The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled to the brim with amazing actors. The long-running franchise is as popular as ever and shows no sign of slowing down, so it's become a badge of honor for the biggest stars in show business to do a Marvel movie.
With the ever-growing list of actors who lend their talent to the franchise, it’s easy to forget that some of Hollywood’s biggest stars played smaller, supporting characters in the MCU. Marquee superheroes such as the Mighty Thor, the Incredible Hulk and the Invincible Iron Man may have movie buffs forgetting which A-list stars played roles lesser-known Marvel characters such as Aaron Davis or Rhomann Dey.
Zachary Levi
Fandral in Thor: The Dark World & Thor: Ragnarok
Fandral is one of Thor’s friends and a part of the Warriors Three. He remains loyal to Thor and Asgard until his demise in Thor: Ragnarok. Zachary Levi plays the character in the second and third Thor movies.
Levi has earned his place in Hollywood and pop culture. He is possibly most well known as the titular character in Chuck. Fandral is seen more in Thor: The Dark World than in Ragnarok. Unfortunately, the second movie in this franchise is often overlooked or forgotten, leading to lost memory of Levi’s time in the Universe. After his portrayal of Fandral, Levi went on to star in the DCEU film Shazam! and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Ty Burrell
Leonard Samson in The Incredible Hulk
Leonard Samson is Betty Ross’ romantic partner in The Incredible Hulk. When Bruce Banner comes back into her life, Leonard becomes jealous of their connection and stirs up unnecessary conflict.
Ty Burrell plays the complex character. Burrell has been in several big projects throughout the years, including Black Hawk Down, Dawn of the Dead, and Finding Dory. Modern Family is likely Burrell’s most prominent project. Out of all the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Incredible Hulk is possibly the least-watched, due to the major casting change of Bruce Banner. As a result, the memory of Ty Burrell’s part in the Marvel Universe is almost nonexistent.
John C. Reilly
Rhomann Dey in Guardians Of The Galaxy
Rhomann Dey is a member of the Nova Corps. With a note from Quill and Dey’s quick thinking, the Corps was prepared for war with Ronan, and ultimately won the Battle of Xandar.
John C. Reilly has a whopping 109 acting credits to his name. Some of his most popular projects include Boogie Nights, Wreck-It-Ralph, Step Brothers and Chicago. The main cast of Guardians Of The Galaxy is full of big personalities. Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana have been in several blockbuster franchises as well as Vin Deisel who voices Groot. With an ensemble cast of such talents, John C. Reilly’s presence may be overlooked.
Peter Dinklage
Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War
Eitri is the King of Dwarves. Thanos comes to him and blackmails him into creating the Infinity Gauntlet. Having a connection with Asgard, Eitri helps Thor build Stormbreaker, a weapon made to kill Thanos.
Peter Dinklage plays Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War. He’s a big name in Hollywood, possibly most well known as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones and Miles Finch in Elf. He has also starred in I Care A Lot and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Avengers: Infinity War has such an immense amount of cameos and character crossovers, it’s easy to gloss over some of them, even one as brilliant as Dinklage assisting Thor in the creation of an iconic weapon.
Donald Glover
Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming
Aaron Davis, also known as the Prowler in the comics, is a criminal on the streets of New York. Spider-Man catches him trying to buy alien technology and later, he gives the web-slinger the information he needs to break the case wide open.
Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, plays Aaron Davis. In addition to his music career, he’s a seasoned actor known for Community, The Martian, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Glover’s role in this MCU adaptation is small and therefore, not the first thing on fans’ minds when they think of Tom Holland’s first solo superhero movie. Even so, his performance is great. Could we see more from the Prowler in the future?
Tommy Lee Jones
Colonel Chester Phillips in Captain America: The First Avenger
Chester Phillips, an army officer and co-founder of SHIELD, has a hand in creating the first super soldier. He is reluctant to allow Steve a place on the battlefield but is proven wrong when Steve saves hundreds of his men.
Chester Phillips is played by Tommy Lee Jones of the Men In Black franchise. He has also been in The Fugitive, Fire Birds, and Black Moon Rising. Several big actors had a part in Captain America: The First Avenger. Stanley Tucci as Dr. Erskine comes to mind, but who could forget his tragic death immediately following Steve’s transformation? Tommy Lee Jones also plays a critical part in the film but when compared to Erskine, Bucky, Stark, and Peggy Carter, Phillips is very much in the background.
Annette Bening
Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel
Dr. Larson aka Mar-Vell is a Kree scientist who seeks to help the Skrulls escape the Kree empire. She serves as a mentor to Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau. She uses the tesseract in her experiments, the infinity stone that gives Carol her powers.
Mar-Vell is played by Annette Bening. Bening is known for highly-acclaimed projects such as The Kids Are All Right, Regarding Henry, Being Julia, and American Beauty. Like several of the films on this list, Captain Marvel is considered one of the worst MCU movies by many people. Releasing between two of the biggest MCU projects and with the controversy surrounding the main cast, some fans rather forget this film, and with it goes the memories of this award-winning actor’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sam Rockwell
Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2
Justin Hammer is a villain in Iron Man 2, albeit, not a great one. Like many other MCU villains, Hammer doesn‘t like Tony Stark. He is jealous of his successes and tries to discredit Tony and his work. When he loses his job, he hires Whiplash to recreate Tony’s armor.
Sam Rockwell has 105 acting credits and 52 awards to his name. He has been in several blockbuster films and series including Jojo Rabbit, Fosse/Verdon, Charlie’s Angels, Green Mile, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Like the second Thor film, Iron Man 2 isn’t highly regarded. It is one of the least memorable films in the entirety of the MCU. Even those who watch and enjoy this movie may pay more attention to Mickey Rourke’s unsettling take on Whiplash.
Forest Whitaker
Zuri in Black Panther
Zuri is a Wakandan shaman and a friend and advisor of T’Chaka’s. He was involved in the death of N’Jobu, Kilmonger’s father. He kept it a secret for several years until Kilmonger arrived at Wakanda and forced the story out.
The one and only Forest Whitaker plays Zuri in Black Panther. The actor has been in 129 projects, several of them earning critical acclaim. Some of his films include Arrival, Good Morning, Vietnam, Respect, Platoon, and The Last King of Scotland. Black Panther is full of big names in acting. Angela Bassett, Michael B. Jordan, Martin Freeman, and Daniel Kaluuya are just some of the huge stars that appear in Marvel’s Oscar-winning hit. While Forest Whitaker is one of the most famous actors to work with Marvel, his role is small compared to others in the film and therefore, fans may forget about his part.
Glenn Close
Irani Rael in Guardians Of The Galaxy
Irani Rael, also known as the Nova Prime, is the Nova Corps commander. Her team unknowingly brings the Guardians of the Galaxy together and when Ronan attacks Xandar, Rael and Rhomman Dey take initiative and help the Guardians claim victory.
Glenn Close plays the Nova Prime. She has only 91 acting credits but her award count is at 71, proving quality trumps quantity. Some of her notable projects include 101 Dalmations, Hamlet, The Big Chill, and Sarah, Plain And Tall. Similar to John C. Reilly, her role in the film is small and can often be forgotten about. Despite this, she gives a great performance, and her presence in future MCU films is desired.