A handful of actors have appeared in both Marvel TV shows and the film side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but in different roles. The MCU continues to grow with releases of movies and the recent plans to bolster the TV lineup. It's not uncommon for TV cast to jump to the movie world or vice versa. Most of the time, it's a role reprisal situation, but not always.
To date, there are 23 films in the MCU with seven more on the way by mid-2022 and others currently in development. There have also been 11 Marvel TV shows, over half of which were developed by Netflix. Marvel Studios is now teaming with Disney+ to develop several series set in the MCU including releases of Loki. Since the franchise on both mediums is so expansive, it's not surprising that certain actors would make appearances in multiple Marvel titles.
Actors tend to make long-lasting relationships with filmmakers especially when it comes to directors, writers, and producers. Marvel mastermind, Stan Lee, clearly acquired the most roles in the MCU by cameoing in dozens of projects up to his death but there are others who did so with larger roles. Here's every actor that appeared in Marvel TV shows and MCU installments in different roles.
Enver Gjokaj
Enver Gjokaj made his MCU debut in 2012 with a small role in Agent Carter. Gjokaj played a pivotal role in the series which lasted two seasons. Agent Sousa was a war vet and a member of the SSR who also served as an ally for Peggy Carter, as well as a potential love interest. The fate of the character after the series remained unknown.
Matt Gerald
Avatar alum Matt Gerald ed the MCU through a Iron Man 3. Gerald later acquired a much more prominent role in Marvel's Netflix slate of programming with Daredevil. The actor appeared in all three seasons of the series as Melvin Potter, the man who created Matt Murdock's Daredevil suit. Potter once worked for Wilson Fisk and other criminals but eventually moved on to protect vigilantes for a brief time. He was ultimately manipulated by Fisk and the FBI before getting arrested for a parole violation.
Tony Curran
Tony Curran's first Marvel role came in Thor: The Dark World with his portrayal of Daredevil season 2. Cooley was an Irish gang member in Hell's Kitchen that captured the Punisher to avenge his son. He managed to torture his captive but Frank Castle later escaped and killed Cooley. Interestingly enough, Curran also appeared in Blade II and X-Men: First Class which means that he's the only actor to work for Marvel through three different studios.
Alfre Woodard
Legendary actress Alfre Woodard made her MCU debut with 2016's Luke Cage. She portrayed Mariah Dillard, the councilwoman in Harlem looking to bring change to the neighboorhood. Mariah also happened to be the cousin of Cornell Stokes so she was thrown into his conflict with Luke Cage. Just like the comics, the character took on the nickname of "Black Mariah" but it was used as an insult. Mariah eventually killed her cousin and became a crime lord in Harlem before she was killed with poison in Luke Cage season 2.
Clancy Brown
Clancy Brown ed the Marvel universe in 2016 with the role of Colonel Ray Schoonover in Daredevil and Thor: Ragnarok. Surtur, or the Destroyer of Asgard, was prophesied to start Ragnarök but he was killed by Thor. Loki then used the Eternal Flame to resurrect Surtur to defeat Hela even though that meant the destruction of the Asgardian realm. This wasn't the first time Brown worked with Taika Waititi as they both starred in DC's Green Lantern in 2011.
Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali will be the next actor to appear in a Marvel TV show and the films in different roles. He first portrayed Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in Luke Cage season 1. Stokes was the owner of Harlem's Paradise nightclub and had a hand in many illegal activities around the city. This made him an enemy of Luke Cage but he was ultimately killed by his own power-hungry cousin, Mariah Dillard. At San Diego Comic-Con 2019, it was announced that Mahershala Ali will play Blade for an MCU movie based on the character. Eric Brooks, aka Blade, is a half-vampire skilled in the martial arts who hunts vampires because of the death of his mother. The character was previously played by Wesley Snipes. There's no word on a release date for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
