Summary
TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis one of the largest movie franchises there has ever been. Starting withIron Manin 2008, theMCUis littered with characters that appear in subsequent movies and TV shows. Including some from the latest entry,Captain America: Brave New World.
Some characters in theMCUpop up regularly,dipping in for cameosin adventures after their solo projects. Most super-powered beings appeared in the epic that wasAvengers: Endgame,but that entry was not the only time that fans had seen their favorite Marvel characters on the big screen. These characters are the ones who appear in the MCU the most times and are ranked according to the quality of those appearances.
Updated June 11, 2025, by Ben Painter:The MCU is never-ending. The latest entry in the franchise,Captain America: Brave New World, includes a whole host of characters, with many returning from previous movies and series. A franchise like this has never been done before, a massively connected universe that has even now expanded into a multiverse. There have been characters who have appeared more times than others. Many of them are slated to appear in the next epic, Avengers Doomsday, but that is still some time away before it hits theaters.
15Star-Lord
8 Appearances
First appearing inGuardians of the Galaxy,the infamous Star-Lordhas gone on to feature throughout that franchise and then, of course, in the twoAvengersmovies. The first of which he played a very prominent role in essentially dooming the universe when he allowed Thanos to arm himself with the Infinity Gauntlet.
Appearing in eight different entries in the series, mainly the Guardians movies and specials, but also as part of the multi-versal animated show,What If..?.At the end of the third Guardians movie, Star-Lord returns to Earth, but fans are yet to see what he gets up to.
14Rocket Raccoon
The lovable trash panda, Rocket made his debut in the cosmic adventure,Guardians of the Galaxy. Going on to appear in eight different MCU entries. However, Rocket does not show up in the animatedWhat…If?, but instead shows up inI Am Groot.
Rocket has a fairly prominent role in his movies, joining up with the Avengers after surviving the snap inEnd Game, whileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3included flashbacks that gave the character a lot more depth. Now leading the team, it is unclear at this stage if he is going to show up again in the future.
13Groot
Groot is a character that has changed much throughout his appearances in theMCU, with four distinct looks. In the firstGuardiansmovie, he is tall and slender; the second one introducesthe adorable Baby Groot. By the time Infinity War rolls around, he is in a teenage state, and currently, he is shown to be a much bulkier tree than his original appearance.
However he appears, he has gone on to be one of the characters who show up in most movies and shows, one of those being his starring miniseries,I Am Groot. In this Disney+ show, the Flora Colossus goes on mini-adventures, causing mischief along the way.
12Sam Wilson
9 Appearances
“On your left.” This iconic line, spoken by Sam Wilson, signified that the second snap had worked and everyone was brought back into the fold inAvengers: Endgame. In his latest appearance, he stars for the first time as Captain America inBrave New World, marking his ninth appearance in the MCU. He first debuted as the Falcon inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.
In addition to his prominent roles in theCaptain AmericaandAvengers films, Sam had a small cameo inAnt-Manand was featured inWhat If…?, which contributed to his overall appearances. He is slated to appear inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars,but those appearances aren’t confirmed and are therefore not included for now.
11Loki
Loki is a major character in theMCU, first appearing as an antagonist inThor, as the brother of the God of Thunder. His role increased massively in his next appearance, where he became the main villain inThe Avengers.
Tom Hiddlestone’s character has a redemption arc, eventually aiding the heroes and making amends with his brother, culminating in his death inAvengers: Infinity Waras he attempts to stopthe titan he previously served, Thanos. Loki, of course, appeared in all the Thor movies and even gained his series,Lokiwhere a time-displaced version of Loki went on a similar arc of redemption.
10Spider-Man/Peter Parker
There was once a real question about whether the character of Spider-Man would ever appear in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. This was because Sony had the movie rights to the character, but a deal was eventually struck and Spidey made his bow inCaptain America: Civil War.
It was retconned that Peter Parker made his onscreen debut inIron Man 2, as a boy wearing an Iron Man mask. Spider-Man went on to have his trilogy and appeared in bothAvengers Infinity WarandEnd Game. The character also appeared in Spider-Man’s adversary’s movie,Venom, in its sequel,Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in an end-credits scene, which is tied to theMCU. Despite the initial uncertainty, Spider-Man is a main player in the MCU, and he will play a very prominent role going forward. Due to a lot of his appearances being cameos and shorter scenes, he cannot be held higher than the next entry.
9Thor
10 Appearances
Of course, Thor made hisMCUdebut in his self-titled outing and has gone on to appear nine times in the franchise, four of those being his movies. Thor is a major player, the powerhouse needed to save the day, as shown when heregains his full strengthin that epic scene inAvengers: End Game.
All of his on-screen performances have been major roles. Thor doesn’t do cameos. So, he ranks top spot among those who have also appeared nine times. Unlike the other two of the big three of theMCU, Captain America and Iron Man, Thor’s screen time doesn’t appear to be decreasing and is expected to play a part in the upcomingAvengersmovies.
8Happy Hogan
Happy Hogan plays a supporting role in the MCU, starting as Tony Stark’s driver and working his way up to CEO of Stark Enterprises and the Avengers. His most recent outing was a cameo in the MCU blockbuster,Deadpool & Wolverine,in which he interviews Deadpool about a position in the Avengers.
A surprising appearance for Hogan was in the animatedWhat If…series. Hogan becomes much more than Stark’s aide when he is accidentally injected with a sample of Hulk’s blood and becomes a big purple monster known as Freak. This does not have the same continuity as the rest of the movies, but it is still very much a part of the MCU. That episode is the only time Hogan has been a central character, so someone else with ten appearances tips him.
7Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
The former Russian spy turned SHIELD agent has been around basically since the beginning. First appearing inIron Man 2and going on to make 10 appearances in the MCU, mostly in the Avengers and Captain America adventures.
Despite dying inAvengers: Endgame, as part of retrieving an infinity stone, she received her own movie three years later.Black Widowis set after the events ofCaptain America: Civil War.She has mainly acted as a supporting character but has beena vital cog in the Avengers machine.
6Bucky Barnes
11 Appearances
Bucky has been around since Phase 1, first debuting inCaptain America: The First Avenger,but after seemingly dying, it was revealed he had beentransformed into the assassin, the Winter Soldier. He has gone on to appear in 11 different projects, although three of those are cameos (Ant-Man,Black Panther, andCaptain America: Brave New World) and an appearance inWhat If…?.
His first starring role wasThe Falcon And The Winter SoldierDisney+ series, but he is set to appear inThunderbolts*as the leader of this team, with that one right around the corner, it is only right to add this to Bucky’s tally.
