The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a media franchise and shared universe that is the setting of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios, based on characters that appear in Marvel Comics publications. Phases , , and , were known as "The Infinity Saga", featuring many franchises and their sequels, and the first four Avengers crossover films. features four sequels to earlier films and three new film properties, with featuring four sequels and two new properties, and intended to feature three sequels and one new property, including the crossover films ' (2026) and ' (2027). Phases Four, Five, and Six comprise "The Multiverse Saga".
As the franchise is composed of films adapted from a variety of Marvel Comics properties, there are multiple lead actors. Chris Hemsworth headlined as Thor in the Thor films in the Infinity Saga and again in ' (2022); Chris Pratt portrays the lead character, Peter Quill / Star-Lord, in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and returns for its sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and joined Hemsworth in Love and Thunder; Paul Rudd stars as Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Hope van Dyne / Wasp in the Ant-Man films, with both actors returning for ' (2023); Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange and appears again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022); Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Spider-Man films and returns in ' (2021), where he is joined by Cumberbatch, and ' (2026); and Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel and appears again in The Marvels (2023), along with Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel.
Actors who have supporting roles in the Infinity Saga headline their own films in the Multiverse Saga. Scarlett Johansson stars as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in Black Widow (2021), Letitia Wright stars as Shuri / Black Panther in ' (2022), Anthony Mackie stars as Sam Wilson / Captain America in ' (2025), and Don Cheadle will star as James Rhodes / War Machine in Armor Wars. Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), while Gemma Chan headlines as Sersi in the ensemble film Eternals (2021). Ryan Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson / Deadpool and Hugh Jackman co-stars as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), both reprising their roles from the X-Men film series produced by 20th Century Fox. Florence Pugh headlines the ensemble film Thunderbolts* (2025) as Yelena Belova and Pedro Pascal leads the ensemble film ' (2025) as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic. Hemsworth, Rudd, Wright, Mackie, Liu, Pugh, and Pascal will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, with Pascal also set to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars. Mahershala Ali is set to headline Blade as Blade.
Multiple other cast members recur across multiple films and series within the franchise, while the Multiverse Saga prominently features several actors reprising their roles from prior non-MCU Marvel films produced by Fox, New Line Cinema, and Sony Pictures. In addition to Reynolds and Jackman, these include Thomas Haden Church, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Rhys Ifans, Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, and J. K. Simmons in No Way Home; Patrick Stewart in Multiverse of Madness; Kelsey Grammer in The Marvels; Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan KapiÃÂiÃÂ, Dafne Keen, Shioli Kutsuna, Tyler Mane, Wesley Snipes, Karan Soni, Aaron Stanford, Lewis Tan, and Leslie Uggams in Deadpool & Wolverine; and Alan Cumming, James Marsden, Ian McKellen, and Rebecca Romijn alongside Stewart and Grammer in Doomsday.
The list below is sorted by film and the character's surname, as some characters have been portrayed by multiple actors. All characters that have made appearances in other MCU media, such as the short films, television series, or digital series, are noted.
of the franchise includes six films, featuring four different superhero properties, leading up to a crossover in the 2012 film Marvel's The Avengers. The franchise's features three sequels to Phase One films, as well as two new film properties, and the crossover ', which released in 2015. features four sequels to earlier films, and four new film properties, as well as the crossover films ' (2018) and ' (2019). The films from Phase One through Phase Three are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga".
The Infinity Saga saw multiple lead actors: Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark / Iron Man; Edward Norton headlined The Incredible Hulk (2008), playing Bruce Banner / Hulk, but did not reprise the role in the future films, being replaced by Mark Ruffalo for all subsequent films involving the character; Chris Evans portrays Steve Rogers / Captain America; Chris Hemsworth plays Thor; Chris Pratt portrays Peter Quill / Star-Lord; Paul Rudd co-stars as Scott Lang / Ant-Man with Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp; Benedict Cumberbatch portrays Stephen Strange; Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man; Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa / Black Panther; and Brie Larson portrays Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel.
Samuel L. Jackson had cameo and supporting appearances as Nick Fury in several of the early films in the franchise, before co-starring in The Avengers; he would continue to have supporting roles in later films as well. Multiple other cast members recur across multiple films within the saga.