhumans series, it seemed Anson Mount’s Black Bolt would never return to the MCU. However, the second Doctor Strange film redeemed Black Bolt and the Inhumans. During the Illuminati sequence of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Anson Mount is revealed as Earth-838’s Black Bolt, finally giving the character the suit, powers, and respect that he deserved in his original live-action appearance. While this version of the character was killed by the Scarlet Witch, Marvel hasn’t ruled out the return of Black Bolt on Earth-616, though there has also been no indication of future Inhuman appearances in the franchise either.

Vincent D’Onofrio

Vincent D’Onofrio’s villainous role in Daredevil as crime boss Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin, is legendary in the Marvel fandom. The character made a surprise return in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, teasing his future in the MCU. Phase 4 has been setting up a rematch between Kingpin and Daredevil, which will likely occur during the highly-anticipated series Daredevil: Born Again. While Vincent D’Onofrio has yet to appear in any MCU films following his return as the Kingpin, the likelihood of such an occurrence seems high, especially if recent rumors prove true about his possible involvement in Tom Holland’s next as-yet-untitled Spider-Man film.

Charlie Cox

After portraying Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, throughout Netflix’s Defenders Saga, Charlie Cox finally made his long-awaited return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, marking the character’s very first film appearance in the MCU. Since then, Cox has shown up in several episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, teasing Daredevil’s appearances in Echo and Daredevil: Born Again. The details regarding Cox’s return remain a mystery, including whether or not this is precisely the same version of the character seen in the Defenders series and if the other leads from Netflix’s shows will ever join him in the larger MCU. Regardless, Daredevil’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is enough to excite fans for the franchise’s future.