Warning: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Summary

• Jon Favreau has now become the longest-serving MCU actor in history, thanks to his return in Deadpool & Wolverine.
• Samuel L. Jackson's 15-year MCU career falls just short of Jon Favreau's 16 years, as both debuted in 2008's Iron Man.
• While Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in more MCU projects than most others, Stan Lee beats him, having made cameo appearances in a total of 23 MCU movies between Iron Man and Deadpool & Wolverine.

One long-running Deadpool & Wolverine featured several returning characters from Marvel's live-action history, including the likes of Jennifer Garner's Elektra, Wesley Snipes' Blade and Dafne Keen's X-23. Being mostly set in the Void, and even briefly on Earth-616, Deadpool & Wolverine also included a number of connections to the MCU itself, which allowed Jon Favreau to return as Happy Hogan.

During Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson uses Cable's time travel technology to somehow jump into the MCU's Sacred Timeline of Earth-616 in the months before Avengers: Infinity War. There, he approaches Happy Hogan in the hopes of being recruited for the then-separated Avengers team, but he is ultimately unsuccessful. It was great to see Favreau return to portray Happy Hogan in Deadpool & Wolverine, and this most recent appearance has enabled him to break an impressive MCU record previously held by Samuel L. Jackson.

Jon Favreau Has Become The Longest-Running MCU Actor, Beating Samuel L. Jackson

Thanks to his return in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, Jon Favreau has now become the longest-running actor in the MCU, having played Happy Hogan for 16 years. Happy Hogan has appeared in eight MCU feature films since his debut in 2008's Iron Man, and has also shown up in several episodes of What If...? and a deleted scene from Avengers: Infinity War. This 16-year record beats Samuel L. Jackson's 15-year run in the MCU, having starred as former SHIELD Director Nick Fury between 2008's Iron Man and 2023's Secret Invasion and What If...?.

Jon Favreau's extraordinary MCU career has not only seen him play Happy Hogan in front of the camera, but he has also acted as director and executive producer on a number of Marvel Studios movies. Favreau directed Iron Man and its 2010 sequel, and has been an executive producer on all four Avengers movies and Iron Man 3. Favreau's strong relationship with Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige means he will surely continue to extend his long-running record in the MCU, perhaps appearing as Happy Hogan for many more years to come.

Samuel L. Jackson Has Appeared In More MCU Projects Than Jon Favreau, But Not The Most

While Jon Favreau might have appeared in the MCU for longer than Samuel L. Jackson, the latter has starred in more Marvel Studios projects than just about anybody else. Jackson has appeared as Nick Fury in twelve feature films, as well as in the What If...? and Secret Invasion shows on Disney+. Nick Fury has been one of the most important figures in the MCU since the very beginning, and Jackson shows no sign of slowing down, despite the disappointing performances of his recent projects, Secret Invasion and The Marvels.

Samuel L. Jackson might have appeared in more MCU projects than almost anybody else, including Jon Favreau, but one iconic MCU figure beats him to the punch. Because of his brilliant cameo appearances in almost every MCU movie, Marvel legend Stan Lee has appeared in the most projects out of any other actor, appearing in a total of 23 movies, including two posthumous appearances in Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Stan Lee also appeared in an ad for Stanlee Steamer on the side of a bus in Deadpool & Wolverine, matching Jon Favreau's 16-year career in the MCU.

MCU Movies

• Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  February 14, 2025

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• Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  May 2, 2025

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• The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  July 25, 2025

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• Blade (2025)

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• Avengers: Doomsday

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• Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  December 17, 2027

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